Alachua and Orange County Libraries recognized by Harvard program

Two Florida library systems, both winners of the Florida Library Association's 2010 Library of the Year Award, have received national recognition.

Harvard University's Bright Ideas program, which is administered through The Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation at Harvard's John F. Kennedy School of Government, recognized 173 programs across the nation.

Alachua County Library District was selected for its Library Partnership, a collaboration with social service agencies. Orange County Library System was recognized for Library Without Walls, a home delivery service.

The two Florida systems were among only three U.S. library systems honored. More information and a complete list of programs recognized is available at http://www.hks.harvard.edu/news-events/news/press-releases/ash-bright-ideas

FAU library budget to be cut $500,000

FAU Library Dean William Miller has announced that the Florida Atlantic University Library budget for resources will be reduced by $500,000 for the 2010-2011 fiscal year.

http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/fau-library-bracing-for-500-000-cut-to-964719.html

Friends of Franklin Library awarded Recovery Act funds

Friends of the Franklin Library, Inc. has been awarded a loan of $177,859 and a grant of $200,000 to construct a 5,000 sq. ft. building. The project is funded through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (Recovery Act).

On September 24 U.S. Agriculture Secretary Vilsack announced awards in 30 states to benefit 129 rural communities. These projects will create jobs by building and enhancing libraries. The Franklin project is the only one awarded to a Florida library.

More information is available at http://www.usda.gov/wps/portal/usda/usdahome?contentidonly=true&contentid=2010/09/0486.xml

Libraries' role in future?

Florida libraries are featured in Sun Sentinel articles on evolving role of public libraries.



"Palm Beach County, cities building new libraries even as budget woes force cutbacks - Electronic books, money crunch changing perceptions" - Sept. 19 article in Sun Sentinel. Read full story at http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/2010-09-19/news/fl-libraries-future-palm-20100919_1_new-libraries-library-director-john-callahan-county-library-system



Related story posted Sept. 20 includes video interview with Broward County Library user. See "Broward libraries in state of flux; new libraries go up while commissioners slash library budget." Article and video at http://weblogs.sun-sentinel.com/news/politics/broward/blog/2010/09/broward_builds_libraries_and_t.html

UF - Alachua Library Speaker Series on Libraries

The University of Florida and the Alachua County Library District will offer a 6-part lecture series on the evolution of libraries in public life featuring speakers form across the U.S. Topics include ancient Egypt, the French Enlightenment, the Carnegie movement in the U.S. and the impact of digitization and the age of Google. The series, held in Gaiensville, begins Sept. 16 and concludes Dec. 2.

Details at http://news.ufl.edu/2010/09/14/library-series/

USF library bustling, but not with books

The Starbucks at the USF library stays open unbtil 3 a.m., but students want it open even later. The library is the most heavily used building on the Tampa campus, with 2 million visits each year.

USF library bustling, but not with books

By LINDSAY PETERSON The Tampa Tribune

Rodrigo Lodeiro can't remember the last time he pulled a book off the shelves of the University of South Florida library. But he spent plenty of time there last semester, especially in the early morning hours of finals week.

"I'd leave here at 4 or 5 in the morning and go straight to class," he says, hanging out in front of the hulking seven-floor structure, built 35 years ago when eight-track tapes were popular.

His friend Jamie Lago also considers the library something of a second home, but he has one complaint: "Not enough plugs.

" USF Libraries Dean William Garrison hears a lot about how much students need.

"Anywhere, anytime, any-device access," he says.

That's why the library is now open 24 hours a day, from noon Sunday to 6 p.m. Friday. And why it recently doubled the number of computers in the first floor Learning Commons and got rid of 100,000 volumes of printed journals to create more study space.

The future of printed books may be in doubt, but students still flock to the buildings created to hold those books. They make themselves at home at the tables and chairs, spreading out with their laptops, study materials and to-go meals. Many sit in clusters working together.

