Jacksonville Public Library Blog

Junior Lit Chat with Andrea Davis Pinkney

Junior Lit Chat with Andrea Davis Pinkney

Andrea Davis Pinkney is the New York Times bestselling and award-winning author of nearly 50 books for young readers, among them The Red Pencil and A Poem for Peter, as well as several collaborations with her husband Brian Pinkney, including Sit-In and Hand in Hand, which received the Coretta Scott King Book Award. Join us for a Junior Lit Chat with Andrea Davis Pinkney, Friday, June 16, from 4:30-5 p.m. live at the Brentwood Library. Intended for kids, ages 5-12. The first 50 kids in attendance will get a FREE copy of A Poem for Peter to take home. A reception and book signing will follow.

We Are Open for Art Walk: June 7 at the Main Library

We are open for Art Walk

Celebrate our community's deep pool of creative talent on the first Wednesday of each month in Downtown Jacksonville! The Main Library is directly across from James Weldon Johnson Park, from one of Art Walk's three major hubs of activity. We host student art shows, teen open mic nights and more! Plus, it's the perfect time to take a self-guided tour of murals, maps and public art found throughout your library headquarters.

Books to Celebrate Rainbow Book Month

Celebrating Rainbow Book Month

The Library has an AMAZING collection of books featuring stories and information written by and about people from varied backgrounds, races, ethnicities, life experiences, and viewpoints. We love to share selections that demonstrate the range of our collection all year and we encourage you to explore these books with us! This month, we are highlighting activities and books in our collection by and about people in the LGBTQIA+ community.

Jax Stacks Book Recommendations: A book set in a place you want to visit

Jax Stacks Reading Challenge 2023

Welcome to a new month of the 2023 Jax Stacks Reading Challenge! We are going to give you suggestions for each* category in the challenge every month so that you always have a great library book waiting for you when you need it. Plus, you can share what you're reading with other Jax Stacks readers at our monthly Jax Stacks Reading Challenge Book Club. Note: Our June meeting takes place at the Beaches Branch Library!

Lit Chat and Writer's Lab with NYT Bestselling Author Susan Orlean

Lit Chat with Susan Orlean

New York Times bestselling author Susan Orlean joins us at the Main Library in June for two days of bookish excitement! Readers can check out our Lit Chat Interview with her on Friday evening, and writers can attend a Writer’s Lab workshop on Saturday morning. We’d love to see you at both!

Staff Picks Genre Study – Summertime Reads, Picture Books About Togetherness

Staff Picks Genre Study book list graphic

Summer is a time for adventure, exploration, and spending time with loved ones. It's a time when families and communities come together to create memories and share experiences. In this picture book list of reads, we explore the theme of "all together now" through stories that celebrate togetherness, teamwork, and inclusivity. From a wombat offering his home to unexpected guests to learning to say hello in different languages, these books are sure to inspire children to appreciate the beauty of working together and the importance of being kind and supportive of one another.

Free Summer Lunch at the Library for Kids and Teens

Free Summer Lunch at the Library June 5 through August 4

The Free Summer Lunch Program at the Jacksonville Public Library will officially kick off on June 5! To help ensure that kids don't go hungry while school is out of session, free and nutritious meals are available for children and teens 18 and younger at many library locations.

Staff Picks Genre Study - Jacksonville Jazz Festival: A Jacksonville Tradition and an American Celebration

Staff Picks Genre Study book list graphic

Just as it was once a central location for the film industry before there was a Hollywood, Jacksonville was a sister city to New Orleans in ushering in the age of jazz. Before the suburbs expanded and Jacksonville grew to the county-wide residential area it is today, the vibrant downtown area between Ashley and Broad Street was known as the Harlem of the South. The heart of the jazz scene in north Florida, it would host the biggest names of the day and see the emergence of up and coming jazz artists such as Ray Charles.

Book Sales Galore in the Mandarin Neighborhood

Book sale presented by the Friends of the Library. Find a great read while supporting the Jacksonville Public Library.

Both Friends of the Library groups in the Mandarin neighborhood are excited to host their summer used book sales that start in early June. The Friends of South Mandarin Library's book sale will be on June 1-3 and will be located at 12125 San Jose Blvd, Jacksonville, FL 32223. The Friends of Mandarin Library will host their book sale on June 2-3 at 3330 Kori Rd, Jacksonville, FL 32257.

Join a Library Book Club in June

Join a Book Club

Whether it's a sizzling summer romance for that much-deserved day at the beach, a cozy mystery for that long flight or night in... or the perfect nonfiction audiobook for that cross-country road trip - you can count on the Library to have all of the hottest titles! And with all the money you save from those FREE books, that just means more money towards your next vacation (or stay-cation)! 

Book your next visit to the Library. Find your next read and chat with your fellow readers this summer at a Library Book Club near you!

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