Ways to Advocate the Jacksonville Public Library:

• Contact senators and representatives who serve Duval County in the Florida Legislature and urge them to support the future of the Jacksonville Public Library. Click here to locate their contact information.

• Contact your City Council representative by visiting the My Neighborhood search on the City of Jacksonville website and entering your address to locate specific contact information for your council member.

• Visit myfloridahouse.gov, click “Find Your Representative,” and enter your address to locate contact information for your Florida elected officials. Let them know what we mean to you and your family.

• Share this information with your friends and family and encourage them support the JPL. Read more about additional ways to support us here.

If you’re not convinced that the Jacksonville Public Library is an indispensable community resource, take a moment to read the stories of people just like you who rely on their library. From children’s programs and educational resources to adult literacy, assistance for job seekers, and special needs services, we are much more than just books–we’re a vital community hub that people depend on.

This isn’t any ordinary drawing contest. The esteemed winner of our Teen Drawing Contest gets a solo show at the Main Library during March Art Walk, along with a $30 Reddi Arts gift certificate. Entries from will be displayed in the gallery during February Art Walk.

For more info: http://jplzinelibrary.wordpress.com/kathleen-hanna/

Reserve a seat: http://jplzines2011.eventbrite.com/

JPL Zine Collection Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Jacksonville-Public-Library-Zine-Collection/108022702

• All locations will be open on Mondays.
• The Maxville Branch Library will not be closed.
• No library employee will  be demoted or told that he or she no longer has a job.

While the cut is less than expected, it is still a reduction of $1.3 million. To accommodate this reduction, service hours at some locations will be reduced and vacant positions will not be filled. The new schedule goes into effect Oct. 15 and can be found on our website.

The library owes a large debt of gratitude to the many “Friends,” library customers and
supporters in our community who have worked tirelessly on behalf of the library to
reverse the budget cuts. We also greatly appreciate the many library supporters on the
City Council for their work on our behalf, particularly Council Member John Crescimbeni
and Council President Stephen Joost.

Thank you for loving your library!

It’s important that you have the full and up-to-date picture concerning library costs. As you read the article, please keep in mind these key points:

• Operating costs in the article under-report the full costs of running the libraries; the numbers listed on the chart only account for staffing and utilities costs. They do not include the cost of library materials or of janitorial, security, or distribution services, nor of maintenance, indirect cost allocations, or IT costs.
• The chart does not include costs of functions that serve the system as a whole, such as salaries of staff in support services, library administration, and facilities management, as well as the cost of centralized computer systems, subscriptions to reference databases, and our rapidly growing e-library services.

The library faces a $3.5 million cut if the City Council approves the budget as-is on Sept. 27. You have time to contact your city council representative and let him or her know that you do not want to lose library service. Find your council member by visiting the My Neighborhood search on the City of Jacksonville website and entering your address.

Budget timeline:

In June, in preparation for the mayor’s 2012 budget proposal, the city budget office requested that the library cut $435,000 from the library’s current budget. The library was able to reduce expenses without eliminating positions or reducing service hours; we reduced contracts for security guards, some maintenance contracts, software licensing, and other similar charges.  After factoring in internal service charges and interdepartmental charges, the total reduction to the library’s current budget was almost $906,000.

On August 25, the City Council Finance Committee directed the library to reduce its costs by another $2.1 million by closing all libraries one day per week. The library chose Monday as the most logical option.

On September 1, action by the Finance Committee on the city’s pension costs with regard to the actuarial study mandated the library operating budget be cut by an additional $476,266. These budget cuts would pay for the library’s share of additional city pension costs. The Board of Library Trustees met this week to approve plans to achieve this third budget cut.

The impact of the $3.5 million budget cuts will be the following:

• All libraries will be closed on Mondays.
• Main Library and four regional branches will be open four, rather than five, hours on Sundays. This will be accomplished by reducing hours at these locations during the week.
• The Maxville Branch Library will be closed.
• Neighborhood libraries, previously not impacted by the cuts, now will be open 32 hours per week Tuesday through Friday.

What do the cuts mean for staff positions?

In order to meet a budget reduction of this magnitude, 41 full-time positions will be eliminated.  In addition, 25 to 30 part-time positions will be lost (13 FTEs).

What happens next?

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.

If you have questions or concerns about these proposed cuts, contact your council member.  You can find the contact information for your council member by using the My Neighborhood search on the City of Jacksonville website.

