Gainesville and Alachua County issued two proclamations declaring Feb. 24 and March 1 as Library Support Day in the city and county respectively.  

The proclamations aim to increase visibility for the local library system and its resources. Drew Okun, EveryLibrary Gainesville spokesperson, said libraries provide more than just paper books. The Alachua County Library District also has audiobooks, movie streaming, classes, clubs and meeting spaces.  

“We wanted these proclamations to serve as a reminder of what the public library system stands for, especially here in Alachua County where we’re so fortunate to have a very, very strong public library system,” Okun said.  

Okun and a group of UF students within the public relations department are working on a local campaign for EveryLibrary, leading to the proclamations. Okun said university groups around the country got assigned EveryLibrary, a nonprofit that focused on book legislation across the nation, as their client to increase local awareness of libraries and the organization.  

The request, Okun said, is just to show up at your local branch. 

“We want people to just go out there to all of the public libraries, whichever one’s closest to them, and just kind of roam around see what your library has—spend a little bit of time there,” Okun said. 

You can find a full list of library locations and resources on the Alachua County Library District website.