Cobb County Public Library System
Cobb County Public Library System is a county public library system based in Marietta (Cobb County), Georgia, serving a legal service area of 783,536 residents through 15 library buildings and one bookmobile. Among profiled systems in Georgia, it ranks first for print volumes, third for population served, third for program attendance and third for electronic checkouts, but ranks third-lowest for library floor space per resident.
Against the median system of its size class, it records 49% less operating spending per resident and 40% fewer physical checkouts per resident.
Cobb County against the 61 systems of its size class
Cobb County, building by building
The 14 buildings cover 236,242 square feet in total, 0.30 square feet per resident against a median of 0.45 for the size class. The largest building is Switzer Library at 68,000 square feet; the smallest is Lewis A. Ray Library at 2,916. The longest hours, 54.9 a week, are shared by four buildings.
| Building | Type | Town | Hours a week | Floor area, sq ft |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Switzer Library | Central library | Marietta | 54.9 | 68,000 |
| East Cobb Library | Branch | Marietta | 51 | 16,800 |
| Kemp Memorial Library | Branch | Marietta | 51 | 6,143 |
| Lewis A. Ray Library | Branch | Smyrna | 42.8 | 2,916 |
| Mountain View Regional Library | Branch | Marietta | 54.9 | 20,000 |
| North Cobb Regional Library | Branch | Kennesaw | 51 | 26,000 |
| Powder Springs Library | Branch | Powder Springs | 51 | 10,000 |
| Sewell Mill Library and Cultural Center | Branch | Marietta | 51 | 22,000 |
| Sibley Library | Branch | Marietta | 42.4 | 2,916 |
| South Cobb Regional Library | Branch | Mableton | 54.9 | 20,000 |
| Stratton Library | Branch | Marietta | 51 | 7,500 |
| Sweetwater Valley Library | Branch | Austell | 42.4 | 5,400 |
| Vinings Library | Branch | Atlanta | 51.2 | 8,567 |
| West Cobb Regional Library | Branch | Kennesaw | 54.9 | 20,000 |
| Bookmobile | Bookmobile | Marietta | 3.3 |
Cobb County in numbers, FY 2024
- Visits
- 1,413,519
- Physical checkouts
- 1,801,357
- …of children's materials
- 1,037,453
- Electronic checkouts
- 1,125,221
- …of e-books
- 424,566
- …of e-audio
- 430,477
- Registered users
- 418,304
- Program sessions
- 6,271
- Program attendance
- 143,496
- Print volumes
- 1,085,901
- Audio items (physical)
- 51,130
- Video items (physical)
- 95,241
- Public computers
- 424
- Public service hours, all outlets
- 35,987
- Paid staff (full-time equivalent)
- 194.2
- Operating spending
- $19.1 million
- …on books and other materials
- $2.2 million
- Overdue fines on print items
- not charged
Where Cobb County gets its operating money
Operating revenue came to $19.6 million, or $24.98 per resident. The local-government share sits 12 percentage points above the combined share for the 60 profiled systems in Georgia.
- Local government
- State
- Federal
- Other (fines, fees, gifts, grants)
Cobb County since FY 2019
Visits were 22% below the FY 2019 count of 1.8 million (size-class median: −30%). Physical checkouts moved 22% down over the same span.
- Visits
- Physical checkouts
Who comes to Cobb County programs
Programs for children up to age 11 drew 75% of all program attendance, and sessions averaged 23 people each.
County libraries of similar size in other states
Of these six systems, five record more visits per resident than this one. The highest checkout rate in the group belongs to Cincinnati and Hamilton County Public Library in Ohio.
| System | Based in | Residents | Visits per resident | Checkouts per resident | Spending per resident |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baltimore County Public Library | Towson, MD | 849,316 | 3.03 | 8.09 | $63.59 |
| Cincinnati and Hamilton County Public Library | Cincinnati, OH | 830,639 | 4.93 | 15.34 | $87.83 |
| Metropolitan Library System | Oklahoma City, OK | 808,866 | 2.31 | 6.45 | $59.93 |
| Lee County Library System | Fort Myers, FL | 779,221 | 1.83 | 3.48 | $47.86 |
| Louisville Free Public Library | Louisville, KY | 772,144 | 2.29 | 2.87 | $31.25 |
| Montgomery County Memorial Library System | Conroe, TX | 705,126 | 1.12 | 3.44 | $16.91 |
Nearest in size within Georgia
- Dekalb County Public Library · Decatur · 768,134 residents
- Gwinnett County Public Library System · Lawrenceville · 992,705 residents
- Fulton County Library System · Atlanta · 1,094,693 residents
- West Georgia Regional Library · Carrollton · 510,050 residents