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Jacksonville Public Library
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.
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 300,000 square feet (28,000 m2) 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. 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.
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.
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.
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Jacksonville Public Library
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.
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 300,000 square feet (28,000 m2) 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. 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.
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.
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.
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