Current Issues

Partial budget restoration requires our continued efforts

Please take a moment to thank the City Council Members who supported a partial restoration of the budget for our public libraries during the meeting on September 27 at the take action page by clicking here.

We hope that the upcoming reorganization will provide sufficient funds to take the budget restoration from $1.7 Million to $2.5 million, leaving the libraries with the original cut of $900,000 as proposed in the Mayor's Budget.

We commend the following elected officials for their ongoing interest in the public libraries:

  • Mayor Alvin Brown

  • Lorie Boyer

  • Dr. Johnny Gaffney

  • E. Denise Lee

  • Warren A. Jones

  • Reginald L. Brown

  • Ray Holt

  • Jim Love

  • Kimberly Daniels

  • John R. Crescimbeni

  • Stephen C. Joost

  • Greg Anderson

  • Robin Lumb

September 9, 2011 Letter from Board of Library Trustees

Dear Library Customers,

As it stands right now, the Jacksonville Public Library budget will be cut by $3.5 million in the new Fiscal Year beginning October 1.

The result of this significant reduction in funding will be fewer hours of service at all libraries; all libraries will be closed on Mondays. The Main Library and four regional libraries will continue to be open for four hours each on Sundays. However, in order to accommodate the budget cut and provide these Sunday hours, service hours will need to be reduced during the week at these locations. The Maxville Branch library will be closed.

In order to meet a budget reduction of $3.5 million, which represents almost 9% of the library operating budget, 41 full-time positions will be eliminated. In addition, 25 to 30 part-time positions will be lost.

The Jacksonville City Council will hold a public hearing on the city’s budget during its regularly scheduled meeting on September 13 beginning at 5 p.m. in the City Council Chamber at City Hall (117 West Duval Street). The final vote on the budget is September 27.

We will continue to contact city council members to urge them to reconsider these cuts and to avoid any further reductions to the library’s budget. If you have questions or concerns about these cuts, please contact your council member. Find your council member by visiting My Neighborhood search on the City of Jacksonville website and entering your address. You can find the latest updates on the Budget on our blog at www.ilovejpl.com.

Thank you for your ongoing support and patronage.

The Board of Library Trustees

It is still important to make your voices heard by members of the Jacksonville City Council.

To send a message to the Mayor and City Council Members as to the importance of our public libraries, click here to go to Take Action Page. Or find additional methods of contacting them on our Resources Page.

If you would like to Volunteer, click the Volunteer Box and then follow the directions.

Thank you for your support for public libraries.

Previous Update:

Emergency Board Of Trustees Meeting Held on June 30

Extra $2M Budget Slash Would Mean:

      Cuts in Hours

      Loss of 39 Full Time Staff Positions

      Closure of Maxville Branch

Cut Was Requested Verbally by Budget Office of Outgoing Administration

A response was sent back to the city after the Board of Trustees met in an Emergency session on June 30 in the form of a memorandum titled "FY2012 Modified Budget Proposal as Requested by Budget Office" that you can read by clicking here and a memorandum titled "Submittal of Modified Jacksonville Public Library Budget for FY 2012" that you can read by clicking here.

Cuts tendered involve substantial cuts in hours and loss of 39 full time staff positions. This is on top of more than 100 positions lost over past 5 years.

At a time when literacy has been identified as a major impediment to education, this level of budget reduction is simply irresponsible.

We don’t have to take this: Make your Voice heard by going to our Take Action Page and sending a message to our elected officials!

The response from the library board includes the following:

"In response to a verbal request by Budget Officer Kent Olson to reduce the library’s budget by $2M without the closing of any branch library, the Board of Library Trustees approves this proposed budget cut of $1,882,345."

"It is the recommendation of the Board that, in lieu of eliminating Sunday hours at four branch libraries as proposed, branches which currently have Sunday hours (Webb Wesconnett Regional Library, Southeast Regional Library, Highlands Regional Library, and Beaches Regional Library) along with the Main Library be maintained and that Maxville Branch Library be closed."

"It is the aim of the Board, with this recommendation, to remain consistent with the Board’s anticipated recommendations from the Capacity Plan to be made to the Mayor and City Council in July."

"The Board further gives the Director of the Jacksonville Public Library, Barbara Gubbin, the authority to make additional changes to this proposed budget so long as such changes do not exceed 10% of the dollar amount of the current proposed cuts and so long as cuts are made only by changing service hours."

"Further, the Board believes that materials are essential to the viability of the library and is strongly opposed to any cut in the materials budget."

Libraries should not be at the bottom of priorities. Libraries must be given high priority in a city beset by literacy and education issues.

And it's not just about books! Our libraries provide places for people to seek employment, participate in community meetings, access multimedia materials, and further the education and of our children. These are just a few of the important functions that our libraries serve. Funding for libraries should not be cut, and lost funding needs to be restored.

To send a message to the Mayor and City Council Members as to the importance of our public libraries, click here to go to Take Action Page. Or find additional methods of contacting them on our Resources Page.

Radio Appearance

Bill Brinton & Audrey Gibson Appear on 89.9’s First Coast Connect with Producer/Host Melissa Ross

On Monday, June 20, 2011, library advocates Attorney Bill Brinton, and former State Representative Audrey Gibson appeared on public radio 89.9 as part of Melissa Ross’ First Coast Connect show, to call attention the advocacy entity, “Save Our Public Libraries” and this website.

Visit 89.9's website at  http://www.wjctondemand.org/ and look for First Coast Connect to listen to this morning’s broadcast, (it is the final portion of the show and you can fast forward). You may also follow the podcast, and the First Coast Connect blog.

Save Our Public Libraries, Inc. is a pure advocacy organization. It is not constrained in delivering an important message of library support to the extent that a non-profit entity or a public agency may be constrained. This site will serve as a platform to deliver important messages of library support to public officials.