Jacksonville Public Library (Florida)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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| Location: Jacksonville, Florida | |
| Founded: 1878,1903 | |
| Director: Barbara A.B. Gubbin (2005-) | |
| Website: http://jpl.coj.net | |
The Jacksonville Public Library is located in Jacksonville, Florida. Located in Northeast Florida, it primarily serves Jacksonville and Duval County. It also promotes active use of its material by the neighboring Baker, Nassau, Clay, and St. John's Counties. It is one of the largest library systems in the state. A division of the City Government, the library has the third largest group of city employees after the city's Fire and Police departments. There are twenty branches and a Main Library in the system. The collection contains nearly three million items and is one of the largest in the state.
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[edit] Branches
[edit] Main Library
Located downtown near City Hall and Heming Plaza, the Main Library opened in November 2005, replacing the previous Haydon Burns Main Library. Designed by architect Robert A. M. Stern, the new library is almost three times the size of the Haydon Burns building. The North Laura facility is 300,000 square feet with the capacity to hold one million books. A 600-space parking garage across from the library building on Duval Street makes the Main Library easily accessibly. State-of-the-art technology offers 250 public computers, satellite, and video conferencing capabilities with infrastructure to support future technologies.
[edit] Regional Libraries
Beaches - Located on A1A (3rd Street) in Neptune Beach, Fl.
South Mandarin - Located on San Jose road near the St. John's County border.
Mandarin - Located on Kori Road serving the Mandarin area.
Highlands - Located on Dunn Avenue, serving the Northside.
Southeast - Located on Deerwood Park Blvd serving the Southside.
Pablo Creek - Located on Beach Blvd between Hodges and Kernan serving the San Pablo area.
Regency Square - Located on Regency Square Blvd serving the Arlington/Regency area.
West Regional - Located on Chaffee Road serving the Westside.
Charles D. Webb Wesconnett - Located on 103rd Street serving the Westside.
[edit] Community and Neighborhood Branches
Argyle Branch - Located near the Argyle Forest subdivision serving southwest Jacksonville.
Brentwood Branch - Located on Pearl St serving the urban core.
Maxville Branch - Located on Maxville Road (near Normandy Boulevard and Highway 301) serving the Maxville area.
University Park Branch - Located on University Blvd North serving the Arlington area including Jacksonville University.
San Marco - Located on LaSalle St downtown serving the urban core.
Westbrook Branch - Located on Commonwealth Avenue serving the urban core.
Willowbranch Branch - Located on Park St serving the Riverside and Avondale areas.
Raiford A. Brown Eastside Branch - Located on Harrison St serving the urban core.
Bradham*Brooks Northwest Branch - Located on Edgewood Avenue serving the Northside.
Dallas A. James Graham Branch - Located on Myrtle Avenue serving the urban core.
Murray Hill Branch - Located on Edgewood Avenue South serving the urban core.
The system did have a bookmobile although due to budget cuts the service has been discontinued as of October 2005.
[edit] Funding and administration
As a branch of the city government, the system is funded by local taxes. The system also receives aid supplemental funds from various grants.
The Jacksonville Public Library is administered by a Library Board of Trustees, which is made up of eleven members.
[edit] Borrowing policies
Patrons of the Jacksonville Public Library may borrow up to fifty (50) books or audio materials at a time, for up to three weeks. Only five (5) visual materials may be borrowed at a time, however. Overdue books and audio materials collect a fine of ten cents ($0.10) per day per item on a juvenile card, and twenty cents ($.20) per day on an adult card. Overdue fines are not collected on days on which the Library is closed. Overdue visual materials collect a fine of one dollar ($1.00) per day per item. Unpaid fines exceeding $10.00 will prevent a patron from borrowing materials until paid.
All materials borrowed from the Library can be returned to any Library branch, regardless of the branch from which they were borrowed.
