American Libraries |
||
Site Navigation
Left Sidebar ItemsOnline Features
Follow American Libraries news stories, videos, and blog posts on Twitter.
|
||
Jacksonville Mayor Freezes Public Library Jobs, PurchasesOn the heels of a study that raised questions about the Jacksonville (Fla.) Public Library’s spending and hiring practices, Mayor John Peyton ordered a hiring freeze January 16 on all management and top-level library positions. The mayor also put a hold on new book purchases, asking the library board to review its acquisitions policy. City Chief Financial Officer Walt Bussells said the measures were temporary in lieu of an across-the-board budget cut, the Jacksonville Florida Times-Union reported January 17. The study, conducted late in 2003 at the mayor’s request by a graduate business-school student, recommended that the library reclassify vacant librarian positions to allow for the hiring of non-MLS candidates and called for the development of a strategic plan and a usage-tracking system for new books. Susan Wiles, Peyton’s chief of special initiatives and communications, said in the January 8 Times-Union that the mayor asked for the study “because the library’s budget is growing much faster than any other department.” Library officials began filling vacant positions last October to accommodate a new main library and six new branches slated to open this year after voters in 2000 approved the Better Jacksonville Plan—a 30-year sales tax increase that funds library development. “The Better Jacksonville Plan built the libraries, but didn’t provide enough money to staff them,” Library Board Chairman Steven Rosenbloom told WJXT-TV January 18. City officials said the measures could save the library $1.4 million through September 30 and over the long haul as much as $6 million. Posted January 23, 2004. |
Right Sidebar
|
|
