Until further notice, all Cobb County Public Library locations are closed due to the COVID-19 surge in Cobb cases.
Among the top five counties in the state, in Cobb as of Dec. 23 for all of 2020, there have been 537 confirmed deaths and 33,621 confirmed cases, according to the dph.georgia.gov/covid-19-daily-status-report.
With “substantial community transmission of COVID-19,” Dr. Janet Pat Memark, District Health Director of Cobb & Douglas Public Health, said in a Dec. 15 report that case rates in Cobb and Douglas counties are six to seven times higher than what are considered high transmission - at 678/100K in Cobb and 727/100K in Douglas.
Even though Cobb library facilities are closed, public access to a range of library services will continue to be available, according to Cobb County Public Library System (CCPLS) Communications Specialist Tom Brooks.
That includes curbside service for library patrons to pick up reserved items at 12 Cobb libraries, he said.
Curbside service will continue at seven libraries – East Cobb, Mountain View Regional, North Cobb Regional, Sewell Mill, South Cobb Regional, Vinings and West Cobb Regional - even though these locations are closed for in-person access.
Also, curbside service hours are available at the Gritters, Kemp, Powder Springs, Sibley and Stratton libraries.
Cobb library curbside service hours are 10 a.m. to 7:45 p.m. Mondays and 10 a.m. to 5:45 p.m. Tuesdays to Fridays.
The same 12 libraries will provide telephone reference services during the curbside service hours.
Call-in reference services for the Lewis A. Ray and Sweetwater Valley libraries will be answered 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays to Fridays.
All outdoor Cobb library book return boxes will remain open, with the exception of Switzer Library since the facility in downtown Marietta is under renovation.
In addition to offering curbside service at Cobb libraries, Cobb library online digital resources – eBooks, eAudiobooks, digital magazines, streaming videos, databases and more – are offered through cobbcat.org.
Information about reference questions from the public is also provided through the library’s virtual reference service, Ask-a-Librarian, at cobbcat.org/ask-a-librarian.
For information on Cobb library resources and services, call 770-528-2320 or visit cobbcat.org/use-the-library-from-home.
Georgia COVID-19 Hotline: 844-442-2681
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