Program Type: Adult

Join the women of Dress a Girl to learn to make dresses, and now shorts. You can pick up a kit to create at home, or turn in dresses you created to the Bartram Trail Branch. We also accept fabric and notion donations. We welcome all friends, old and new.

The Friends of the Ponte Vedra Beach Branch Library will be sponsoring a children’s books sale in the Ponte Vedra Beach Branch Library’s foyer. The book sale will run Monday, Jan 10 – Monday, Jan 24 and will be held during the Ponte Vedra Beach Branch Library’s hours of operation:

Mondays – Wednesdays, 10 am – 8 pm
Thursdays and Fridays, 10 am – 6 pm
Saturdays, 10 am – 5 pm
Closed on Sundays and on Monday, January 17, for Martin Luther King, Jr.’s birthday

There is a great selection of “gently used” hardback and paperback books for children of all ages. The books will be priced from $1-$6. The sale will be held in the foyer of the library near Seymour’s Book Store. Only cash and checks will be accepted for payment. Proceeds from our sales are used for new library materials, special programming, new equipment and furniture for patrons, and so much more.

Any questions? Please call the Ponte Vedra Beach Branch Library at (904) 827-6950. Thank you for supporting our library!

Dr. Anna Lillios, author of Crossing the Creek: The Literary Friendship of Zora Neale Hurston and Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, will join us via ZOOM for a conversation about this special friendship, anecdotes from her research, and how we can help preserve the legacy of these two iconic authors. This is a ZOOM event that can be viewed either in-person at the Bartram Trail, Hastings, Main and Southeast libraries, or from the comfort of your home. For those attending from home, please RSVP and a link to join the conversation will be emailed to you prior to the event.

St. Johns Reads is the St. Johns County Public Library System’s annual “Community Reads” program. Presented for the 17th year, 2022’s program features four different books, unified by the theme “secrets”: “The Vanishing Half,” by Britt Bennett, “Crossing the Creek: The Literary Friendship of Zora Neale Hurston and Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings,” by Anna Lillios, “Little Fires Everywhere,” by Celeste Ng, and a title for young adults, “Children of Blood and Bone,” by Tomi Adeyemi. The four featured titles are available to enjoy in print, large print, audiobook on disc, digital audiobook, and ebook formats. “St. Johns Reads: Secrets” also presents a variety of both in-person and virtual programming inspired by the selected books. Special thanks to our generous Friends of the Library groups for sponsoring our St. Johns Reads program.

The Friends of the Ponte Vedra Beach Branch Library will be sponsoring a children’s books sale in the Ponte Vedra Beach Branch Library’s foyer. The book sale will run Monday, Jan 10 – Monday, Jan 24 and will be held during the Ponte Vedra Beach Branch Library’s hours of operation:

Mondays – Wednesdays, 10 am – 8 pm
Thursdays and Fridays, 10 am – 6 pm
Saturdays, 10 am – 5 pm
Closed on Sundays and on Monday, January 17, for Martin Luther King, Jr.’s birthday

There is a great selection of “gently used” hardback and paperback books for children of all ages. The books will be priced from $1-$6. The sale will be held in the foyer of the library near Seymour’s Book Store. Only cash and checks will be accepted for payment. Proceeds from our sales are used for new library materials, special programming, new equipment and furniture for patrons, and so much more.

Any questions? Please call the Ponte Vedra Beach Branch Library at (904) 827-6950. Thank you for supporting our library!

Need to brush up on your interview skills or update your resume? Tune into Tech Bytes for a quick overview of the Brainfuse JobNow database, a free resource accessible via sjcpls.org. Brainfuse JobNow provides career coaching, resume assistance, live interview preparation, and much more! This recorded program will air on our library Facebook page (facebook.com/sjcpls) and YouTube channel (youtube.com/sjclibraryvid) on Tuesday, January 25 at 12pm.

