After years of renovation and construction, Carrollton’s Neva Lomason Memorial Library is reopening its doors to the public next week. A ribbon cutting ceremony this week, attended by sponsors, boosters, West Georgia Regional Library System employees, Carrollton City Council and the Carroll County Board of Commissioners, celebrated the completion of a major overhaul of the library at the intersection of Rome and Spring Streets.
The WGRLS’ flagship library, the Neva Lomason, was built in 1967 and renovated in 1976 and 1993. The current project consisted of two major phases: the construction of a 6,800-square-foot regional administration building and the renovation of the existing library facility. WGRLS administrative offices previously occupied 10,000 square feet of the library structure. Adding the administration building allowed the library to fully occupy the 28,000-square-foot foundation. Highlights of the renovated space include study rooms, three meeting spaces, an expanded computer lab, a redesigned children’s area and dedicated teen space, improved space for special collections and shorter, ADA-compliant shelving.
The Neva Lomason Construction Committee, comprised of Chairman Clint Chance, Michelle Morgan, Tim Grizzard, Walt Hollingsworth, Betty Cason, Shirley Vassy, Cyle Bohannon, Rory Wojcik, Jeremy Snell, Jessica Everingham and Roni Tewksbury, managed the project. The contractor was RA-LIN & Associates and the architect was Rickman Architecture & Design.
The project was funded by a combination of state, local and privately-donated funds. The state contributed $2,615,496, the City of Carrollton contributed $1,155,000 and Carroll County Board of Commissioners gave $500,000. $1,087,052.81 came from private donations.
The WGRLS is governed by a board of trustees appointed by funding agencies across Carroll, Douglas, Haralson, Heard and Paulding counties. The Neva Lomason is the second busiest of the 19 libraries in WGRLS, welcoming around 87,700 visits in a year. The Neva Lomason Memorial Library will reopen Monday, September 21.
For questions about the Neva Lomason Library, please call (770) 830-2233.
As part of the system’s response to COVID-19, the library will be open on Monday will the following protocols in place:
Masks will be required upon entry. This allows us to maintain the collection for browsing and technology for continued use.The library will be open Mondays through Saturdays.
9:30 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.: building open for community members at a higher risk for COVID-19 complications.
10:30 am – 5:00 p.m.: building open for the entire community.
Contactless services will continue to be available from 9:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
You may browse the library’s collection; however, reading areas with soft seating will not be available for use.
Computers will be available for public use. There will be a 45 minute time-limit if others are waiting.
Changes to these protocols and hours will be made as WGRLS Administration continues to monitor public health data in Carroll County.
