Contra Costa library online accounts suffers a new setback for patrons
A month after the Contra Costa County Library system restored access to online accounts for its patrons following a cyber attack, those services went down again February 22.
“We are still going through the remediation process,” said library spokesperson Brooke Converse of the efforts by IT personnel to restore access.
Visitors to the website were advised in a banner message that Overdrive (Libby) access is available to patrons who prefer the ease of e-books and reading their selections on Kindles or their tablets. As well, Discover & Go offerings are available.
However, the “My Account” online feature needed to renew books or putting titles found in the catalogue on hold is not available.
Unlike the last time a disruption occurred, patrons did not receive an email alerting them of a problem this time around, and Converse did not know if email blasts would be used to provide patrons with future updates on the latest service situation.
Patrons can still use the online catalog to find books and then call the particular branch to have titles put on hold. So, a by-product of this latest disruption is giving patrons new reasons to interact with library personnel, and visit one of the 26 branches to experience the wide range of programs that is being offered.
The latest outage is linked to the cyberattack that befell the network at the start of the year. The investigation is ongoing, and the IT department continues to work with state and federal investigators to identify the perpetrator.
“Our goal is to have library services restored as quickly as possible for community members,” said county spokesperson Susan Shiu.
The Contra Costa County library website is ccclib.org
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