Editing Jacksonville, Florida (section)

===Public libraries===

{{Main|Jacksonville Public Library (Florida)}}
[[File:Jacksonville Main Library 2008.jpg|thumb|right|Jacksonville Main Library]]

The [[Jacksonville Public Library (Florida)|Jacksonville Public Library]] began when May Moore and Florence Murphy started the Jacksonville Library and Literary Association in 1878. The Association was populated by various prominent Jacksonville residents and sought to create a free public library and reading room for the city.<ref name="jplhistory">{{cite web|url=http://jaxpubliclibrary.org/lib/history.html |title=Jacksonville Public Library: A History |access-date=August 19, 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927210549/http://jaxpubliclibrary.org/lib/history.html |archive-date=September 27, 2007 }}</ref>

Over the course of 127 years, the system has grown from that one room library to become one of the largest in the state. The Jacksonville library system includes the Main Library and 20 branches, ranging in size from the {{convert|54000|sqft|m2|-2|abbr=on}} West Regional Library to smaller neighborhood libraries like Westbrook and Eastside. The Library annually receives nearly four million visitors and circulates over six&nbsp;million items. Nearly 500,000 library cards are held by area residents.<ref name="jplprofile">{{cite web|url=http://jaxpubliclibrary.org/lib/factsheet.html |title=Jacksonville Public Library: Profile |access-date=August 19, 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927210602/http://jaxpubliclibrary.org/lib/factsheet.html |archive-date=September 27, 2007 }}</ref>

On November 12, 2005, the new {{convert|300000|sqft|m2|-4|abbr=on}} [[Jacksonville Public Library (Florida)#Main Library|Main Library]] opened to the public, replacing the 40-year-old [[Haydon Burns Library]]. The largest public library in the state, the opening of the new main library marked the completion of an unprecedented period of growth for the system under the [[Better Jacksonville Plan]].<ref name="betterjax">{{cite web|url=http://www.betterjax.com/ |title=The Better Jacksonville Plan |access-date=July 19, 2007 }}</ref> The new Main Library offers specialized reading rooms, public access to hundreds of computers and public displays of art, an extensive collection of books, and special collections ranging from the African-American Collection to the recently opened Holocaust Collection.<ref name="jplhistory"/>