After falling victim to a cybersecurity breach, the Long Beach Public Library has successfully restored all of its digital resources. The facilities, including public computer labs, printing services, and public WiFi, were knocked off the grid on November 15th due to a network security incident that targeted city systems. According to a release from the City of Long Beach, it was "an abundance of caution" that prompted the service suspension, which has now been reinstated.

The initial shutdown followed the city council's move to consider declaring a state of emergency. City Manager Tom Modica granted the emergency powers to swiftly coordinate a response without red tape. These powers significantly increased the purchasing authority of the City Manager to $1 million and the Purchasing Agent to $500,000, as per a report from Hoodline.

Citizens once again have access to various library services, including the online catalog and Digital Library resources such as Libby/OverDrive. "We understand these are critical services for many library patrons and we appreciate everyone’s patience while we worked to restore them," Mayor Rex Richardson said in the statement obtained by the City of Long Beach. The community can call 562.570.7500 for more information or visit LBPL locations for in-person services.

Long Beach officials have promised to keep the public in the loop on any developments. They've encouraged residents to follow their social pages or check the dedicated webpage for updates. "We are committed to keeping the public informed of any new developments," a city spokesperson added, hinting to stay tuned with #LBAlert on social media for the latest.