Events at this location

Friends of the Main Library St. Augustine is pleased to welcome environmental author Cynthia Barnett at The Waterworks, to present The Sound of the Sea: Seashells and the Fate of the Oceans. The human fascination with seashells is primal. Archaeological evidence suggests that Neanderthals collected cockle shells on the coast of what is modern Spain, perhaps giving preference to those they found beautiful. Native Floridians built “great cities of shell” along the coasts, later carted off for road fill. In the 1950s, the nation burned with shell-collecting fever only a Florida vacation could cure. Presenting The Sound of the Sea, Cynthia Barnett will introduce the long, rich, and surprisingly profound relationship between humans and seashells. Traveling from Florida to the Bahamas to the Maldives, West Africa, and beyond, she will explore the ancient history of shells as global currency, their use as religious and luxury objects, and the remarkable marine mollusks that make them. For eons, shells and their makers have reflected humanity’s shifting attitudes toward and precarious place in the natural world. While shells reveal how humans have altered the climate and the sea – down to its very chemistry – they are also sentinels of hope for alternative energy and other solutions that lie beneath the waves. With her engaging account of an aspect of nature and culture long hidden in plain sight, Barnett illuminates the beauty and wonder of seashells as well as the human ingenuity and scientific solutions they represent for our warming world.

This program is free and open to the public, and will take place at The Waterworks, 184 San Marco Blvd., which shares a parking lot with the Main Library. Seating begins at 12:30 pm, and the presentation starts promptly at 1:00 pm. No reservations are required. For more information, please email bmaycumber@sjcfl.us or call the Main Library at 904-827-6940. The presentation will be followed by a book sale and signing, with proceeds from the sale of books and seashell cards benefitting Friends of the Main Library St. Augustine.

Cynthia Barnett is an award-winning environmental author and journalist who has reported on water and climate change around the world. Her latest book, The Sound of the Sea, was named one of the best science books of 2021 by NPR’s Science Friday, and one of the best nonfiction books of the year by Kirkus Reviews, the Tampa Bay Times, and others. Cynthia is also the author of the water books Mirage; Blue Revolution; and Rain: A Natural and Cultural History, longlisted for the National Book Award and a finalist for the PEN/E.O. Wilson Award for Literary Science Writing. She has written for National Geographic magazine, the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Wall Street Journal, the Atlantic, Salon, Politico, Orion, and many other publications. Cynthia is a fifth-generation Floridian raising a sixth generation in Gainesville, where she also serves as Environmental Journalist in Residence at the University of Florida’s College of Journalism and Communications.

Are you ready for close encounters of the reptilian kind?
The Alligator Farm is bringing all of the fun of the Zoo to us!  Education experts will present an exciting educational program with live animals!
Capacity is limited to 30 participants. Registration is required! You must RSVP for each person attending.

This program is sponsored by the Friends of the Main Library St. Augustine

Recommended for ages 7 and up, but all ages are welcome.

Are you ready for close encounters of the reptilian kind?
The Alligator Farm is bringing all of the fun of the Zoo to us!  Education experts will present an exciting educational program with live animals!
Capacity is limited to 30 participants. Registration is required! You must RSVP for each person attending.

This program is sponsored by the Friends of the Main Library St. Augustine

Recommended for ages 7 and up, but all ages are welcome.

Action News JAX First Alert Meteorologist Garrett Bedenbaugh will read his first children’s short story and get children ready for the start of hurricane season. Plus, hear all about being a local meteorologist on TV!

This a fun family event for kids of all ages.

This program will take place at The Waterworks 184 San Marco Blvd., which shares a parking lot with the Main Library.

Kids explore the basics of underwater archaeology through “excavating” the Maple Leaf shipwreck tarp. They will uncover artifacts and map them in place to determine what they can tell us about the shipwreck.  Come join the NE Florida Public Archaeology team for this unique hands-on program.

This program will take place at The Waterworks 184 San Marco Blvd., which shares a parking lot with the Main Library.

Attendance is limited to 30 kids so RSVP is required.

This program is geared for children ages 6-12.

Friends of the Main Library St. Augustine is pleased to welcome award-winning author Diana Abu-Jaber to discuss her latest novel. Winner of the PEN Center Award for Literary Fiction, the American Book Award, a finalist for the Pen Hemingway Award, and winner of the 2012 Arab American National Book Award, Jordanian American author Diana Abu-Jaber is celebrated for her lush and evocative explorations of place and identity, and her breakthrough novel, Fencing with the King, is no exception. With her trademark eloquence, Abu-Jaber has written a sophisticated novel equal parts mystery, family drama, political intrigue, and love story. Set against the backdrop of upper-class Jordan in the 1990s, Fencing with the King is a seductive and compelling exploration of a multigenerational family, the fearsome weight of a life lived in exile, and the great distances we will travel in an attempt to uncover the truth about ourselves and those we love most.

This program is free and open to the public, and will take place at The Waterworks, 184 San Marco Blvd., which shares a parking lot with the Main Library. Seating begins at 12:30 pm, and the presentation starts promptly at 1:00 pm. No reservations are required. For more information, please email bmaycumber@sjcfl.us or call the Main Library at 904-827-6940. The presentation will be followed by a book sale and signing, with partial proceeds from the sale of books benefitting Friends of the Main Library St. Augustine.

Diana Abu-Jaber is the award-winning author of seven books of fiction and nonfiction, including Crescent and The Language of Baklava. She lives in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

Children ages 6 to 12 are invited to become “nature detectives” and learn all about hummingbirds as pollinators and the important role they have in our ecosystem in this interactive program.

Space is limited and registration is required. Please kindly cancel your registration if you are unable to attend so that other may attend this program.

15 spaces per session (1 space per family group)

Sponsored by The Friends of Main Library St. Augustine

Children ages 6 to 12 are invited to become “nature detectives” and learn all about hummingbirds as pollinators and the important role they have in our ecosystem in this interactive program.

Space is limited and registration is required. Please kindly cancel your registration if you are unable to attend so that other may attend this program.

15 spaces per session (1 space per family group)

Sponsored by The Friends of Main Library St. Augustine

The Whitney Laboratory’s Traveling Marine Zoo will introduce guests to a few marine invertebrates that inhabit the estuary. Learn about some of the adaptations that help these animals survive, with an opportunity for hands-on learning at the end!

This program is geared for children ages 6-12.

Space is limited so RSVP is required.