Strongsville Library Moves To Curbside, Drive-Thru Service Only

STRONGSVILLE, OH — The Cuyahoga County Public Library system will stop allowing patrons inside library buildings, including the Strongsville branch.

Instead, the county's 27 branches will all offer curbside or drive-thru service starting Thursday. Access inside any library buildings will be prohibited.

"As public health officials are strongly recommending that everyone limit their in-person interactions outside the home, we feel the most responsible option is to close our buildings to the public while continuing to provide contactless access to books, DVDs, call-ahead print/fax service as well as the library’s robust digital collection of ebooks, eaudiobooks, streaming movies and music. We are also working to expand the number of circulating wifi hotspots in our collection so we can help keep our residents connected," a library system spokesperson told Patch.

Customers can still request material online or by calling their branch. Materials can then be collected via drive-thru or curbside pick-up. Libraries will maintain regular open hours for pick-up:

Monday – Thursday: 9 a.m. – 9 p.m.
Friday & Saturday: 9 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.
Sunday: 1 p.m. – 5 p.m.

Stay-at-Home Advisory

The decision to close public access to the library buildings comes after Cuyahoga County officials issued a stay-at-home advisory on Wednesday, to try and curb the surge in new COVID-19 cases.

During a news conference, Cuyahoga County Executive Armond Budish and Mayor Frank Jackson said positive COVID-19 tests have spiked in recent weeks and new measures are needed to stymie the virus.

Jackson added that data from Case Western Reserve University suggests the county could soon be confirming 1,000 to 1,200 new cases per day.

The advisory recommends schools and churches temporarily close and suggests residents should not host any guests during the holiday season. Universities and K-12 schools are being asked to remain remote following the Thanksgiving holiday.

Employers are being asked to keep as many workers remote as possible. Ohio will be under curfew from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. for the next three weeks.