On March 3, the Cobb Collaborative, the Kiwanis Club of Marietta, and the City of Marietta joined with community and business leaders to celebrate the official opening of two Little Free Libraries located at Victory and Kirby Parks. The effort was led by Marietta City Councilwoman Cheryl Richardson, who reflected on her life-long love of reading and emphasized the long-term impact of early literacy, stating, “Children who start on track are more likely to graduate high school and college – and to create the same strong foundation for their own children, ” observed the councilwoman for Ward 1.
Ms. Richardson was joined by fellow City Council members Joseph Goldstein and M. Carlyle Kent and Marietta City Schools Board of Education Member Irene Berens who each provided remarks. As the representative of the Mayor’s Reading Club sponsored by the Georgia Municipal Association and a long-time literacy advocate, Councilman Kent spoke of his community-based reading activities and contributed family reading kits to the library at Victory Park.
Debbie McCracken, Vice-Governor of the GA District of Kiwanis International shared that literacy is a core priority for the civic association. The Marietta Club has been involved in local efforts to increase access to books for several years and serves as library stewards for many Little Free Libraries across the city. Access to books plays a critical role in early childhood development. Reading helps children build vocabulary, explore emotions, and strengthen comprehension skills. An attendee also highlighted the importance of neighborhood access, sharing, “It’s going to be huge for children to be able to pick up a book on the way to school or while at the park and have access right in their own neighborhood.”
In addition to serving as the local point of contact for the Get Georgia Reading Campaign, the Cobb Collaborative was recognized in 2025 by the international Little Free Library nonprofit organization with the prestigiousTodd H. Bol Award for Outstanding Achievement for its efforts to build a sense of community and increase access to books.
Although these were the first two libraries dedicated this year, they represent the 82nd and 83rd Little Free Libraries the Cobb Collaborative has installed in the community since 2021. “Partnerships are the heart and soul of our work, and collaborating with passionate municipal leaders like Councilwoman Richardson is an honor,” observed Collaborative Executive Director Irene Barton. “Print awareness in terms of knowing what books signify, how we read, how to hold a book, is a tenet of the science of reading and we are honored to partner with Marietta City Schools and the City of Marietta in a community-wide coalition to improve reading skills for all students.”
For more information on Little Free Libraries, including sponsorship opportunities, please contact the Cobb Collaborative via email at communications@cobbcollaborative.org