The Bookmobile will be visiting the Publix at Nocatee Town Center, 9:30 – 11:30am.  Find us at 120 Marketside Avenue, Ponte Vedra, FL 32081

Score points in this trivia challenge for Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi. Space is limited – email Kathryn at krosenburg@sjcfl.us to RSVP for this event!

Session 1 @ 3:30pm – Grades 8-12

Session 2 @ 4:30pm – Adults 18+

The Ponte Vedra Beach Branch Library’s Book Lovers Book Club now meets twice a month in 2022 – in person on Friday morning and via Zoom on Wednesday evening – so everyone can join in, even if you work or go to school! All adults and high school teens are invited to participate. To join us via Zoom, please scroll down below to RSVP for a Zoom link. You will receive the link the day before the evening meeting. You can also choose to join us at our in-person meeting this month:  Book Lovers Book Club in-person meeting

The St. Johns Reads 2022 selection our Book Club will be reading is Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng. Book and audiobook copies, while they last, are available at the Adult Reference Desk at the Ponte Vedra Beach Branch Library for checkout. You can also request a copy of this title in our catalog:  Little Fires Everywhere. If you need assistance requesting this title, please stop by the Adult Reference Desk or call our Library at (904) 827-6950. This selection is also available as an e-book and as an e-audiobook in our database, Overdrive, which is also available as a free app called Libby for all Android and Apple devices. We can’t wait to discuss this book with you!

Book Synopsis:  “The book opens with a fire in the well-heeled neighborhood of Shaker Heights — a culmination of simmering tensions in the community. The town has been divided over a thorny issue involving the adoption of a baby by a couple in the neighborhood. While the couple is well-off with good intentions, the birth mother has been searching for her baby since she left her at fire station in desperation and then subsequently realized her mistake a few days later. In a story about adoption, motherhood, race and social divisions, Celeste Ng presents a thoughtful and gripping drama about a community wrestling with difficult questions about character, class and values.” (taken from The Bibliophile) This book is a Reese’s Book Club selection and a current Hulu miniseries.

St. Johns Reads is the St. Johns County Public Library System’s annual “Community Reads” program. Presented for the 17th year, 2022’s program features four different books, unified by the theme “secrets”: “The Vanishing Half,” by Britt Bennett, “Crossing the Creek: The Literary Friendship of Zora Neale Hurston and Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings,” by Anna Lillios, “Little Fires Everywhere,” by Celeste Ng, and a title for young adults, “Children of Blood and Bone,” by Tomi Adeyemi. The four featured titles are available to enjoy in print, large print, audiobook on disc, digital audiobook, and ebook formats. “St. Johns Reads: Secrets” also presents a variety of both in-person and virtual programming inspired by the selected books. Special thanks to our generous Friends of the Library groups for sponsoring our St. Johns Reads program.

In The Vanishing Half, the character Stella impulsively flees her life as a young Black woman in the segregated South to pass as white, leaving her family and friends behind. Join Main Library’s Adult Programming Coordinator Beth online as she reviews The Personal Librarian by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray, a fictionalized account of the true-life story of J.P. Morgan’s personal librarian, Belle da Costa Greene, who passed as white from the age of sixteen. This program will be recorded and available to view on our website, our Facebook page, or our Youtube channel.

St. Johns Reads is the St. Johns County Public Library System’s annual “Community Reads” program. Presented for the 17th year, 2022’s program features four different books, unified by the theme “secrets”: ‘The Vanishing Half’ by Britt Bennett, ‘Crossing the Creek: The Literary Friendship of Zora Neale Hurston and Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings’ by Anna Lillios, ‘Little Fires Everywhere’ by Celeste Ng, and a title for young adults, ‘Children of Blood and Bone’ by Tomi Adeymi. The four titles are available to enjoy in print, large print, audiobook on disc, digital audiobook, and ebook formats. “St. Johns Reads: Secrets” also presents a variety of both in-person and virtual programming inspired by the selected books. Special thanks to our generous Friends of the Library groups for sponsoring our St. Johns Reads program.

