Advocates for Jacksonville’s libraries said Monday that proposed cuts to the city’s library budget would wreak havoc with an already strapped system.

A rally was held to bolster support for halting the $3.5 million reduction in the library system’s current $39.6 million budget. About two dozen people held signs in front of the system’s San Marco branch and urged library supporters to attend the City Council budget hearing tonight.

Rally in support of public libraries:
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If hours are reduced or days eliminated, job seekers who fill out online applications would also lose opportunities, said Alicia Johnson, president of the Friends of the Willow Branch Library.

“They’ve lost a valuable day,” she said.

Mayor Alvin Brown’s proposed budget included a $900,000 reduction for the library system. The City Council’s Finance Committee recommended about $2.6 million in additional cuts. The full council will have the final say on the budget.

The cuts come after years of cuts in budgets for library materials, personnel and operating costs, according to a resolution Friends of the Jacksonville Public Library will present to the council.

The council’s vote on the city’s new budget is later in September, but Friends President Harry Reagan said it is important to send a message now.

“By then it’s pretty hard to do anything,” the former councilman said.

The foremost problem in Jacksonville’s educational system is a lack of reading skills, said Bill Brinton of Save Our Public Libraries.

“The City Council is responsible for the health and welfare of the community,” he said.

At the rally Monday, advocates said they wanted supporters to wear red at the city meeting and send emails and calls to council members.