"Here I don't have my Xbox and my Play Station 3," Lago says. "It's where I come to get away from all that.

"Students' quest for quietude has made the USF library the busiest building on campus, with 2 million visits a year, Garrison says.

But he knows it takes more than peace and study space to survive in the digital age. Since he arrived two years ago, he has overseen a gradual transformation of the library building and services.

It's happening across the country, says Kathleen Miller, library dean at Florida Gulf Coast University and co-chairwoman of a new taskforce on the future of Florida's academic libraries.

"Libraries are about nothing if not connecting people with information and recorded knowledge - in whatever form that takes," she says.

To pull students in, USF's library offers tutoring in half a dozen subjects, help with online research, and group study rooms complete with Power Point-equipped computers.

The library has created special collections, including:

• An oral history program with stories of the civil rights era, Ybor City, Florida food customs and local arts.

• A Holocaust & Genocide Studies Center, featuring interviews with Holocaust survivors and World War II soldiers who liberated the camps.

• An Internet portal on karst, the porous topography of Florida and other global regions.

And the books are still there, hundreds of thousands of ordinary and obscure volumes of fiction and nonfiction, from 30-years worth of the Texas Law Review to an 1883 account of life in "the Land of the Lorne and the Outer Hebrides."

Among the books are texts for dozens of courses, for students who can't afford to buy them.

Students don't even have to come to the library to use it. Through its website they can access thousands of online journals and eBooks and tutorials on how to search the web.

"A lot of students don't even know when they're visiting the library because they come in through the website," Garrison says. "They don't realize they were able to read the journal article because the library licensed it."

But behind all this change is a simmering debate about what it means to switch from tangible to digital information.

It has created confusion, for instance, about who owns the information they buy, Miller says. In the past, when a library bought a journal, it filled the shelves with those volumes year after year.

Now, with an online journal, they buy the access rights. And when they cancel a subscription, do they lose access to the previous years they paid for?

"When you have something in print, you have it forever, unless someone walks out with it," Miller says. "This is something completely different and we're trying to get it worked out."

These complexities mean lawyers are just as important to a library staff as an information specialist, Garrison says.

Many faculty members take opposite sides in the digital vs. paper debate.

"We know that new information is coming out in the online journals and blogs," Miller says. So the Internet is vital to instructors in the sciences and other cutting edge disciplines.

But in history and English, they still need the texts. Classics are increasingly available in eBook form, but some may never be digitized, Lisa Shapiro and Geneva Henry write in a Council on Library and Information Resources paper, "Can a New Research Library be All-Digital?"

Many professors believe the Internet is so full of short cuts it has degraded the process of learning itself. Some assign materials not found online to force students to find the print documents in the library, says student Sachy Rodriguez, during a visit to the USF library.

"Libraries are symbols of a continuity of past and present; they offer access to the cultural heritage," Shapiro and Henry write.

"As libraries move into the digital future, they need to take into account anxieties about what may be lost: immediate access to print stacks, a tangible connection to the past."

But move forward they must, Garrison says.

Some issues are easy to deal with, he says. Students, for instance, want the Starbucks in the library to stay open past its 3 a.m. closing time.

Some issues are not so easy. Increasing demands for space could require him to get rid of more print volumes. "That has the potential for controversy," he says.

It's a problem at every university, Miller says, so the State University System is planning to build a storage center in Gainesville that all the universities could use.

Garrison has his own dream: A whole new, all-digital library and learning center.

The current library could be used to hold the books while the new building would be filled with computers for online research, tutoring and multimedia production, he says.

Entire sections would be set aside for group studying. And it would have something the current library lacks - a lot of windows.

"Students want more light," Garrison says.

People don't want new things and more technology just because they're new, he says. They want things that help them get their work done and move forward.

"The technology that doesn't work or doesn't meet their needs doesn't last."

