13 of Cobb County's 17 libraries will close May 1 (Atlanta, Forsyth: 2013, crime)

[MathmanMathman]

Originally Posted by arjay57

While Galileo is a great jumping off point and an excellent finding aid, you still have to look way beyond that if you're doing serious research.

True, but at this point, unless you are doing historical research, you have to go with databases.

Of course the university libraries are very important. But there are also excellent collections at the AFPL downtown, at the Auburn Avenue Research Library and the Kenan Research Center at the Atlanta History Center. And elsewhere.

I'd turn over all of that to Georgia State University to be preserved and have the material digitized for ease of availability for everyone. I believe the AJC gave GSU their archive of pictures to digitize.

[capnpen]

Originally Posted by syracusa

Shoot.
If they are not, we truly are about to move to a sh**ty place despite all the hype. Oh, East Cobb...East Snob...oh, the awesomeness of schools, oh the greatness of the area, oh the emphasis on ejuhkhation!
Oh how "upper-middle" class of everybody!

BS.

Any TRULY upper-middle to upper class person is also an educated person; and educated persons are usually voracious readers whose appetites for books can hardly be satisfied even by the highest of incomes or the largest of book-shelves in the home.
Educated people VALUE public libraries people.
Well-endowed public libraries.

It is a complete disgrace for East Cobb that they would allow themselves to sink that low. I am afraid it would just go to show who they really are: people with a bit of extra money who associate "education" with being able to buy big a** stuff. That would spell "HARDLY educated".

If East Cobb residents were 10% of who they fancy themselves to be, they would raise HELL on Earth for having their public libraries closed.

We are about to leave Massachusetts...but one thing I will miss tremendously is their incredible public libraries as well as their deep seated belief that money MUST BE found to fund public libraries SOLIDLY, come H or H water, huge taxes or not.

Wow. Amazing that you invoke complete snobbery while calling East Cobbers snobs. And it's not "ejuhkhation" -- it's "edukashun" since we're too stupid to know how to use the -tion suffix. If you have such a problem with our area, I have a suggestion -- perhaps you could stay in Massachusetts. Things have functioned pretty well around here for a lot of years, and we're pretty adept at handling our own business in Cobb. Then again, you could move to a progressive place like Fulton or Dekalb where taxes are outrageously high and city services and schools are the pits. It might actually make you feel right at home.

[green_mariner]

Originally Posted by Zimbochick

Yes, because we all know that kids, the elderly, and the impoverished have data plans and kindles. One of the most common library activities at present is computer usage for job searches. I know it's a shock, but libraries are there for all to use.

That is true. They are for everyone. I use them and I have a computer. Then again, I'm also borderline socialist.

[green_mariner]

Originally Posted by arjay57

I disagree. Every time I go to the library they are packed. Libraries do a lot more than shelve books, too. They host community meetings. They afford web access to many who don't have it. They provide research and study facilities that go vastly beyond what you can do online. They loan movies and music. They host art exhibitions. They have author forums. They often house other services, such as ESL classes, GED programs, poetry workshops, and the Cooperative Extension Service.

Not to mention the basic fact that they are repositories of knowledge which encourage people to read and study, and provide a quiet, contemplative space for the community.

Not to mention, my favorite place to be when I was a kid.

[bsharynu]

I know this is an old post, but is this true? Are there now only 4 libraries in the whole county? If so, how awful.

[rcsteiner]

Originally Posted by bsharynu

I know this is an old post, but is this true? Are there now only 4 libraries in the whole county? If so, how awful.

The Cobb County Library system currently has 17 locations. I believe the threatened shutdown did not occur.

See this message: https://www.city-data.com/forum/18693291-post32.html

Current locations:

Libraries | Cobb County Public Library System

There are also other libraries in Cobb County besides the ones that the county controls.

[MathmanMathman]

Originally Posted by AcidSnake

Wow.

So even the supposedly well-managed conservative bastion known as Cobb County is having problems with maintaining its currently level of government services, eh?

I'm unsure if AS would be happy or disappointed by the news. Apparently the gap was closed by requiring five furlough days and a 10% budget cut.

Cobb County libraries saved, but with cuts | Tamarron | Smyrna, GA

[arjay57]

Cobb knows how to tighten its belt.

[ATLTJL]

Wow. What a novel approach. Belt tightening.

Had it been the city of Atlanta, it would have insisted everyone pay a 2 cent library SPLOST on everything they buy for the next 30 years or else all the libraries will close and there is no plan B.

And many of the people here would have supported it.

[gapowermike]

Another fine example of the scare tactics employed by politicians...love the SPLOST comment.