The Jacksonville Public Library is the public library system of Jacksonville, Florida, United States. It primarily serves Jacksonville and Duval County merged areas, and is also used by the neighboring Baker, Nassau, Clay, and St. Johns counties. It is one of the largest library systems in Florida, with a collection of over three million items. A division of the city government, the library has the third largest group of city employees, after the city's fire department and sheriff's office. There are twenty-one branches and a main library in the system.
Branches
Main Library Located downtown near City Hall and Hemming Plaza, the Main Library opened in November 2005, replacing the Haydon Burns Library. Designed by the firm of the 2011 Driehaus Prize winner, Robert A.M. Stern Architects, the new library is almost three times the size of the Haydon Burns building. Jacksonville's Auchter Company was responsible for construction. The North Laura facility is 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 accessible. State-of-the-art technology offers 250 public computers, satellite, and video conferencing capabilities with infrastructure to support future technologies. On April 18, 2012, the AIA Florida Chapter named the Jacksonville Public Library – Main Library on its list of Florida Architecture: 100 Years. 100 Places.
In addition to the library and the conference center, the library building hosted a bookstore and a café. The BOOKtique bookstore, run by the Friends of the Library, opened concurrently with the library. In 2013, the BOOKtique was closed to make way for The Lounge @ 303 North, an event space in the library's lower Conference Center level.http://www.jaxpubliclibrary.org/sites/default/files/Brochure.pdf (page 4) After a year and a half of litigation and construction, on May 14, 2007, Shelby's Café opened inside the concession space in the Main Library. The concession stand closed in 2011.
Regional libraries
Charles Webb Wesconnett – 103rd Street, serving the Westside Highlands – Dunn Avenue, serving the Northside Pablo Creek – Beach Blvd., between Hodges and Kernan, serving the Southside Southeast – Deerwood Park Blvd., serving the Southside
Community and neighborhood branches
Argyle – near the Argyle Forest subdivision, serving the Westside Beaches – A1A (3rd Street) in Neptune Beach Bill Brinton Murray Hill – Edgewood Avenue South, serving the urban core Bradham and Brooks – Edgewood Avenue, serving the Northside Brentwood – Pearl St., serving the urban core Brown Eastside – Harrison Street, serving the urban core Dallas Graham – Myrtle Avenue, serving the urban core JPL Express Oceanway- Sago Avenue W, serving the Oceanway community Mandarin – Kori Road, serving the Mandarin area Maxville – Maxville Blvd. (near Normandy Boulevard and Highway 301), serving the Maxville area. Regency Square – Regency Square Blvd., serving the Arlington/Regency area San Marco – The San Marco Branch on LaSalle Street, serving the San Marco neighborhood South Mandarin – San Jose Blvd., near the St. John's County border University Park – University Blvd. North, serving the Arlington area, including Jacksonville University West – Chaffee Road, serving the Westside Westbrook – Commonwealth Avenue, serving the urban core Willow Branch – Park St., serving the Riverside and Avondale areas
Bookmobile Jacksonville was the first library in Florida to offer a mobile library service, established in 1928. For over 75 years, the Jacksonville Public Library continued this service of providing accessible materials to rural residents and areas where a branch had not been established. However, due to funding cuts, the bookmobile was discontinued as of October 2005.
After the discontinuation of the bookmobile service, the library looked for ways to continue servicing the area where the mobile branch had been primarily operating. In 2012, the library opened the Oceanway Express location to provide limited service to patrons who have no geographically close library branch. The pickup/drop-off service is located near the Oceanway Community Center in northwest Jacksonville.
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 one of the few departments of the city government to be administered by an independent board. The Board of Trustees comprises volunteers who service as the policy and planning body for the Jacksonville Public Library System. There are 12 voting members and at least two non-voting members who service in an ex officio capacity. Non-voting members are the city council president or a designee and up to one additional council member, and the superintendent of schools or a designee. Trustees are appointed by the Mayor of Jacksonville and approved by the City Council. Board members serve for four years, and may serve a second consecutive term if reappointed. The board approves library policies, submits an annual budget request, oversees the operation of the system and hires the library director.