Join us for a lively discussion and fun trivia on New York Times Besteller, Tomi Adeyemi’s Children of Blood and Bone as part of this year’s community read. No registration needed.

Zélie remembers when the soil of Orïsha hummed with magic. When different clans ruled – Burners igniting flames, Tiders beckoning waves, and Zélie’s Reaper mother summoning forth souls. But everything changed the night magic disappeared. Under the orders of a ruthless king, anyone with powers was targeted and killed, leaving Zélie without a mother and her people without hope. Only a few people remain with the power to use magic, and they must remain hidden. Zélie is one such person. Now she has a chance to bring back magic to her people and strike against the monarchy. Yet the greatest danger may be Zélie herself as she struggles to come to terms with the strength of her magic – and her growing feelings for an enemy.

St. Johns Reads is the St. Johns County Public Library System’s annual “Community Reads” program. Presented for the 17th year, 2022’s program features four different books, unified by the theme “secrets”: “The Vanishing Half,” by Britt Bennett, “Crossing the Creek: The Literary Friendship of Zora Neale Hurston and Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings,” by Anna Lillios, “Little Fires Everywhere,” by Celeste Ng, and a title for young adults, “Children of Blood and Bone,” by Tomi Adeyemi. The four featured titles are available to enjoy in print, large print, audiobook on disc, digital audiobook, and ebook formats.

For this month’s book club, it’s your choice! Pick any one of the St. Johns Reads books, or all four. Then, we’ll meet and discuss the ones that we’ve read. New members are always welcome!

St. Johns Reads is the St. Johns County Public Library System’s annual “Community Reads” program. Presented for the 17th year, 2022’s program features four different books, unified by the theme Secrets: “The Vanishing Half,” by Britt Bennett, “Crossing the Creek: The Literary Friendship of Zora Neale Hurston and Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings,” by Anna Lillios, “Little Fires Everywhere,” by Celeste Ng, and a title for young adults, “Children of Blood and Bone,” by Tomi Adeyemi. The four featured titles are available to enjoy in print, large print, audiobook on disc, digital audiobook, and ebook formats. “St. Johns Reads: Secrets” also presents a variety of both in-person and virtual programming inspired by the selected books. Special thanks to our generous Friends of the Library groups for sponsoring our St. Johns Reads program.

Gentle yoga is a great way to increase flexibility, lower stress, and improve energy. Dress comfortably and bring along your favorite yoga mat. This program is taught be certified yoga instructor Deborah Montana.

The Bookmobile will be visiting the Publix at the Shoppes at Murabella, 1:00 – 2:30pm. Find us at 84 Tuscan Way, St. Augustine, FL 32092

Lace up your running or walking shoes for our Third Annual Lace Up for Libraries 5K and 1 Mile Fun Run. This year’s theme is “secrecy” for all you mystery, spy, and conspiracy book lovers.

Join the St. Johns County Public Library System and Friends of the Library for a winter warm-up 5K or 1 Mile run/walk along the peaceful Nocatee hike & bike trails. The race starts and finishes at Nocatee Station Field near the Splash Park.

Register here: https://laceupforlibraries5k.itsyourrace.com/event.aspx?id=12794

Participants are invited to run a competitive 5K or simply walk the 1 mile or 5K to support the St. Johns County Public Library System. The 5K will be chip timed using disposable bibs. Awards will be presented post-race.

The First 200 5K Finishers will receive a commemorative medal!

Shirts will be included to 5K participants who enter before the Jan 6 shirt cutoff date! Late participants will not be guaranteed a shirt or preferred size.

Not up to a full 5K but consider yourself a bibliophile? Come out and enjoy an easy 1 mile run or walk with your friends. 1 Mile entry for adults is only $10. Kids are invited to join the 1 Mile free of charge. Race shirt is NOT included in the $10 Fun Run. Both adults and children may purchase a commemorative shirt for only $15.

We also have the Virtual Race option that shows your support if you can’t make it out on race day. Sign up for the Virtual 5K and receive a shirt and a medal. Your race packet will be available at the library the week after the event. Out of town residents packets will be sent USPS or UPS.