Jacksonville Public Library Graham Branch sends youth back to school in style

The Graham Branch held it's back to school celebration and it was a huge success.

A total of 202 children and teens received Back to School supplies, and 75 of those also received personal hygiene gift bags to start the new school year. Kids were also able to choose a complete outfit from their special "Unique Boutique".

“Many of the youth don’t even have the necessary things to start back to school with, let alone new supplies or new clothes,” Delores Walker, library clerk at Graham Branch said. We wanted to provide the youth with new school supplies like writing utensils, paper, notebooks and folders but also gift bags we call ‘these necessary things’ which include toothpaste, toothbrushes, soap and more to help make sure the youth have what they need to get ready each morning before school.”


Staff had not held it for a couple of years; however, library clerk Delores Walker, who organized the previous events, went the extra mile putting this one together by soliciting for donations, putting together the gift bags, and organizing nearly every other aspect of the event.

“We have such a generous community and once our customers, friends or family of branch staff and other members in the community found out I was collecting items everyone was willing to pitch in,” Walker said. “We are so grateful to have such a supportive
community.”

FLA announces 2010 legislative awards

The Florida Library Association (FLA) announces its 2010 legislative awards for support of Florida’s libraries. With these awards, the Florida library community thanks legislators and state leaders who advocated for libraries in the 2010 Florida legislature. By honoring these leaders, FLA encourages local library supporters to recognize the hard work done by their leaders in maintaining state funding for public libraries.

State Aid to Public Libraries grant funding is a priority issue for Florida libraries and the communities they serve. Due to the tight state budget facing the 2010 Legislature, harmful cuts or even elimination of State Aid were not averted until the very last minute of the budget process. Many legislators and state leaders contributed to the effort to save library funding. Because this year’s effort was so intense and prolonged, the Florida library community would like to thank the many legislators who helped to save State Aid.

Florida Library Association legislative awards will be presented to legislators in their home communities by local library officials and supporters.

Legislators Who Led the Way in Insuring that State Aid to Public Libraries Is Funded for Another Year

§ Senator Jeff Atwater – Senate President
§ Senator J D Alexander
§ Senator Mike Fasano
§ Representative Rich Glorioso

These individuals were closely involved in the budget process and played critical roles in the decision to fund libraries. Senator Fasano and Representative Glorioso worked tirelessly and closely with the library community all year long. They stood up for library funding time after time. Senator Atwater provided support throughout the session and Senator Alexander intervened in the final budget meeting and proposed restoring library funding to the previous year level.

Legislators Who Went Out of Their Way and Made Special Efforts to Make Sure that Libraries Were Funded

§ Representative Leonard Bembry
§ Representative Marti Coley
§ Senator Paula Dockery
§ Representative Audrey Gibson
§ Representative. Mike Horner
§ Senator Al Lawson
§ Representative Evan Jenne
§ Representative Marlene O’Toole
§ Senator Chris Smith

Each of these legislators in their roles as members of their respective houses stepped up and went directly to the House and Senate leadership and made personal appeals for library funding.

Legislative Leaders without Whose Support Library Funding Would Not Have Been Won
§ Representative Larry Cretul –House Speaker
§ Representative Dean Cannon – Speaker Designate
§ Representative Will Weatherford
§ Representative David Rivera
§ Senator Mike Haridopolos – Senate President Designate

Special thanks to Secretary of State Kurt Browning!
In Florida government, support for public library service is part of the Department of State. Though Secretary Browning retired on the last day of the legislative session, it was not before distinguishing himself as one of the most supportive Secretaries ever. He worked tirelessly for libraries, even continuing until after midnight on the last night of the budget committee meetings.


The individuals named here are those whose efforts on behalf of libraries have come to our attention. There may be others whose efforts were not reported to us. We extend our thanks to all legislators who advocated for library funding and our apologies to any who may not have been named.

The Florida Library Association is a non-profit organization of libraries, library staff and those who support libraries with more than 1,000 members across the state.