Jacksonville Public Library cards are free for residents of Duval County, including Baldwin and the Beaches communities. Non-residents who are employed by a city/county agency or own businesses or property in the county are also able to apply for a free card. Other non-residents may apply for a card, but will be required to pay a nonrefundable $40 annual fee. Hardship waivers are available upon request. Replacement of a lost card costs $2. Children under the age of 18 can apply for a card with parental permission. Parents are responsible for all items checked out on the child's card. A Library card application form can be obtained at any branch library or downloaded from the Library's website.
[edit] History
The Jacksonville Public Library had its beginnings with two ladies: Misses May Moore and Florence Murphy. These two women started the Jacksonville Library and Literary Association in 1878, which was populated by various prominent Jacksonville residents and which sought to create a free public library and reading room for the city.
Moore and Murphy's Association succeeded in establishing their free public reading room, Jacksonville's first, in the winter of 1878-1879. It was located in the Astor Building, on the corner of Bay and Hogan, and was manned by librarian James Douglas. Here visitors could find books, papers and periodicals.
In 1883, the Jacksonville Library and Literary Association was reorganized and renamed the Jacksonville Library Association. The new Association built Jacksonville's first public library building, described as "a neat one-story frame building having a steep roof and a small entrance porch in front facing Adams Street."
This building was replaced in 1894 by a new building that the Association shared with the Board of Trade and the Elks Club. This building, on the northeast corner of Main and Adams, housed Jacksonville's public library until 1901, when the May 3rd fire destroyed it.
[edit] The Carnegie Library
Help for rebuilding came in 1902 in the form of Andrew Carnegie, who offered $50,000 for a new library, provided that the city had a building site and appropriated at least $5,000 a year for library support.
Jacksonville agreed, and in January 1903 passed an ordinance establishing a free public library and a board of nine trustees to govern it. The building was designed by New York architect Henry John Klutho.
On October 3,1903, ground was broken for the Carnegie library on the northeast corner of Adams and Ocean. Two years later, on June 1,1905, the library was formally opened with George B. Utley as librarian and with 8,685 books available. Known officially as the Jacksonville Free Public Library, it was the beginning of the Jacksonville Public Library. It was also the first tax-supported library in Florida. On January 22, 1987, it was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.
The library was two stories tall, made of limestone and copper. Its design was Greek Ionic, typical of Carnegie libraries, and featured four columns on the facade. It has been described as nearly fireproof, with wood only in the floors, doors and sash. Today it houses a law firm.
[edit] Growth and Expansion
In 1907 George Utley said that the library was "fast becoming securely established as a part of the municipal fabric, and is considered more and more a necessity and less and less a luxury by the citizens of Jacksonville.
By 1910 the library was outgrowing itself. The library made use of deposit stations and sub branches, but space in the Carnegie building became an increasingly rare commodity. Thus, in the 1920's a branch system was inaugurated which continues to flourish to this day.
The first branch, the Wilder Park Library, opened November 14,1927 on the corner of Lee and Third street for provision of service to the African American community. This was followed by a bookmobile service on October 30,1928. From that time until the present, branches have continued to be opened, renovated and modernized, resulting in the current library system of a Main Library and 16 additional units. The original branch library was replaced on June 22,1965 with the Graham Branch Library. The first large regional library was the Regency Square branch, which opened in 1973. Six new regional branches were built throughout the city in the 70's, 80's and 90's. In 1999 the original regional branch, Regency Square, reopened after undergoing a two-year renovation.
[edit] Recession and Revival
In the 1950's public interest in the libraries faded, along with adequate budget support. Lack of funding led to low book stocks, poorly trained staff and poorly maintained buildings. As Librarian Joseph F. Marron stated in an annual report, "Impending institutional bankruptcy was a phrase being applied to this first tax-supported public library in the state of Florida."
However, when the city commission and city council approved a 19 percent increase in the libraries' operational budget for 1957, the Jacksonville Public Libraries began to revive. The Friends of the Jacksonville Public Library, formed in 1956 with the intent of inspiring interest in libraries, are credited as a major influence in bringing about the increased budget.