To put the location of the start of the race in your GPS, use the following address: 245 Nocatee Center Way, Ponte Vedra Beach, FL 32081

You’re invited to Read, Enjoy, and Discuss with us on Tuesday, February 1 at 10:15am! This month’s theme: A book published the year you were born. Snacks and drinks provided by the Friends of the Library. RSVP is required for this program. To register, give us a call at (904) 827-6900 or visit our website at sjcpls.org.

Adults and teens (age14+) are invited to attend the crochet group at the Bartram Trail Branch Library. The group crochets or knits blankets for cancer patients at area hospitals. All skill levels are welcome.

The Bookmobile will be visiting the Publix at Nocatee Town Center, 9:30 – 11:30am.  Find us at 120 Marketside Avenue, Ponte Vedra, FL 32081

Our local AARP volunteers return to the Ponte Vedra Beach Branch Library to offer weekly tax aide appointments for patrons in 2022! Registration for an appointment time is required and opens on Monday, January 10, 2022 at 10 am at the Ponte Vedra Beach Branch Library. At your appointment, an AARP volunteer will prep and file your tax paperwork for you. Couples filing together can register for a single appointment time. The AARP requires intake paperwork to be filled out in advance to expedite your appointment. This intake paperwork is available at the Adult Reference Desk to pick up starting January 10. Please give yourself enough time to fill out this paperwork and then bring it to your scheduled appointment.

These free hour-long appointments will be held at 10 am, 11 am, 12 pm, and 1 pm weekly on Wednesdays, February 2 – April 13 in the FOL Community Room. You do not have to be an AARP member or a St. Johns County resident to register for an appointment. If you have any questions, please stop by the Adult Reference Desk or call our Library at (904) 827-6950. The following three SJCPLS branch libraries will also be hosting free AARP Tax Aide appointments if you are looking for a different date or time or if all of our branch library’s appointments are full:  Main Library, Southeast Branch Library, and Hastings Branch Library. The AARP will also provide free Tax Aide appointments at other non-library St. Johns County as well.

The Bookmobile will be visiting the Publix at Palencia Commons, 1:30 – 3:00pm.  Find us at 7462 US Hwy 1 N, Saint Augustine, FL 32095

The Bookmobile will be visiting Coquina Crossing, 11:00am – 12:00pm. Find us at 4536 Coquina Crossing Drive, Elkton, FL 32033.

Join us via Zoom for a special murder mystery series to solve Agatha Christie’s The Mystery of Hunter’s Lodge. Harrington Pace has been murdered. Captain Arthur Hastings would typically employ the expertise of detective Hercule Poirot, but Poirot has come down with a bout of influenza. Hastings turns to you for help. Tackle the case one clue at a time by solving puzzles, diving into the evidence, and eliminating the suspects one by one. This is a three-part mystery to solve.  This event requires a minimum number of registrations to occur.
To register, email njebbia@sjcfl.us

The Bookmobile will be visiting the Publix at Johns Creek Center, 9:30 – 11:30am.  Find us at 2845 County Road 210 West, St. Johns, FL 32259

Registration required.  February is Black History Month, and in honor of this event I am sharing this wonderful read with my group. This thought provoking book is my suggestion! If you have a book along this theme you would prefer to share, feel free to bring it and we will discuss it as well.

New members are always welcome!

Please register on our website, We will meet at the Bartram Trail Branch Library, 60 Davis Pond Blvd, 32259.  A copy of the book can be sent to any library branch on request. Questions? Please email Donna if you need more information : Dbraasch@sjcfl.us.

The Bookmobile will be visiting the Publix at the Shoppes at Murabella, 1:00 – 2:30pm. Find us at 84 Tuscan Way, St. Augustine, FL 32092

Come to the Bartram Trail Branch Library and meet author/illustrator Jonny Jimison, the creator of the Dragon Lord Saga series. Jonny will demonstrate how he creates and show you tips and tricks.