FLA advocates for excellence in all types of library service throughout Florida. FLA also develops the skills of librarians and support staff and works closely with the information industry.

More information about the Florida Library Association and its advocacy efforts is available online at http://www.flalib.org/advocacy.php

Library Guy honored by FAC

Paul Clark, aka the "Library Guy," was honored yesterday by the Florida Association of Counties for his library advocacy efforts. In photo, Clark (l) is standing with former Secretary of State Kurt Browning.

Clark held signs in support of State Aid to Libraries funding for public libraries in the Capitol during the 2010 and 2009 legislative sessions. This is the first time FAC's "Lobbyist of the Year" award has gone to someone who is not a professional lobbyist.

Read the full story at http://jacksonville.com/community/clay/2010-07-27/story/clay-library-staffer-gets-florida-county-groups-top-lobbying-award

See the video of the presentation at
http://clayfl.swagit.com/player.php?refid=07272010-10

Masons Lay Cornerstone at Bay County Library

by Will Hobson

Panama City News Herald

3/5/10

PANAMA CITY — King Solomon’s Temple, the U.S. Capitol, and the Bay County Library. Before Friday, the three structures had little in common, except that they are all buildings (or used to be; King Solomon’s Temple was destroyed by the Babylonians in 586 B.C.).

After Friday’s cornerstone-laying ceremony at the library, the three buildings are now linked by their connection to Masons. Solomon’s Temple is used by the Masons as an allegorical basis for their organization, while the U.S. Capitol also bears a Masonic cornerstone like the one installed Friday morning in the Bay County Library.

“As Masons we’re always looking for light. Not just the light from the sun, which supports all life on the Earth, but intellectual light as well,” District 6 Deputy Grand Master Wayne Wert said before the ceremony.

Bay County Commissioners, three of whom are members of the Masons, participated in the symbolic ceremony, in which a 70-pound stone was set into the corner of the 55,000-square-foot building, which opened in May 2008.

“This is a custom that has not been in place here for a number of years,” said Commissioner Jerry Girvin, a Mason along with Commissioners Mike Thomas and George Gainer. Friday’s ceremony was the first in Bay County since the last county library had a Masonic cornerstone installed in 1966.

“I think it’s only appropriate, since we seek light, that we put a cornerstone on a library for the first time in 50 years,” Girvin said.

The Masons sported their symbolic garb, aprons signifying the aprons worn by real stonemasons.

Dale Goehrig, grand master of the Masons in Florida, explained the link between the imagery of stonemasons and the goals of his organization.

“Stonemasons build a building,” Goehrig said. “Masons build a better man.”

Jacksonville Public Library receives Seal Shield Donation

Seal Shield has donated 17 keyboards and mice to the Main Library Teen Department.

Headquartered in Jacksonville, Seal Shield manufactures completely waterproof, washable computer keyboards and mice. Unlike standard computer equipment, Seal Shield keyboards and mice are 100% spill proof, waterproof, antimicrobial and can be cleaned with soap and water, allowing the equipment to be cleared of germs regularly.

“Washable computer equipment is a great addition to the Teen Department,” said Keli Likins, Teen Librarian, Main Library. “With so much computer use in the Teen Department, washable keyboards and mice will save us from having replace equipment as quickly because of spills and exposure to liquid.”

“We are delighted to partner with Seal Shield to accept this donation on behalf of the Jacksonville Public Library,” said Maggie Hightower, Executive Director, Jacksonville Public Library Foundation, “and look forward to working with the Seal Shield in the future.” Demonstration of the waterproof feature of the keyboards and mice in the Main Library teen department is available upon request.

For more information about seal shield technology, visit www.sealshield.com.

The Friends of the Jacksonville Public Library working hard in 2010

The Friends Great Jacksonville Annual Book Sale raked in more than $90,000 this month and the number of people that showed up at the sale reached more than five thousand.

