Mayor Puts Hiring Freeze On Jax Library
POSTED: 4:23 p.m. EST January 16, 2004
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- The mayor's office decided to put a hiring freeze on management and top-level staff at all libraries Friday morning -- a move that disturbed library administrators.
City officials have not been happy with the way the libraries are running and believe they can make them more cost effective.
As Jacksonville gears up to open a new downtown library and expand its existing branches, the city is footing the $150-million bill.
"The Better Jacksonville Plan built the libraries, but didn't provide enough money to staff them," said Library Board Chairman Steve Rosenbloom. "That's what we're dealing with and will continue to deal with over the next two years."
They are also reviewing the library's policy of buying books, to find which books are actually used.
After Friday morning's meeting, Library Director Kenneth G. Sivulich had no comment about the freeze and proposed cuts.
Copyright 2004 by News4Jax.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
City officials have not been happy with the way the libraries are running and believe they can make them more cost effective.
As Jacksonville gears up to open a new downtown library and expand its existing branches, the city is footing the $150-million bill.
"The Better Jacksonville Plan built the libraries, but didn't provide enough money to staff them," said Library Board Chairman Steve Rosenbloom. "That's what we're dealing with and will continue to deal with over the next two years."
They are also reviewing the library's policy of buying books, to find which books are actually used.
After Friday morning's meeting, Library Director Kenneth G. Sivulich had no comment about the freeze and proposed cuts.
Copyright 2004 by News4Jax.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