A book signing and sale will follow. Registration required. Limited seating.

Adults, come join your neighbors for card and/or board games. Let’s play!

Many of Florida’s iconic species: panthers, manatee, and scrub jays are all imperiled. Join Parks Naturalist, Kelly Ussia, for an engaging and informative program focused on the listed species of Florida and what you can do to ensure their continued survival.  This is an all ages programs.  Seating is first come first served.

In honor of Black history month we are reading the Personal Librarian, by Marie Benedict. This riveting read about a woman who becomes a very accomplished librarian, while hiding in plain sight will grab you from page one. Historical fiction at its best. Join this discussion.

Registration required. Please register on the website

New members are always welcome!  We will meet at the Bartram Trail Branch Library, 60 Davis Pond Blvd, 32259.  A copy of the book can be sent to any library branch on request. Questions? Please email Donna if you need more information: Dbraasch@sjcfl.us

Join Karlene, the head of the teen anime club at the Main branch, as she reviews anime series and movies with a guest. You can join in by emailing sjcpls@tblc.libanswers.com. Remember to put “Anime” in the subject line and your email may be read on the next episode! Karlene’s Anime Corner Podcast is designed for teens ages 12-18. You can listen to the podcast on YOUTUBE, Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Google Podcasts. New episodes will be uploaded the second Tuesday of every month.

The Bookmobile will be visiting the Publix at Nocatee Town Center, 9:30 – 11:30am.  Find us at 120 Marketside Avenue, Ponte Vedra, FL 32081

Our local AARP volunteers return to the Ponte Vedra Beach Branch Library to offer weekly tax aide appointments for patrons in 2022! Registration for an appointment time is required and opens on Monday, January 10, 2022 at 10 am at the Ponte Vedra Beach Branch Library. At your appointment, an AARP volunteer will prep and file your tax paperwork for you. Couples filing together can register for a single appointment time. The AARP requires intake paperwork to be filled out in advance to expedite your appointment. This intake paperwork is available at the Adult Reference Desk to pick up starting January 10. Please give yourself enough time to fill out this paperwork and then bring it to your scheduled appointment.

These free hour-long appointments will be held at 10 am, 11 am, 12 pm, and 1 pm weekly on Wednesdays, February 2 – April 13 in the FOL Community Room. You do not have to be an AARP member or a St. Johns County resident to register for an appointment. If you have any questions, please stop by the Adult Reference Desk or call our Library at (904) 827-6950. The following three SJCPLS branch libraries will also be hosting free AARP Tax Aide appointments if you are looking for a different date or time or if all of our branch library’s appointments are full:  Main Library, Southeast Branch Library, and Hastings Branch Library. The AARP will also provide free Tax Aide appointments at other non-library St. Johns County as well.

Join the St. Augustine Travel Club and discover Japan’s spectacular heartland and unique traditions of the Geishas in Kyoto, a former ninja stronghold in Iga near Osaka, a remote Sado Island among other locations.

Join us via Zoom for a special murder mystery series to solve Agatha Christie’s The Mystery of Hunter’s Lodge. Harrington Pace has been murdered. Captain Arthur Hastings would typically employ the expertise of detective Hercule Poirot, but Poirot has come down with a bout of influenza. Hastings turns to you for help. Tackle the case one clue at a time by solving puzzles, diving into the evidence, and eliminating the suspects one by one. This is a three-part mystery to solve.  This event requires a minimum number of registrations to occur.
To register, email njebbia@sjcfl.us

The Bookmobile will be visiting the Publix at the Shoppes at Murabella, 1:00 – 2:30pm. Find us at 84 Tuscan Way, St. Augustine, FL 32092

The Bookmobile will be visiting the Farmers Market at the St. Augustine Amphitheatre from 8:30 am to 12:30 pm. Find us at 1340C A1A South, Saint Augustine, FL 32080

New to family history and ancestry research? Curious about your family tree? Join the genealogy club to meet more like minded people and learn tips and tricks on charting your ancestry.