“The Jacksonville fairgrounds has more than adequate space for the sale, but this year even parking was a challenge for people attending, and that’s a good sign for us,” Harry Regan, president for the Friends, said.

The Friends of the Library volunteer their time year round to several major revenue generators to raise funds for the library including the Great Jacksonville Book sales held twice a year now in the fall and spring seasons.

The Booktique owned and operated by the Friends, and staffed entirely by volunteers, is located in the Laura Street entrance of the Main Library. The Booktique offers great buys on books for readers of all ages. The Saturday Morning Bookstore, also staffed entirely by volunteers, is open each Saturday and operated out of the University Park Library Branch. Volunteers sell, sort and organize thousands of books in preparation to sell by Friends volunteers.

The Friends had such a great success at this past book sale they’re extending their specials at the Saturday Morning Bookstore at the University Park Branch to include buy one get one free on fiction and audio/video materials.

The Jacksonville Public Library South Mandarin Branch receives new addition to their outdoor space

The South Mandarin Branch Library received a new addition to their outdoor space as another piece for the public park, located behind the branch, was completed.

A wooden pergola was constructed for the park so library customers and other groups may meet for program gatherings and a place to enjoy their favorite reading material while taking in the view.

"We hope the space will be one that everyone can enjoy and attract new visitors to the park as well as the library," Bill Walker, Rotary Club of Jacksonville member said.

The pergola was donated by the Rotary Club of Jacksonville in effort to complete the project that has been in the making more than five years. The club adopted the space nearly six years ago and has since added pieces to the park, after clearing the collected debris, including benches and soon-to-be trail markers that identify the plant life along the walking trails.

"This project has been one I've been most proud of during me as a Rotary member, " Walker said.

Jacksonville Public Library appoints new administrative supervisor

The Jacksonville Public Library is proud to announce its newest Administrative Supervisor, Ava Barrett.

Barrett was a resident of Lee County where she most recently held the position of principal librarian/regional manager. Her professional experience includes serving as the assistant director of the Broward County’s African American Research Library and Cultural Center for five years and extensive experience in libraries abroad including manager of library services at the University of Toronto in Ontario, Canada and Director of Library services at Northern Caribbean University in Mandeville, Jamaica.

Barrett is working on her masters in Public Administration and will graduate this summer. She received her MLS from New York State University in Buffalo and her undergraduate degree from the University of West Indies in Kingston Jamaica.

ZINE Machine program at JPL has kids creating and publishing their own work

The children’s department at JPL is helping their library customers create their own zines using their imagination, creative talent and personal stories.

“We wanted to give our younger library customers the opportunity to share their creative talents and let them share their own stories and ideas through these alternative options,” Josh Jubinsky, zine librarian, said.

Zines are self-published pamphlets of all sizes and shapes, often covering subjects overlooked in larger scale publications. The Zine Collection at the Main Library was unveiled at the 2009 October Art Walk.

One of the first zine collections housed in a public library in the Southeast U.S. The purpose of the Zine Collection is to circulate and preserve alternative media resources that inspire readers to re-examine and learn from the underserved voices that represent their community.

The library’s zine collection focuses on regionally based zines, with a broad scope, including publications devoted to arts, culture, comics, politics, and advocacy. Information on the collection can be found on the web. Visitors can check the web site regularly for news, interviews, and announcements about zine events at the library.

JPL Friends of the Library reach more than 10,000 volunteer hours

The Friends of the library donate their time year round to several major revenue generators to raise funds for the library including two annual Great Jacksonville Booksales held during the fall and spring at the Fair rounds where great literary buys can be discovered for a just a a few dollars.

The Booktique owned and operated by the Friends, and staffed entirely by volunteers, is located in the Laura Street entrance of the Main Library. Booktique offers great buys on books for readers of all ages. The Saturday Morning Bookstore, also staffed entirely by volunteers, is open each Saturday and oeprated out of the University Park Library ranch. Volunteers sell, sort and organize thousands of books in prepration to seel by Friends volunteers.