Impact of $3.5 Million FY ’12 Budget Reduction on the Jacksonville Public Library

The total cuts being proposed for the Jacksonville Public Library’s budget amount to a reduction of $3.5 million (9% of the library’s operating budget). Following are some of the ramifications of these cuts:

•      41 full-time positions and 25 to 30 part-time positions will be lost.
•      The 21 libraries will lose between 235 and 260 hours each week of service to the public (a 21-23% reduction in service).
•      In 2010 (the latest complete year of data), customers used library computers for 225,000 computer sessions on days that will no longer be options for them. Because of the popularity of the computers on all days, most lost opportunities on one day of the week could not be made up on another.
•      Customers made approximately 920,000 visits to libraries on days that will no longer be options for them.
•      This number of visits includes thousands of children and teens, who count on libraries as a safe place for homework and learning activities after school.
•      Community groups will have to find another place to hold over 5,000 meetings because one weekday each week will no longer an option and there aren’t enough openings on other days of the week to accommodate them.
•      Customers who would have checked out library materials on Monday (approximately 1.5 million items in 2010) will no longer have that option.
•      10,000 hours of literacy instruction could be lost.
•      As many as 1,800 fewer programs will be offered for children, teens and adults.

The Board of Library Trustees met in an emergency session Sept. 6 to meet a City Council Finance Committee mandated reduction in the operating budget of $476,266. The committee is requiring the budget cuts to pay for the library’s share of additional city pension costs.

Reluctantly and with strenuous opposition, the board submitted the following additional cuts:

1. Close all the libraries on Sundays. (Currently, the Main Library and four regional branches are open on Sundays.)  This is in addition to closing libraries one day per week, per the committee’s request of Aug. 25.
2. Close the Maxville Branch Library.
3. Reduce the operating hours at the three remaining neighborhood branches from 40 hours per week to 32 hours per week.

If all requested cuts are implemented, the library budget for Fiscal Year 2012 will have been reduced by $3.5 million from the current budget.  These cuts would have significant ramifications, including the following:

• The library system will lose 260 hours each week: 23% of total operating hours
• More than 250,000 lost opportunities to use public computers
• More than 5,000 community meetings will have to be held somewhere else, potentially at a cost to those organizations, as library space will no longer be available on a weekday.
• Services to customers with special needs will be cut by 20%.
• 39 full time jobs and approximately 24 part time jobs will be eliminated.

More than 1 million visits were made to the library on Sundays and Mondays last year; customers checked out approximately 1.7 million items on these two days alone. The opportunity for literacy instruction, programs for children, and the availability of services for job seekers would be greatly reduced.

This action is not yet final—the full council will vote on the budget Sept. 27.  You have time to contact your city council representative and let him or her know that you do not want to lose library service! Find your council member by visiting the My Neighborhood search on the City of Jacksonville website and entering your address.

The City Council Finance Committee approved a motion on Aug. 25 that the Jacksonville Public Library’s budget be reduced by $2.1 million, in addition to the $906,000 reduction already planned for next budget year. The motion by Committee Chair Richard Clark would close all libraries one day per week.  

Starting Oct. 1, all libraries will be closed on Mondays. The neighborhood branch hours, currently at 40 hours per week, would remain the same.

On any given day, nearly 15,000 people visit the library. What will this cut mean?

• Combined, the library system will lose 171 hours each week: 15% of total operating hours.

• More than 225,000 lost opportunities to use public computers

• Children and teens who count on the library will lose a safe place to do homework and participate in after school learning activities. With these cuts, 1,800 fewer programs will be offered for teens, children and adults.

• 35 full time jobs lost and 20 part time jobs lost

Approximately 1.5 million items are checked out on Mondays each year—that’s an average of 33,500 items per Monday. In addition, the cuts will mean 5,400 fewer community group meetings will take place at the library each year. Closing one day per week would mean 10,000 fewer hours of literacy instruction provided by the Center for Adult Learning.

This action must still be approved by the full council on Sept. 27. Contact your city council representative by visiting the My Neighborhood search on the City of Jacksonville website and entering your address to locate specific contact information for your council member. Let them know how much you value your library.

What is State Aid?
The State Aid law was enacted in 1961. State Aid to Libraries is a state-funded program comprised of three interrelated grants: Operating, Equalization, and Multicounty. In FY 2010-11, $21.2 million was appropriated by the Legislature to fund State Aid to Libraries. The proposed appropriation for FY 2011-2012 is $21.3 million and Jacksonville Public Library is eligible for a $1 million operating grant.

The purpose of State Aid is to assist local governments in maintaining and improving a vital program of free, professional library service for all residents. It is also designed to provide an incentive for local governments to invest more in their libraries. As grant amounts are based largely on local funds invested in library service, the more money spent on library services means more potential state aid.