Adults and teens (age14+) are invited to attend the crochet group at the Bartram Trail Branch Library. The group crochets or knits blankets for cancer patients at area hospitals. All skill levels are welcome.

REGISTRATION REQUIRED. Join Amy, a librarian, and AyoLane, a naturalist, for an outdoor book club that focuses on our natural world. We discuss our all-time favorite nature titles, both fiction and non-fiction. The book club meets at parks throughout St. Johns County, practically in your own backyard!

This month we’ll be reading The Orchid Thief by Susan Orlean at Canopy Shores Park. In Susan Orlean’s mesmerizing true story of beauty and obsession is John Laroche, a renegade plant dealer and sharply handsome guy, in spite of the fact that he is missing his front teeth and has the posture of al dente spaghetti. In 1994, Laroche and three Seminole Indians were arrested with rare orchids they had stolen from a wild swamp in south Florida that is filled with some of the world’s most extraordinary plants and trees. Laroche had planned to clone the orchids and then sell them for a small fortune to impassioned collectors. After he was caught in the act, Laroche set off one of the oddest legal controversies in recent memory, which brought together environmentalists, Native American activists, and devoted orchid collectors. The result is a tale that is strange, compelling, and hilarious.

New Yorker writer Susan Orlean followed Laroche through swamps and into the eccentric world of Florida’s orchid collectors, a subculture of aristocrats, fanatics, and smugglers whose obsession with plants is all-consuming. Along the way, Orlean learned the history of orchid collecting, discovered an odd pattern of plant crimes in Florida, and spent time with Laroche’s partners, a tribe of Seminole Indians who are still at war with the United States.

This event is free and open to the public, but registration is required. If the weather is sunny, please bring your own camp chair for sitting out under the trees. If it’s rainy, we’ll be sitting in the park pavilion. Feel free to bring your own snacks & beverages! Please notify us at least 3 days in advance if you should need a sign language interpreter. The title is available in e-audio format on our Hoopla platform and as an ebook on our Libby/Overdrive platform. If you need a print copy, please contact Amy at 904.827.6942 or aackerman@sjcfl.us.

The Bookmobile will be visiting the Publix at Nocatee Town Center, 9:30 – 11:30am.  Find us at 120 Marketside Avenue, Ponte Vedra, FL 32081

Our local AARP volunteers return to the Ponte Vedra Beach Branch Library to offer weekly tax aide appointments for patrons in 2022! Registration for an appointment time is required and opens on Monday, January 10, 2022 at 10 am at the Ponte Vedra Beach Branch Library. At your appointment, an AARP volunteer will prep and file your tax paperwork for you. Couples filing together can register for a single appointment time. The AARP requires intake paperwork to be filled out in advance to expedite your appointment. This intake paperwork is available at the Adult Reference Desk to pick up starting January 10. Please give yourself enough time to fill out this paperwork and then bring it to your scheduled appointment.

These free hour-long appointments will be held at 10 am, 11 am, 12 pm, and 1 pm weekly on Wednesdays, February 2 – April 13 in the FOL Community Room. You do not have to be an AARP member or a St. Johns County resident to register for an appointment. If you have any questions, please stop by the Adult Reference Desk or call our Library at (904) 827-6950. The following three SJCPLS branch libraries will also be hosting free AARP Tax Aide appointments if you are looking for a different date or time or if all of our branch library’s appointments are full:  Main Library, Southeast Branch Library, and Hastings Branch Library. The AARP will also provide free Tax Aide appointments at other non-library St. Johns County as well.

REGISTRATION REQUIRED. Join Amy, a librarian, and AyoLane, a naturalist, for an outdoor book club that focuses on our natural world. We discuss our all-time favorite nature titles, both fiction and non-fiction. The book club meets at parks throughout St. Johns County, practically in your own backyard!

