Adult Programs

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.

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. 

There Was Always Sun Shining Someplace: Life in the Negro Baseball Leagues chronicles the rich history of Black baseball and examines the re-integration of the game. Narrated by James Earl Jones, this hour long documentary, produced by Refocus Digital Media, LLC, features interviews with baseball Hall of Famers Satchel Paige, James ‘Cool Papa’ Bell, Buck Leonard, Judy Johnson, Monte Irvin and Ray Dandridge. Watch and discuss on Tuesday, February 25 at Highlands Library with Armand Rosamilia.

Join us Wednesday, February 12, at 7 p.m. at the Southeast Library for a Lit Chat Interview with celebrated historical fiction author Jennifer Coburn and Jane R. Wood, followed by 20 minutes of audience Q&A. A book signing will follow, with books available for sale on site by local bookstore the BookMark.

February is Library Lover's Month - a time to celebrate libraries and the people who use them. So stop in and check out a book (or twelve). If you're a book lover, you might also consider joining one (or more) of our Library Book Clubs. It's a great way to meet people and get more book recommendations. If you're busy or just looking for more accessible options, we've got plenty of digital apps and resources like Libby, hoopla Digital and Kanopy that you can use from home.

Meet the authors that everyone's talking about - from New York Times bestsellers to up-and-coming local writers. This month, meet the author of the new book, Dear Miss Perkins: A Story of Frances Perkins's Efforts to Aid Refugees from Nazi Germany. This Lit Chat Interview is a 60-minute (virtual) program consisting of a 40-minute conversation between author Dr. Rebecca Brenner Graham and Professor Jennie Ziegler, followed by 20 minutes of audience Q&A.

Meet the authors that everyone's talking about - from New York Times bestsellers to up-and-coming local writers. Did you know that all of our Lit Chat authors' books count toward your Jax Stacks Reading Challenge completion? Find out what authors we're hosting this month and join in on the fun! 

The mission of the Foreign Policy Association today, as it has been for over 100 years, is to serve as a catalyst for developing awareness, understanding, and informed opinion on U.S. foreign policy and global issues. That's why they created Great Decisions, America's largest discussion program on world affairs. Every year, discussion topics are chosen by a panel of experts and discussed in libraries, schools and community centers across the United States. Each meeting begins with a 20-minute video lecture on a topic, followed by a facilitator-led discussion with a local subject-matter expert.

Are you signing up for the Jax Stacks Reading Challenge in 2025? We've got 16 brand-new challenge categories. Get out of your comfort zone and try something new or cross a book you've been meaning to read off your to-be-read list! Just make sure it fits one of the categories! The challenge is simple: You pick the 12 categories that interest you most and just start reading. Of course, one of those categories is "A book read by a Library Book Club in 2025." So, just by joining one of these groups, you're already 1/12 of the way to completing this challenge!

Jacksonville Public Library is commemorating the 75th anniversary of San Marco Branch Library with a series of public programs focused on the past, present and future of the neighborhood. This year-long celebration of the San Marco community, its residents and their library officially kicks off this January!