"I've always enjoyed working with people who enjoy the library and reading just as much as I do," Joyce Patten, Booktique volunteer said. "I love that the Booktique offers such affordable books for everyone and it all benefits the library!"

Great turn out at "How Can I Afford Retirement?" seminar at Jacksonville Public Library

What a great turn out! More than 300 people attended the "How Can I Afford Retirement?" seminar held at the Jacksonville Main Library during the last 5 weeks .

Each session began with an introduction of a retirement related topic and was expanded upon by volunteer financial planning experts provided by the Financial Planning Assoc. of Northeast Florida.

Following the main session, participants were divided into smaller breakout groups to exchange knowledge and discuss and answer questions among their fellow attendees.


Each breakout session was monitored by a volunteer facilitator to generate ideas engagement among each group.

Library Director addresses Rotary Club of Jacksonville

Library Director Barbara Gubbin attended the Jacksonville Rotary Club chapter meeting this week to share how JPL is meeting the needs of today's library customers.


Gubbin elaborated on the Center for Adult Learning (CAL) and its aid to help its literacy students acquire their U.S. citizenship as well as computer resources for those searching and applying for jobs and government services and the recent contract approval by City Council for Learn to Read.

Colonial sword fights and musical mania at JPL

Families enjoyed an afternoon of free musical performances by period dressed performers at the Main Library presented by Friday Musicale, a non-profit organization that offers music programs to youth in Jacksonville.


Musical works by Afro-French composer JOSEPH BOLOGNE, LE CHEVALIER DE SAINT-GEORGES, the leading French composer and swordsman of his day, known as "The Black Mozart" filled the Hicks Auditorium.

New Panama City Beach library almost ready for furniture

Panama City News Herald
by Pat Kelly/News Herald Writer
January 27, 2010

PANAMA CITY BEACH — The new $1.8 million Panama City Beach library is nearing completion and getting ready for new furniture.

Doug Gilmore, the chairman of the library’s fundraising committee, met recently with head librarian Frank Walker to plan for the unique needs of the new 10,000-square-foot library, including shelving, furniture and computers.

Preliminary estimates for the furnishings are $103,000, and the Northwest Florida Regional Library System already has pledged $30,000, Gilmore said. He will ask the City Council during its regular 2 p.m. meeting today to amend its budget and match the $30,000 amount.

“We are getting close, and we are ready to order the furniture,” Gilmore said Wednesday. “It’s getting down to the exciting part.”

City Manager Richard Jackson said construction for the new facility should be completed near mid-March with a grand opening near mid-April.

“That could be a bit optimistic, but they are moving along pretty good,” Jackson said.

The new facility is at the corner of Hutchison Boulevard and Lyndell Lane near the Senior Center and Lyndell Community Center. It will replace the current 4,500-square-foot building near U.S. 98 and State 79 that has outgrown its space.

Library officials said the existing library is used more than any other branch in the Northwest Regional Library System, which includes Bay, Gulf and Liberty counties.

Local groups of citizens and civic organizations have worked on the planning and fundraising for the project, for which a $500,000 state grant was awarded.

Gilmore said Wednesday his committee has raised about $300,000 for the project, with $60,000 more coming in pledges, but more is needed.

“We are starting another campaign right now,” he said. “I know that this is a really tough economic climate, but what we really need are corporate donations, even if they are just letters of commitment.”

City officials have said the total cost of the state-of-the-art library could reach $2.23 million after architectural, engineering and survey costs are included.

Seniors visit state legislators @ the library

The Main Library Conference and Events Center hosted its sixth annual Legislative forum for Seniors on January 28, 2010. Each year the forum brings hundreds of senior citizens to hear the members of the Duval Delegation speak.

Over 280 seniors attend this year's forum at the Main Library. The legislators each gave talks on issues important to seniors and participated in a question and answer period.