This month we’ll be reading The Tracker: The true story of Tom Brown, Jr. as told to William Jon Watkins at Canopy Shores Park.  “The first track is the end of a string. At the far end, a being is moving; a mystery, dropping a hint about itself every so many feet, telling you more about itself until you can almost see it, even before you come to it. The mystery reveals itself slowly, track by track, giving its genealogy early to coax you in. Further on, it will tell you the intimate details of its life and work, until you know the maker of the track like a lifelong friend.” In this powerful memoir, famous “Pine Barrens” tracker Tom Brown Jr. reveals how he acquired the skill that has saved dozens of lives—including his own. His story begins with the chance meeting between an ancient Apache and a New Jersey boy. It tells of an incredible apprenticeship in the Wild, learning all that is hidden from modern man. And it ends with a harrowing search in which far more than survival is at stake.

Tom Brown, Jr. began to learn hunting and tracking at the age of eight under the tutelage of an Apache elder, medicine man, and scout in Toms River, New Jersey, and is the author of 16 books on nature. He was the technical advisor on The Hunted, a major motion picture starring Tommy Lee Jones and Benecio Del Toro. In 1978, Tom founded the Tracker School in the New Jersey Pine Barrens where he offers more than 25 classes about wilderness survival and environmental protection.

This event is free and open to the public, but registration is required. If the weather is sunny, please bring your own camp chair for sitting out under the trees. If it’s rainy, we’ll be sitting in the park pavilion. Feel free to bring your own snacks & beverages! Please notify us at least 3 days in advance if you should need a sign language interpreter. If you need a print copy, please contact Amy at 904.827.6942 or aackerman@sjcfl.us.

Did you know that February is National Bird Feeding Month? Join Main Library’s Adult Programming Coordinator Beth online as she makes bird feeders out of magnolia pods! All you need to follow along is a handful of magnolia pods from your yard, some peanut butter, string, and bird seed. This program can be conveniently viewed on our website, our Facebook page, or our Youtube channel.

The Bookmobile will be visiting the Publix at Palencia Commons, 1:30 – 3:00pm.  Find us at 7462 US Hwy 1 N, Saint Augustine, FL 32095

The Bookmobile will be visiting Coquina Crossing, 11:00am – 12:00pm. Find us at 4536 Coquina Crossing Drive, Elkton, FL 32033.

The Bookmobile will be visiting the Publix at Johns Creek Center, 9:30 – 11:30am.  Find us at 2845 County Road 210 West, St. Johns, FL 32259

The Ponte Vedra Beach Branch Library’s Book Lovers Book Club meets twice a month in 2022 – in person on Friday morning and via Zoom on Wednesday evening – so everyone can join in, even if you work or go to school! All adults and high school teens are invited to participate. If you can’t join us in person, please visit this link to RSVP for our Zoom Book Lovers Book Club meeting this month:  Zoom Book Lovers Book Club

The February selection our Book Club will be reading is Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid. Print copies, while they last, are available at the Adult Reference Desk at the Ponte Vedra Beach Branch Library for checkout. You can also request a copy of this title in our catalog:  Such a Fun Age. If you need assistance requesting this title, please stop by the Adult Reference Desk or call our Library at (904) 827-6950. This selection is also available as an e-book and as an e-audiobook in our database, Overdrive, which is also available as a free app called Libby for all Android and Apple devices. We can’t wait to discuss this book with you!

Book Synopsis:  “Such A Fun Age is about Emira, a 25-year-old black woman, who is working as a babysitter to raise Briar, a 3-year-old white girl. It’s a story that examines modern racism by depicting the fallout after Emira is hassled and accused of being a kidnapper when she takes Briar to the supermarket.” (taken from The Bibliophile)

Thank you to the Friends of the Ponte Vedra Beach Branch Library for sponsoring our branch library’s Book Lovers Book Club!