Barbara A.B. Gubbin served as director from 2005 to June 30, 2017. She was succeeded by Tim Rogers, who began serving as director on January 29, 2018.
Borrowing policies
Patrons of the Jacksonville Public Library may borrow books, most magazines, "zines", videos (VHS or DVD) and audio materials. Patrons may check out 100 items at a time, with a 20-item limit on DVDs. Most items, except for express books and DVDs (seven-day checkout), are a three-week checkout period.
In July 2020, the library eliminated fines for a six-month trial period. As of July 1, 2021 the change was made permanent. After an item is overdue for nine weeks, patrons will be sent to a collections agency which will contact them to retrieve the items. If the items are returned, their costs and processing fees are removed from the patron's account. The only bill that cannot be removed is the collections agency's $10 fee. Fees totaling $10 or more will result in a block to the user's account. A fine balance of $9.99 or less is considered a library account in good standing.
All materials borrowed from the library can be returned to any branch, regardless of where they were borrowed. Patrons can place up to 50 holds on library materials. These materials are held for seven days after the patron is notified of their availability.
Jacksonville Public Library cards are free for residents of Duval County, including Baldwin and the Beaches communities, and non-residents employed by a city/county agency or who own businesses or property in the county. Other non-residents may apply for a card for $175 for one year. Hardship waivers are available upon request. Lost cards may be replaced for a $2 fee. 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 partnership between Jacksonville Public Library and Duval County Public Schools allows all Duval County Public School students (K-12) a library privilege known as a "Student Card." No physical card is issued for this privilege; the student uses his or her school ID card to check out up to three books (print or audio) and use the library computers. No fines or fees are assessed with use of the Student Card.
As of 2011, the Jacksonville Public Library offers e-book checkout for patrons through Libby by Overdrive. This allows cardholders to place holds and read e-books and audiobooks. The checkout period is three weeks for e-books, and two weeks for audiobooks. Through Libby, a patron can have ten borrowed titles at a time and ten holds at a time, with no monthly limits.
History
The Jacksonville Public Library had its beginnings when May Moore and Florence Murphy started the Jacksonville Library and Literary Association in 1878. The association was populated by various prominent Jacksonville residents and 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 overseen by librarian James Douglas. 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 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 it was destroyed in a fire May 3.
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. Between 1883 and 1929, Carnegie funded 2,509 libraries in the United States and Europe.
Carnegie believed cultural organizations, such as libraries, helped raise up the working class. He never provided total funding for any project; he believed local authorities should make their own effort and demonstrate the self-determination to which he attributed his own spectacular success. The strings attached to the Carnegie gift were that the community would provide the site, and that the elected officials—the local government—promise to pay to staff and maintain the library, guaranteeing to spend annually at least 10 percent of the amount of the original Carnegie gift. The community was required to draw from public funds to run the library—not use only private donations. Carnegie wanted these libraries to be part of the fabric of public life and the responsibility of the community. Only those determined to sustain them and make them grow would receive a Carnegie gift.Murray, Stuart A.P.The Library An Illustrated History. New York: NY, Skyhorse Publishing, 2009.
Jacksonville agreed, and the city council put the issue to local voters in 1902. It narrowly passed, 640 to 627. In January 1903 the city passed an ordinance establishing a free public library, and the city council appointed a public library board of nine men, led by Duncan Fletcher.Changing Face of Jacksonville, Florida: 1900–1910. James B. Crooks. The Florida Historical Quarterly, Vol. 62, No. 4 (Apr. 1984), pp.439–463
The building was designed by New York City architect Henry John Klutho. Klutho rebuilt Jacksonville after the Great Fire of 1901.https://thecoastal.com/flashback/henry-j-klutho-the-architect-who-almost-single-handedly-redesigned-downtown-jacksonville/ "Henry J. Klutho, the Architect Who Almost Single-Handedly Redesigned Downtown Jacksonville" His style of architecture is known as the Prairie School. Although his work was influenced by that of Frank Lloyd Wright and Louis H. Sullivan, it was his own.
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 Burwell 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 US National Register of Historic Places.