In March 1960, the city approved a location for the new Main Library, the site of old City Hall, along with 60 additional feet of property previously occupied by the Windle Hotel. In March 1964, ground was broken at 122 North Ocean Street. On November 28, 1965, the new building was dedicated, and the next day it was opened for service to the public.
The Main Library was named after Haydon Burns, mayor of Jacksonville for 15 years as well as governor of Florida. The structure was designed to be both aesthetic and useful. As one newspaper reporter said of the library, "the ultramodern showplace is a symphony of color, texture and functional design."
The Main Library building is now over 30 years old and is showing its age. Due to space and wiring limitations, the building is inadequate for the needs of the growing Jacksonville community. In September of 2000, the citizens of Jacksonville voted for the Better Jacksonville Plan, which provides funding for a new Main Library building, six new regional branch libraries and improvements at most existing branches.
[edit] The 21st Century
On November 12, 2005, the new Main Library opened to the public. The opening is a historic event for the library system and the City of Jacksonville. It marks the completion of an unprecedented period of growth for the system under the Better Jacksonville Plan. It adds to the city's architectural and cultural landscape and provides a wonderful gathering place downtown for the entire community. The new Main Library offers specialized reading rooms, public access to hundreds of computers and extensive collection of books and other materials.
The Main Library remains the centerpiece for a library system which has developed and grown dramatically for over a century. With the construction of new facilities and the modernizing of old ones, Jacksonville's libraries continue to change to meet the needs of its patrons. It is with optimism and enthusiasm that the Jacksonville Public Library looks ahead to the years to come.
The current library system consists of the Main Library, twenty branch libraries and a Talking Books Library for the Blind and Physically handicapped service housed at the Main Library.
[edit] Collection and Services
The current collection is more than 2 million books, audio books, compact discs, videos, DVDs, magazines, newspapers and other items. The collection ranges from current best sellers to special collections to audiovisual and children's material. Reference materials provide in-depth and up-to-date resources for the educational, recreational and professional needs of the community.
There are many services and programs for children, teens, and adults. The Main Library houses a number of special collections including the Delius Collection, Genealogy Collection, Florida Collection, partial Federal Government Documents depository library, and Foundation Center (Grants Resource Center). The opening of the new Main library in 2005 made two new special collections available — the African American Collection and the Ansbacher Map Collection. The official dedication of the African-American collection occurred in August 2006.
Circulation of library materials in the most recent fiscal year (FY 2004-2005) exceeded 6.1 million items.
Children's programs are very popular and among the regularly scheduled programs are arts and crafts, preschool, school age and family story times, and special programs held during the summer reading program.
Other community service activities include the Center for Adult Learning located in the Main Library, which is a program to promote adult literacy. Talking Books for the Blind and Physically Handicapped provides audiotapes to the disabled in the community through the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped. The Library also participates in the Mayor’s Literacy Initiative—Rally Jacksonville. Some other services are Books By Mail, Interlibrary Loan and Fax Service for customers in Duval County.
The Library offers a variety of additional services including computers at all branches, photocopiers at all branches and microfilm copiers at the Main Library. There are a variety of children's, teen and adult programs scheduled year round at all of the branches which are listed in the bi-monthly flyers produced by the Public Relations department. Many branches also have community meeting space available to be used by the public by reservation.
[edit] Website
The website of the Jacksonville Public Library has offered online services to the Jacksonville community since 1993, starting with the availability of the JAXCAT online public catalog. Over the years many additional features have been added and online customers can now access a wide array of library services via Jacksonville Public Library's website. For example, Jacksonville Public Library cardholders can login to access their account information, place holds and renew materials checked out to their account. In addition, a variety of online subscription databases are accessible via the website, including magazine and newspaper article databases, business, health and literature resources, and many more. Jacksonville Public Library is committed to constantly improving its public website in order to deliver the services our customers want in an easily accessible format.
