Jacksonville, FL (October 21st, 2017) One of the keystones of District 11 marked its 20th anniversary. The Southeast Regional Library located at 10599 Deerwood Park Blvd was packed with visitors to celebrate the occasion. District 11 Council Member Danny Becton was on hand to offer remarks.
The council member noted that the Southeast Regional Library is the second busiest of the system’s 22 libraries. It only trails the main branch downtown on Laura Street for usage. Besides books, the library provides community meeting spaces, lends videos and music as well as provides computers, which are used by many for research or to find a new job.
Last year, this branch had more than 305,000 visitors with 560,000 items circulated.
Council Member Becton encouraged those in attendance to contact fellow city council members and ask that next budget season that they consider finding additional funding for the city’s libraries. Money is needed to not only buy materials but to increase hours so that all of the libraries can be open every day of the week.
CM Becton’s full remarks are as follows:
“I would like to say welcome to everyone for being here today on this very special occasion.
It’s an honor for me to be here to mark this 20th Anniversary milestone of the Southeast Regional Library. As a big advocate for the library, I would like to express the importance of this resource within our community were families in this area can come together to learn, dream and meet.
The work of the library is critical for the education of so many – it helps build skill sets through technology classes, assist people applying for jobs, and simply keeps our mind stimulated, learning and exploring new ideas. I cannot imagine our city without our libraries – and I appreciate all that they do for our community.
The Southeast Regional Library based on the 2016 rankings is the #2 busiest library out of 22 in our city in gate counts and circulation. There are over 305,000+ residents visiting this library each year representing over 560,000 counts in circulation. In August this year, it ranked #3 for special programs offered totaling over 80+ for the young and old.
So as you can see, the Southeast Regional Library is a very important asset in our community. With that being said, I encourage you to help me, by contacting all of your elected city leaders to get the funds this library needs to open its doors, 7 days a week, full time!
I am proud and honored to be the Council representative for District 11 and this community and I look forward to another 20 years of growth and inspiration from the Southeast Regional Library.
I thank you for this privilege and I thank the team members of the Southeast Regional Library for what you do.”
