Jacksonville Public Library Blog

March Art Walk: We Are Open for Student Art, Poets and Zinesters!

Celebrate our community's deep pool of creative talent with us on the first Wednesday of each month in Downtown Jacksonville! The Main Library stays open until 9 p.m. for the festivities! This month, explore the annual Northeast Florida Scholastic Art Awards: Gold Key Exhibition (before it's gone), get inspired by local zinesters to make your own zine, or sign up for a 20-minute art tour with one of our volunteer docents. Don't forget to pick up a Map & Guide to the Main Library on your way in! You'll find public art, a huge vintage map collection and more!

Lit Chat Interview with New York Times Bestselling Novelist Jamie Ford

Jamie Ford is a Northwest author most widely known for his bestselling Seattle-based novels. His most recent novel, The Many Daughters of Afong Moy, was an instant New York Times bestseller and a Read with Jenna Today Show Book Club Pick. His debut, Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet, spent two years on the New York Times bestseller list. Join us from 7 to 8 p.m. on Wednesday, March 12, at the Southeast Library for 40-minute conversation between author Jamie Ford and interviewer C.H. Hooks, followed by 20 minutes of audience Q&A.

10th Annual Beaches Library Comic Fest

Wear your best cape and cowl (or that really cool bow tie and fez) and join us for a fandom-filled celebration of reading, pop culture and fandom for all ages! Beaches Library Comic Fest returns in 2025 for its 10th annual celebration on Saturday, May 3, from 1 – 4 p.m This FAN-tastic event is sponsored by Friends of the Beaches Branch Library and organized by your favorite librarians. It features some local cosplayers, gamers, and comic creators from the Beaches community and beyond.

Celebrate Reading Week 2025: Jacksonville Is Bananas About Books!

Celebrate Reading Week Presents: Bananas About Books March 2-8

Jacksonville's annual "Celebrate Reading Week" returns March 2-8, 2025, with appearances by local and award-winning authors, live children's entertainers, your favorite book characters, and much more! Don't miss the un-peel-ievably cool party for the whole family at the Main Library in downtown Jacksonville on Saturday, March 8. You're sure to have a bunch of fun! You'll also get to check out Mayor Deegan's new River City Readers Bookmobile, pick up a free book (and free lunch) and learn more about all of ways Jacksonville supports literacy and families.

It's March Book Madness with the Return of the Big Bag Book Sale!

Friends of the the Jacksonville Public Library Big Bag Book Sale

It's time again for everybody's favorite BIG BAG BOOK SALE from our Friends of the Jacksonville Public Library! Fill up a bag (or three) with as many books as you (and the bags) can carry! Paper grocery bags are provided. There will be a wide range of books available for all ages and book lovers. You can also find fantastic deals on movies, audiobooks, records, jigsaw puzzles, and more.

History Chat: Rethinking James Weldon Johnson At Home & Abroad

Many know James Weldon Johnson as an educator, lawyer and NAACP leader. He was also a key figure of the Harlem Renaissance, a diplomat and civil rights leader who traveled beyond U.S. borders to build solidarity with other people of color and marginalized groups around the world. At home and abroad, Johnson fought against Jim Crow segregation, imperialism and other structures of oppression. This March, explore his impact on Jacksonville and the genealogy of Black transnational activism that has shaped the U.S.

Join a Library Book Club and Celebrate Reading this March

Is your family bananas about books? Jacksonville's annual Celebrate Reading Week returns March 2-8, 2025, with appearances by local and nationally known authors, live children's entertainers, your favorite book characters, and much more! The week kicks off with a Book Giveaway for kids, Pre-K through Grade 5, at every Jacksonville Public Library location - thanks to our friends at Children's Literacy Initiative. The week ends with Family Reading Day - an un-peel-ievably cool party we're throwing for the whole family at the Main Library in downtown Jacksonville on Saturday, March 8.

Life Lab: Gardening and Business Workshops in March

Learn how to grow your own garden or small business and take control of your health, career, and personal finances with free workshops at the Library! Life Lab programs are offered by trained professionals and aimed at improving your day-to-day life. This month, join us for a literacy workshop for parents, gardening workshops with the extension office and St. Johns Riverkeeper, and free workforce and entrepreneurship classes.

Free Tax Preparation Available With AARP

The Jacksonville Public Library is proud to partner with the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) TaxAide during the tax season each year to provide FREE tax preparation. Taxes will be prepared BY APPOINTMENT ONLY. The scheduling system goes live January 15 for appointments starting February 1.

Elementary Art Exhibition 2025

Elementary Art Exhibition. 16 locations.

The annual Best of Elementary Art Show honors the fantastic work of student artists and their teachers in the Visual Art programs at Duval County Public Schools. The exhibition starts Saturday, March 15, at Main Library and Thursday, March 27, at 15 other regional and neighborhood libraries.