NASSAU COUNTY, Fla. – Many families use their local library as a free resource for books, learning and community programs. Parents in Nassau County say those opportunities could become more difficult to access after the county announced changes to library operations.
The Fernandina Beach Branch Library will close on Saturdays beginning Oct. 1. The Bryceville Branch Library will close Oct. 29.
The changes are part of a broader review of Nassau County’s library operations. The review considered facility usage, staffing, operating costs, service hours and geographic coverage, according to the Nassau County Public Library System.
Parents who spoke with News4JAX said they are concerned about losing a free resource for their children.
“Don’t close the library,” parent Gabriel Wilson said. “Literature is so important. Books teach us more than life can.”
Wilson said his child enjoys reading, and he regularly visits the library after work to check out books.
“You can learn a lot through books — fantasies, fairy tales, how life is and history, most of the history that they don’t teach in school,” Wilson said.
Parent Donte Pereira said removing a free source of knowledge for children is frustrating.
“To take away something that is free for my kids’ knowledge is kind of messed up,” Pereira said.
Nassau County plans to install an outdoor locker at the Bryceville location so patrons can pick up requested materials. The book drop will remain available, and library events are expected to continue at the Bryceville Community Center.
A phone call to the library system’s Bryceville extension resulted in a dial tone. The library system did not immediately provide additional comment.
Wilson said the community should consider ways to support the library system.
“If we’re cutting budgets, then we should probably work as a community to help build the library up for our next generation,” he said.
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