Find Your Library Joy at Free Adult Programs this April

National Library Week is April 19-25

In the mid-1950s, research showed that Americans were spending less on books and more on radios, televisions and musical instruments. Concerned, the ALA and the American Book Publishers formed a nonprofit citizens organization called the National Book Committee in 1954. By 1957, the committee had developed a plan for National Library Week. Since then, this annual celebration has become both a way of highlighting the valuable role libraries and library professionals play in transforming lives and an invitation for people of all backgrounds to explore and discover what sparks joy in them at the library.

Maybe your library joy is a writing workshop or the chance to meet bestselling authors? Or perhaps you take joy in learning more about local history? If that's the case, there's a lot of joy to be found this April. Read more below or search our events calendar for all adult programs.

Screening Room: Skating the World's Oldest Skatepark

In Skating the World's Oldest Skatepark, a short documentary (produced in 2025), professional skateboarders Dalton and Kanaan Dern team up with their brother and filmmaker, Destin Dern, to give a history lesson on Kona and how it has survived three economic recessions and all the ups and downs of the action sport industry to become the "longest privately owned skatepark" in the world via Guinness Book of World Records. 

Watch and discuss with Martin Ramos, owner of Kona Skatepark at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, April 1, during Art Walk at the Main Library. A 30-minute conversation will follow the 27-minute screening. 

Register for the screening

What to Read with Library Book Clubs this April

April 19-25, Jacksonville marks another "Celebrate Reading Week," connecting families with free books and resources from the City's many literacy advocates and organizations. This year, Celebrate Reading Week just so happens to coincide with National Library Week, which honors the vital role libraries and workers play in transforming lives and communities. So, what better time to visit the Library, check a book, and model positive reading behaviors for the kids in your life? There are over a dozen book clubs to choose from, including one that meets live on Zoom.

Join a Book Club

Reminder: The 2026 Jax Stacks Reading Challenge started on January 1 and one of the 16 challenge categories is "A book read by a Library Book Club in 2026." Not only that, members read and discuss books that satisfy other challenge categories, making it even easier to complete 12 books in a year.

Writer's Lab: You Can Finish Your Story

Do you have a story idea that you cherish, but it feels way too overwhelming to actually make progress on? Join us from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. on Saturday, April 4, for a free workshop at Main Library (during Jax Pop Con Vol. 3). Using actionable and organized writing strategies applicable to any kind of writing project, comics editor and creator Abe Erskine will help divide your process into manageable chunks that result in small victories instead of more lost time. 

Learn with Abe Erskine

History Chat: "Life," the Untold Story of Charles Adrian Pillars

Join us from 6 to 7 p.m. on Tuesday, April 21, at Willow Branch Library where Dr. Wayne Wood will tell the remarkable story of the sculptor who created the statue “Life” in Jacksonville’s Memorial Park located in the historic Riverside Avondale neighborhood. Widely regarded as one of the foremost chroniclers of Northeast Florida’s history and architecture, Wood has been called “the undisputed godfather of preservation in Jacksonville.” 

Register for the History Chat

An author, historian, artist, and educator, Wood is founder of Riverside Avondale Preservation, the Riverside Arts Market, and Friends of Hemming Park (now James Weldon Johnson Park). He has published nineteen books on Northeast Florida, and his best-known book is the classic, Jacksonville's Architectural Heritage: Landmarks for the Future, a local all-time bestseller.

Life Lab: Improve Your Day-to-Day Life

Life Lab is a series of free workshops offered by trained professionals and volunteers, aimed at improving your life. They cover a wide range of topics from gardening to financial literacy to small business needs. No need to bring anything but yourself to participate!

Upcoming Workshops:

• SFX Makeup: Basic Bruising and Gore Techniques
  • with award-winning makeup artist Stephanie Mazzeo
  • part of Jax Pop Con Vol. 3, an all-ages fandom event
  • 12:30 - 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, April 4, at Main Library
• SFX Makeup: Basic Bruising and Gore Techniques
  • with award-winning makeup artist Stephanie Mazzeo
  • part of Jax Pop Con Vol. 3, an all-ages fandom event
  • 2:30 - 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, April 4, at Main Library
• Humming Birds, Tiny Winged Wonders
  • with Martha Coombs, Master Gardener
  • 6 - 7 p.m. on Tuesday, April 7 at Webb Wesconnett Library
• Intro to Small Business Resources at the Library
  • 3 - 4 p.m. on Thursday, April 9 at Main Library
• Attracting Wildlife
  • with UF/IFAS Extension Duval County
  • 6 - 7 p.m. on Tuesday, April 14 at Murray Hill Branch Library
• Ancestry.com, A Look Inside
  • Genealogy workshop with Ann Staley
  • 2 - 4 p.m. on Saturday, April 18 at Highlands Library
• Garden in a Jar
  • with UF/IFAS Extension Duval County
  • 6:30 - 7:45 p.m. on Tuesday, April 21 at University Park Branch Library
• Gardening for Bees, Birds and Butterflies
  • with Bob Vincent, Master Gardener
  • 5:30 - 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, April 22 at Webb Wesconnett Library
• Ancestry.com, A Look Inside
  • Genealogy workshop with Ann Staley
  • 5:30 - 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, April 28 at West Branch Library
• Vegetable Gardening
  • with UF/IFAS Extension Duval County
  • 6:45 - 7:45 p.m. on Tuesday, April 28 at Mandarin Branch Library

Search our events calendar for more workshops offered by our community partners at the Library.

Save the Dates

Get Inspired by Local Experts in Conservation

Environmental change and conservation issues increasingly affect daily life in Northeast Florida, raising important questions about land use, historical disinvestment, and community planning. Since 2023, Jacksonville Public Library has partnered with the St. Johns Riverkeeper, a local nonprofit organization, to offer public programming to help Duval County residents better understand these issues. 

May - June in 2026, this annual Conservation Series* expands to include new partners and programs:

• a History Chat on May 6 with the North Florida Land Trust,
• a Screening Room on May 18 and discussion with the Duval Audubon Society,
• a series of five Life Lab community conversations from May 21 - June 27,
• and a keynote Lit Chat Interview on June 27 with author Clay Henderson. 

*Funding for these programs was provided through a grant from the Florida Humanities with funds from The Mosaic Company. Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in these programs do not necessarily represent those of Florida Humanities or The Mosaic Company.