State Aid is a continuing state grant authorized by Chapter 257, Florida Statutes, for eligible library entities. Operating grants are awarded by the Florida Department of State Division of Library and Information Services through an annual application process.

Funding history
In the spring of 2010 and 2011, appropriations committees in the Florida House and Senate adopted positions eliminating all funding for Florida’s State Aid to Public Libraries program. If that effort had been successful this year, Duval County would have lost $834,493. Fortunately, library funding was saved in both years after Florida residents expressed their outrage over proposed elimination of funding for the vital services they receive at their public library. Some local systems are funded entirely through the State Aid program, and would have been completely eliminated.

There is no reason to assume that cuts to the State Aid program will not be contemplated in the next legislative cycle. State Aid has already been cut by over a third, from $33.4 million in 2001 to $21.2 million today. Locally, the Jacksonville City Council has cut the Jacksonville Public Library General Fund materials budget 41.4% since 2005 and more cuts are expected in the next several years. Meanwhile, Duval County’s State Aid funding during that period has decreased 32.6%, from $1,238,343 to $834,493.

Why does it matter to our community?
Free, professional library services are critical to Duval County’s economic development, educational opportunities and quality of life. Public demand for library services is at an all-time high, yet funding is threatened. Last year alone, people visited the library 5 million times, they visited the library via our Web site 4.8 million times, and they borrowed over 9 million items.

If State Aid funding is cut, many services our communities rely on will be reduced or even eliminated during one of the most challenging times our state and county have faced in recent memory. Residents are turning to the library in record numbers:

- Job seekers are using library services to find and apply for jobs. Many unemployed individuals do not have access to the Internet, which is mandatory for most job applications.

- Residents who need to apply for critical e-Government services and benefits are getting help from library staff, computers and Internet service.

- Families rely on free books, DVDs and CDs available from their public library to stretch their limited household budgets.

What’s the risk of losing State Aid funding? Fewer operating funds that impact…

1) Programs and services
Based on current estimates, Duval County would lose $1,158,624 in both state and federal aid: $1,035,657 in State Aid and $122,967 in Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) funds, which are contingent upon the State Aid appropriation. This money supported vital literacy programs at the Jacksonville Public Library. If state funding is not eliminated but is reduced below the current level, critically needed federal funds that come with the State Aid allocation will be lost.

2) Materials and resources
Funds to purchase books, reference databases and audio/visual materials would be greatly reduced. Jacksonville Public Library supplements its General Fund allocation for these materials with State Aid funds. While it would be devastating to lose $1,158,624, Duval County would also lose access to $6.5 million in online resources and research materials due to a match of state to federal dollars.

3) Facility improvements and maintenance
Without State Aid, there is no funding for equipment such as self-check machines, security cameras, furniture, fixtures, signage and other items the library depends on to serve its customers. The current Capacity Plan facilities assessment estimates that it will take nearly $1 million in improvements over the next 10 years as part of the recommendations to bring the Jacksonville Public Library system up to modern library standards. The City of Jacksonville does not provide an adequate annual budget for general facilities maintenance; without State Aid, these improvements would go unfunded.

4) Technology investments
Plans for a truly modern library for Jacksonville would be put on hold. Investments in customer service and staff productivity technologies are critical to achieving the world-class library system Duval County customers desire and deserve. Projects such as an automated return system would be jeopardized without State Aid funding support.

Why support State Aid? It’s a vital funding resource to meet customer needs…
The people of Jacksonville voted on the value of Jacksonville Public Library services more than 10 million times last year when they came into the library or accessed the Jacksonville Public Library Web site for government services, education and reading resources, economic development services and public computers. Jacksonville Public Library is essential in these tough times. A knowledge-based economy relies on people with access to information and technology to thrive. Jacksonville Public Library provides vital services to small businesses and helps individuals with job searches and career information. State Aid provides planning and development funds to ensure that Jacksonville Public Library has the capacity to meet customer needs now and in the future.

Duval County residents depend on the services of the Jacksonville Public Library and the Jacksonville Public Library depends on State Aid.

State Aid for Public Libraries is needed now more than ever if the Jacksonville Public Library is to provide the essential information and services that our customers need.

LexisNexis Library Express is also available in most branches and offers access to news, business and legal resources with a depth and breadth unmatched by an everyday Google search. These resources could cost hundreds or thousands of dollars to procure on an individual basis, offering exceptional value to library members.

Read the full article here. Thanks for spreading the word, OneSpark!