Resources for Parents and Educators, Info on Field Trips, and More
# Finding Books for Kids and Teens
NoveList K-8 is a fun and interactive way for kids and teens to uncover their next great read. It can also help parents, teachers, and librarians improve literacy outcomes and engage young readers with book recommendations they'll love. If the library is closed or your favorite library staffer is busy, you can still get book recommendations from NoveList K-8! It’s available 24/7 on your library’s website, and because it’s connected to the catalog you can place holds right away.
Top 5 Tips for Getting the Most Out of Novelist K-8
- Find fresh new titles on NoveList’s homepage under Books with Buzz. These titles are the ones mentioned in the media!
- New Series Titles allow you to keep up with the latest books in popular series.
- Explore titles by Story Element on the homepage, where you can mix and match your child's mood or favorite genres, themes, and subjects to create a personalized booklist.
- Need a list of books that are just right for a specific grade? Or maybe your student needs a book that's of a specific length? On the Advanced Search page, you’ll find limiters for Grade Level and Number of Pages. You can also filter by Lexile® score and Accelerated Reader™ interest level, book level, or points.
- You can also sign up for Alerts so you're notified when their favorite author publishes a new book or adds to a series they love.
Plus, find tons of kid-friendly and age-appropriate content like e-books, movies, music and TV shows on popular Digital Library apps like Libby, Hoopla and Kanopy. Many of these websites and apps even offer a "Kids Mode" or other content filters or parental controls for worry-free browsing. There are also e-book platforms like Tumblebooks that are just for kids (grades K-6)!
# Using the Digital Library
Enable Hoopla Kids Mode
Looking for kid-friendly media? Instantly read, listen and watch e-books, comics, audiobooks, music, movies or TV shows with Hoopla Digital – free from your Library. You get 8 titles a month with immediate availability. Once you log in, turn on “Kids Mode” to easily browse digital content designed for children 12 years and under. Toggle Kids Mode off again when you’re ready to browse for yourself. Optional: Require a PIN to unlock Kids Mode.
Note: Movies in this section range in rating from G (General Audiences) to PG (Parental Guidance Suggested). Parents and guardians must decide whether a specific title is appropriate for their child.
Get instructions on our Hoopla page or visit Hoopla Support.
Find Juvenile and Young Adult Content on Libby
Search OverDrive's collection of e-books, audiobooks, and magazines online, anytime on the Libby website, on the Libby app, or through the Library's catalog. With your Jacksonville Public Library card, you can have 10 borrowed titles and 10 holds at a time with no monthly limits.
In Libby, titles have one of four Audience Categories: Juvenile, Young Adult, General Content, and Mature Content. By default, all users are assigned the "Libby for Everyone" preset, where no titles are restricted or hidden. Content Controls allow users to make fine-tuned choices and/or configure what library content appears in Libby for themselves or for their family.
Choose a different preset or set other Content Controls by going to the in app Menu and selecting Content Controls (under "Settings"). Note: If you are sharing a device like a smartphone, tablet or computer, you may choose to lock content controls down with a passkey.
Note: Young readers or their parents can also apply "Audience" filters more easily find Juvenile or Young Adult Content. Tap the filters button on the left side of the screen (the three lines that resemble a funnel). You can also sort by subject or genre, format, and availability, among other filters.
To learn more, visit our Libby by OverDrive page or Libby Help.
Stream Kid-Friendly Videos on Kanopy Kids
Looking for free video content? Check out Kanopy; it's free with your library card! You can watch on your computer, download the mobile app, or stream directly these TV devices: Amazon Fire TV, Android TV, Apple TV and Airplay, Roku, Chromecast and Samsung TV. Each month, you receive 10 tickets, which reset on the first day of the month.
Note: Kanopy Kids content doesn't use tickets. That means not only can your kids browse a selection of educational and enriching videos designed for children between 2-8 years of age, they can access an unlimited number of those titles each month. Categories include TV Series, Learning Languages, Animated Storybooks, Anime Favorites, Classic Films and Movies for the Whole Family.
Learn more, including how to enable parental controls, on our Kanopy page or Kanopy Help.
More Ideas & Resources
- Get more recommendations and resources for children (birth to age 12) on our kids page.
- Looking for programs and services for youth, ages 12-18? Check out our teens page.
- Have a student with visual, physical, or reading disabilities (like dyslexia)? Learn about Talking Books and other Accessibility and Assistive Technologies on our Services page.
# Teaching Reinforcements
From science projects to homework help and everything in between, our FREE, educational games, research databases, and homework help resources provide comprehensive and credible information to get the job done.
TumbleBooks features 1100+ titles for grades K-6, and includes unique animated, talking picture books, read-along chapter books, national geographic videos, non-fiction books, playlists, as well as books in Spanish and French.
We have the materials, resources, and support you need to research people, ideas, and events of the past. For local topics, call ahead or schedule an appointment online with a Special Collections librarian.
You've got a science fair project to do, but now what? How do you get started? The Library has a digital resource for you called "Science in Context" that can help you choose and conduct a successful experiment!
# Elementary School Field Trips to the Library
Library staff will present a fun storytime and tour of the library. Duval County Public Schools (DCPS) will have their buses organized centrally by their transportation office. DCPS students will be able to use their student library cards to check out books at the end of the visit.
Schedule a Field Trip to the Library
# Bring the Library to Your School or Classroom
Library staff will come to your classroom and present a 45-minute, fun, and interactive literacy experience perfect for elementary school age children (up to 30 students per program). Each program focuses on activities that build excitement around reading.
Invite the Library to your classroom
# Interactive Afterschool Program
Our interactive Afterschool Program is designed to foster a love of reading in participants. We can accommodate up to 25 children in each program. As a member of READ JAX, we focus on increasing the number of youth reading on grade level by third grade, and we prioritize sites serving elementary students in areas with low reading level scores.
Request the River City Readers Bookmobile
As the River City Readers challenge continues into its second year, Mayor Deegan, Kids Hope Alliance, Jacksonville Public Library and others are excited to bring this message of literacy and a love of reading into every neighborhood in Jacksonville via a new Bookmobile. It began rolling out in March 2025, delighting readers at community events like Jacksonville's Celebrate Reading Week.
We also offer visits to early learning centers, Kids Hope Alliance-funded afterschool sites, and local schools. They include a "Drop Everything and Read" activity with a librarian plus a chance for students and teachers to find amazing library books for their classroom library each month.
Please note: The Bookmobile is operated by Jacksonville Public Library and was purchased with generous grants to the Library Foundation of Jacksonville from the Lucy Gooding Foundation and PNC Bank Foundation. Mayor Deegan’s River City Readers is a year-round, citywide literacy challenge for students of all ages. Participants are asked to read 20 minutes a day and to log their reading in Beanstack, a popular reading challenge app.
Student Cards = Library Cards
Reminder: All KIPP Jax and Duval County Public School students already have access to Jacksonville Public Library's books and online resources!
Students can use their S-number to:
- Check out up to three physical books/audiobooks at a time
- Get help with homework and projects from online databases
- Watch videos and read e-books and comics on any screen
When asked to log in, students should use their S-number without the "S." They'll also need to enter their PIN number (the four-digit month & day of your birth). Of course, if they have a library card, they can use that to access all the same resources (and more).
Get a Library Card
A Library Card in Every Student's Pocket
Simply enter a student ID to access a fine-free library card! The Student Card is available for free to all students at any public school system in Duval County.
Traveling Tales are a collection of convenient book bundles and activity kits for preschoolers, ages two to five, that you can take home!
Are You Planning to Compete in History Fair?
Jacksonville Public Library has the materials, resources and support you need.
