Save our libraries: A letter to the editor

[Jaxson]

CITY BUDGET

Libraries as whipping boy
While it is commendable that our city leaders exercise prudence with our public dollars, there is something amiss about the challenge that we currently face with regard to funding a healthy public library system that is open to all.

Our local political scene has not been friendly to those who seek to be reckless or irresponsible with taxes or revenue, but I believe that our fiscal restraint has turned into a straitjacket that impedes the preservation of local services such as our Jacksonville Public Library.

Sadly, this situation is evident every time we review a city budget that threatens branch closures and service reductions until the public reacts.

I believe that this crisis requires a more proactive effort to keep our public libraries open, and I hope that once and for all, our communities and leaders publicly advocate to achieve this aim.

John Louis Meeks Jr.,

Friends of the Murray Hill Library

Source: http://members.jacksonville.com/opinion/premium-opinion/2013-06-18/story/letters-appalling-attitude-regarding-sexual-assaults

[Cheshire Cat]

CITY BUDGET

Libraries as whipping boy
While it is commendable that our city leaders exercise prudence with our public dollars, there is something amiss about the challenge that we currently face with regard to funding a healthy public library system that is open to all.

Our local political scene has not been friendly to those who seek to be reckless or irresponsible with taxes or revenue, but I believe that our fiscal restraint has turned into a straitjacket that impedes the preservation of local services such as our Jacksonville Public Library.

Sadly, this situation is evident every time we review a city budget that threatens branch closures and service reductions until the public reacts.

I believe that this crisis requires a more proactive effort to keep our public libraries open, and I hope that once and for all, our communities and leaders publicly advocate to achieve this aim.

John Louis Meeks Jr.,

Friends of the Murray Hill Library

Source: http://members.jacksonville.com/opinion/premium-opinion/2013-06-18/story/letters-appalling-attitude-regarding-sexual-assaults

Good letter and point well made.  The threat of library closings is so overused by the city when it comes to budget issues as if that in and of itself will correct our financial woes.  It is also a slap at ordinary citizens and folks who do not have access to computers, especially students. I find it quite hypocritical that City officials and the current mayor place a great emphasis on education, especially to the point of hiring a "Education Czar" at taxpayer expense only to turn around and use our libraries, for many the only available resource for many to enhance their knowledge and access computers and research material as a budget lever.  It's politics as usual and as usual the libraries have become a pawn moving on a political chessboard to put the taxpayers in check.  The old exploit used to say "your move citizens of Jacksonville".

[Jaxson]

Thank you, Diane! :-)

[Demosthenes]

Im ok with closing the libraries, just make sure you close the libraries in all of the wealthy communities. These are communities more likely to have better access to resources like the libraries online catalog, and they are far more likely have PCs in their homes. They are also better able to arrange visits to the main facilities downtown.

[Cheshire Cat]

Im ok with closing the libraries, just make sure you close the libraries in all of the wealthy communities. These are communities more likely to have better access to resources like the libraries online catalog, and they are far more likely have PCs in their homes. They are also better able to arrange visits to the main facilities downtown.

Very true, but I am guessing this is not a part of the equation for it is clearly not about keeping libraries open for the good of the community as it is about political pressure and who will take the loss in their community with the least political push back. 

[Dog Walker]

You want to help save our libraries?  Go here and volunteer:

http://savejaxlibraries.com/

[Demosthenes]

The internet puts libraries on the endangered species list. We need to change the perception of a library as a place to research/borrow a book, to a community center that is at the center of a healthy thriving neighborhood.

Also worth noting, new subdivisions are typically not as compact as older/poor communities, which makes them harder to serve.

[Tacachale]

Given Duval's current standing in education, it's appalling we're even considering shutting down six of our branch libraries- nearly a third. And considering the mayor's strong stance on Downtown, it's distressing that three of the six are in the Old City. As has been shown on this site the urban core is losing population, not only to the Duval suburbs, but to surrounding counties with higher taxes and better services. And yet we continue to cut services even as we lose growth opportunity to those counties and the other big cities in Florida. Here's a breakdown of what we stand to lose with these six branches:

Willowbranch: This would close the only library in Riverside-Avondale and shutter an important historic building.
Beaches: This would shut the only library in the Jacksonville Beaches (this side of the county line, anyway) and may well fall afoul of the interlocal agreement between Duval County and the Beaches cities.
Brentwood: This would close a key educational resource in this heavily transit-dependent Northside neighborhood.
Maxville: This would shut down one of our newest libraries and force residents of this outer Westside area to go 18 miles to the nearest alternative.
University Park: This would close another of our newest libraries, the only one in all of Arlington besides Regency Square.
San Marco: This would shut down the only library on the entire Southside before you get to Mandarin or Gate Parkway.

It wasn't that long ago that our energies were focused on building new libraries and expanding the existing ones. What a sad indictment of our present state.

[Charles Hunter]

The Mayor is using the threat of closing libraries and fire stations as extortion to get Council to pass his Secret Pension Deal without asking too many questions.

[WmNussbaum]

Libraries, shmibraries. We're gonna have the biggest jumbotron in the WORLD, and it's only gonna cost the City $31 million. Such a deal! Have we got our priorities in shape or what?

Tell you what, Mr. Khan: How about investing in keeping the libraries open instead of buying the Shipyards to enhance your investment just east of there.

[Cheshire Cat]

This deal is very likely the result of the "private" travel of the Mayor and Jags reps on the trip he took on the Jags plane to Miami while his calendar said he was at church.  There was also conversation on private cell phones and closed email accounts and who knows how many other lunches or dinners. At this point it is not only about an huge jumbotron but about dealings out of the "sunshine" as required by law.  I am glad the TU is suing the city over the issued of Sunshine Law Violations.  Infuriating!

[Rynjny]

The funding is from a sports fund, to be use for upgrading sports facilites in jacksonville...what part of this don't you people get??? unbelievable..even if they don't upgrade the stadium, they won't use that money on saving libraries..

[Ralph W]

Anyone have connections at the NSA? Now would be a good time to get the electronic transcripts of all the secret emails, texts and phone calls subverting the Sunshine Law.

[Cheshire Cat]

The funding is from a sports fund, to be use for upgrading sports facilites in jacksonville...what part of this don't you people get??? unbelievable..even if they don't upgrade the stadium, they won't use that money on saving libraries..

It's not about the funding, it's about doing public business outside of the "Sunshine".  It's Florida law.  I don't care if we are talking jumbotron, pensions or shipyards. It's the law and this law was put in place to avoid corruption and backdoor dealings.  That is the issue, not sports or the screen or which pot of money is being spent. However it is also valid for folks to inquire about a multimillion dollar sports fund on one hand when we talk about important and needed services, in the case libraries of being lost on the other.  What are our priorities in Jacksonville?  It's an honest question and one people will disagree upon in principal, however the issue of working outside the law is not up for debate.

[JHAT76]

Unfortunately I don't much trust the current library leadership after knowing somewhat second hand of the inner workings.  Makes it harder to support the fight for more funds.