Jacksonville Public Library Blog 2023 Archive

We Are Open for Zinesters: May Art Walk at the Main Library

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.

How To Write a Summary of Your Novel for Literary Agents and Editors

In this workshop, you will learn how to construct a query synopsis for submission to a literary agent or publishing house editor. You will leave knowing how to create a blueprint of your story with key elements of fiction revealed in a narrative format, the purpose of a novel synopsis, the components of a selling synopsis, the ideal synopsis length, and more.

Books to Celebrate Jewish American Heritage Month

Books celebrating Jewish American Heritage Month

Celebrated every May, Jewish American Heritage Month brings together hundreds of organizations and Americans of all backgrounds to discover, explore, and celebrate the vibrant and varied American Jewish experience and to honor the generations of Jewish Americans whose contributions have helped form the fabric of American history, culture and society.

Jax Stacks Book Recommendations: A book by an author under 30

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 May and June meetings take place at the Beaches Branch Library!

Killin' It: An Immersive Murder Mystery for Teen Advisory Board

Killin' It: An Immersie Murder Mystery for Teens

Someone’s been poisoned, and world-class teen sleuths Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys need your help! Join up with other amateur crime solvers across various branches of the Jacksonville Public Library for an immersive detective experience, where you’ll examine evidence from the scene of the crime to figure out whodunnit before they strike again. As with every great mystery, come expecting a few surprises! To participate, join us at Teen Advisory Board May 8-19!

Children's Books That Spark Change

Books that spark change: Children's Book Week

Established in 1919, Children’s Book Week is the longest-running national literacy initiative in the country. Every year, young people across the country participate by attending events at schools, libraries and bookstores or by celebrating at home and engaging with book creators both online and in person. This year’s theme speaks to the power that books and stories have to inspire positive change. Books can spark change within an individual reader, a family, a classroom, or a whole community.

Join a Library Book Club this May

Join a Book Club at Jacksonville Public Library

May is a really fun time for comic book fans. The first Saturday of the month is Free Comic Book Day (at participating comic book retailers). Over 2000 stores take part annually! Of course, you can check out comics for free any day at the Library (or download them instantly on your favorite device with Hoopla)! Plus, you can meet other comic fans at Willow Branch Library for ComiClub to talk about a wide variety of comics and graphic novels. In addition to superhero comics, they also discuss horror, slice-of-life, nonfiction, and other genres! Beyond the Panel, another graphic novel book club is coming soon to Pablo Creek Library!

Adult Programs at the Library this May: Authors, Writer's Lab and More!

May is Preservation Month, a time to celebrate and do our part to save historic places for the purpose of instilling community pride. The theme this year is “People Saving Places," a national high-five to everyone doing the great work of saving places—in ways big and small—and inspiring others to do the same. Jacksonville Public Library is kicking celebrations off with a lively, wide-ranging discussion about Jacksonville's history and architecture with Wayne Wood and Tim Gilmore on Saturday, May 6 at 2 p.m. at the Main Library.

The Ins and Outs of Operating a Small Business Franchise

Is 2023 the year you... Make your hobby a side hustle? Start your own business? Or work on taking your business to the next level? In April, we're looking at franchises. Is your business ready to expand? Or are you thinking about buying into a franchise? We have some books and other resources you should check out!

National Library Week, April 23-29, 2023

National Library Week (April 23 - 29, 2023) is a time to celebrate our nation's libraries, library workers' contributions and promote library use and support. The theme for National Library Week 2023 is "There's More to the Story," illustrating the fact that in addition to the books in library collections, available in a variety of formats, libraries offer so much more.