JPL nominated for 2010 National Medal for Museum and Library Service

JPL nominated by U.S. Senator Bill Nelson. The medal honors institutions that make exceptional contributions to their communities through programs that address the ever-changing needs of the communities they serve.

2010 National Medal for Museum and Library service

JPL awarded humanities and conservation grants, programs to be offered in spring 2010

The library is the recipient of two prestigious national grants for which it will implement programs for during the next three years. The first, which awarded JPL $9,000 from the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities, administered through the Florida Humanities Council, will bring life to the topic of humanities to libraries through storytelling.

Prime Time is a six week program of reading, discussion and storytelling. The program features award-winning children's books to stimulate discussion about humanities themes and problems encountered in everyday life that include situations dealing with fairness, greed, honor and deceit.

A second grant, which awarded the library more than $300,000 in program funding from the Institute of Museum and Library Services, in partnership with Poets House and the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens, will shed light on the importance of conservation using poetry and creative language.

The Language of Conservation program will bring the transformative power of poetry to the service of wildlife conservation. The program will explore the use of poetic language a the Zoo's animal exhibits to increase the visitor's experience and deepen their understanding of conservation of some of natures most important wildlife.

"These two programs will be some of the most exciting JPL has offered," Pam McClellan, resource development coordinator for the library, said. "Planning has already begun and staff and committees are looking forward to being a part of such unique projects."

Jacksonville Public Library offering edu programs on green building

The North Florida Chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council in cooperation with the Jacksonville Public Library is offering free workshops on advantages and incentives for green building and remodeling homes.

The Workshops will offer an educational overview with tips and insights on emerging benefits of energy efficient and sustainable construction. Each session will include an opportunity for dialogue and questions and answers at the end of the program.

"This series will be a great opportunity for community members who are interested in improving their homes to receive accurate and trustworthy information," Luis Flores, director of facilities for the library, said. "The library is filled with materials on home improvements and do-it-yourself projects for customers. This is another free resource they can access to help further their knowledge and reap the benefits.

Green Building workshops

Jacksonville Public Library receives $100,000 to offer investment education seminars this spring

"JPL on the Home Front" will offer a combination of group discussions with group facilitators to help encourage participants to share information and engage in conversation about seminar material.


JPL has been awarded a $100,000 grant to fund a one year program "JPL on the Home Front: Your Ticket to Smart Investing @ your library."

Smart investing @ your library is administered jointly by the Reference and User Services Association (RUSA), a division of the American Library Assocation, and The Financial Industry Regulation Authority (FINRA) Investor Education Foundation. These organizations fund library efforts to provide millions of library customers with effective, unbiased financial education resources.

"Public libraries are ideally positioned to serve the financial information needs of their communities, and to do so without a sales pitch or a hidden agenda," said John Gannon president of FINRA Foundation. "With the help of these programs, Americans can turn to their libraries to get the best available financial information to make smart decisions for their families' financial future."

This series will especially reach out to Jacksonville military service members, veterans and their families.

Jacksonville Public Library receives Star Rating

(Library staff gather in front of a holiday tree decorated with
customer creations of the library is "my ticket to")

The Jacksonville Public Library has been named of of America's Star Libraries in the Library Journal Index of Public Library Service. The LJ Index identified the library as a Star Library from 7,268 public libraries nationwide, based on circulation, visitors, program attendance and public internet use. The Institute of Museum Library Services, the federal agency representing American museums and libraries, provided the data.

The Jacksonville Public Library's usage has increased dramatically. Increase in library customer visits, materials borrowed and website count have further demonstrated the need for the Jacksonville Public Library to continue offering quality services to Jacksonville residents. The library's website, which can be accessed 24/7, had an 11 percent increase from 4.6 million to 5.1 million. An increase of six percent from 2007/08. Also, more than 220,000 people attended free programs at 21 library locations.