TU: Library lovers protest proposal to reduce the system’s budget

[Patricia M. McBride]

People need to show up in force and support the cuts being made to the library.  They have used scare tactics for their cuts which could have easily been made across the whole system without harming services by very much at all.  The cuts have to be made or taxes will be raised again this year since all of the groups facing cuts will lobby and next year, they will increase their budgets again and taxes will go up yet again.  They are a disease that requires feeding annually, and then, they use the money for posh trips like the head of the library made not to long ago!  Please see the 2 articles below today's for trip info in recent articles.

  

Latest proposal would cut $3.5 million from the system.

Posted: September 13, 2011 - 3:18am | Updated: September 13, 2011 - 3:25am

By Dana Treen jacksonville.com Copyright 2011 The Florida Times-Union. All rights reserved. This m...

September 13, 2011 - 03:18am

Library lovers protest proposal to reduce the system’s budget

Advocates for Jacksonville’s libraries said Monday that proposed cuts to the city’s library budget would wreak havoc with an already strapped system.

A rally was held to bolster support for halting the $3.5 million reduction in the library system’s current $39.6 million budget. About two dozen people held signs in front of the system’s San Marco branch and urged library supporters to attend the City Council budget hearing tonight.

Rally in support of public libraries:
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If hours are reduced or days eliminated, job seekers who fill out online applications would also lose opportunities, said Alicia Johnson, president of the Friends of the Willow Branch Library.

“They’ve lost a valuable day,” she said.

Mayor Alvin Brown’s proposed budget included a $900,000 reduction for the library system. The City Council’s Finance Committee recommended about $2.6 million in additional cuts. The full council will have the final say on the budget.

The cuts come after years of cuts in budgets for library materials, personnel and operating costs, according to a resolution Friends of the Jacksonville Public Library will present to the council.

The council’s vote on the city’s new budget is later in September, but Friends President Harry Reagan said it is important to send a message now.

“By then it’s pretty hard to do anything,” the former councilman said.

The foremost problem in Jacksonville’s educational system is a lack of reading skills, said Bill Brinton of Save Our Public Libraries.

“The City Council is responsible for the health and welfare of the community,” he said.

At the rally Monday, advocates said they wanted supporters to wear red at the city meeting and send emails and calls to council members.

Read more at Jacksonville.com: http://jacksonville.com/news/metro/2011-09-13/story/library-lovers-...

Jacksonville mayor cuts library’s travel and training budgets

Peyton eliminates the spending as part of city budget reductions.

Posted: August 26, 2010 - 7:37pm

Read more at Jacksonville.com: http://jacksonville.com/news/metro/2010-08-26/story/peyton-eliminat...

 

Jacksonville Public Library has spent $93k on travel since 2008

The public library has used $93K since 2008 to fund trips for staffers.

Posted: July 31, 2010 - 3:20am

Read more at Jacksonville.com: http://jacksonville.com/news/metro/2010-07-31/story/jacksonville-pu...

[Patricia M. McBride]

Realized I hadn't gotten the most recent trip article.  Sorry, I went back trying to find it and couldn't.  Richard Clark made mention of it when he told of the additional cuts in finance committee and I had read the article myself.  Ugh.  They were there in force this evening and apparently have gotten about 500 letters sent off to the council.  Hope everyone is writing or calling!