The Bookmobile will be visiting the Publix at the Shoppes at Murabella, 1:00 – 2:30pm. Find us at 84 Tuscan Way, St. Augustine, FL 32092

Please bring the whole family and join us off-site at the Solomon Calhoun Center (1300 Duval Street) as we take part in the Resilience Family Fest, a multi-organizational celebration of St. Augustine’s Black history and culture. “Resilience Family Fest,” held for the first time, will feature dance and musical performances, food trucks, historical reenactments, pop-up exhibits, arts and crafts activities, and much more. Performances will include Melvin Smith Jazz Ensemble, Nan Nkama Pan-African Drum and Dance Ensemble, St. Augustine High School Jazz Band, and storytellers James Bullock and Charmin Russell of the Ximenez-Fatio House Museum “I Lived Here, As Well” program. All are welcome at this FREE community event, which is part of “Resilience: Black Heritage in St. Augustine,” a collaborative project between cultural and academic institutions that began in 2021 as a celebration of the history and culture of Black St. Augustinians. For more information, please visit the Resilience project’s website, or contact Beth at the Main Library: bmaycumber@sjcfl.us.

The “Resilience” project partners include Accord Civil Rights Museum & Freedom Trail, Castillo de San Marcos National Monument, Flagler College Proctor Library, Flagler College Honors Program, Florida Museum of Natural History, Fort Mose Historical Society, Friends of the Main Library St. Augustine, Governor’s House Cultural Center & Museum, Lincolnville Museum & Cultural Center, St. Augustine Historical Society, St. Johns County Public Library System, Timucuan Ecological & Historic Preserve, University of North Florida Digital Humanities Institute, and Ximenez-Fatio House Museum. “Resilience Family Fest” is supported in part by a State of the Arts Grant made possible by the St. Johns Cultural Council.

Adults, come join your neighbors for card and/or board games. Let’s play!

In observance of the President’s Day holiday, all SJCPLS libraries will be closed on Monday, February 21, 2022. Libraries will resume normal operating hours on Tuesday, February 16, 2021. Book drops will remain open during this closure and, of course, our virtual services such as eBooks, databases, and downloadables are available 24/7.

The Bookmobile will be visiting the Publix at Nocatee Town Center, 9:30 – 11:30am.  Find us at 120 Marketside Avenue, Ponte Vedra, FL 32081

Our local AARP volunteers return to the Ponte Vedra Beach Branch Library to offer weekly tax aide appointments for patrons in 2022! Registration for an appointment time is required and opens on Monday, January 10, 2022 at 10 am at the Ponte Vedra Beach Branch Library. At your appointment, an AARP volunteer will prep and file your tax paperwork for you. Couples filing together can register for a single appointment time. The AARP requires intake paperwork to be filled out in advance to expedite your appointment. This intake paperwork is available at the Adult Reference Desk to pick up starting January 10. Please give yourself enough time to fill out this paperwork and then bring it to your scheduled appointment.

These free hour-long appointments will be held at 10 am, 11 am, 12 pm, and 1 pm weekly on Wednesdays, February 2 – April 13 in the FOL Community Room. You do not have to be an AARP member or a St. Johns County resident to register for an appointment. If you have any questions, please stop by the Adult Reference Desk or call our Library at (904) 827-6950. The following three SJCPLS branch libraries will also be hosting free AARP Tax Aide appointments if you are looking for a different date or time or if all of our branch library’s appointments are full:  Main Library, Southeast Branch Library, and Hastings Branch Library. The AARP will also provide free Tax Aide appointments at other non-library St. Johns County as well.

The Ponte Vedra Beach Branch Library’s Book Lovers Book Club now meets twice a month in 2022 – in person on Friday morning and via Zoom on Wednesday evening – so everyone can join in, even if you work or go to school! All adults and high school teens are invited to participate. To join us via Zoom, please scroll down below to RSVP for a Zoom link. You will receive the link the day before the evening meeting. You can also choose to join us at our in-person meeting this month:  Book Lovers Book Club in-person meeting

The February selection our Book Club will be reading is Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid. Book and audiobook copies, while they last, are available at the Adult Reference Desk at the Ponte Vedra Beach Branch Library for checkout. You can also request a copy of this title in our catalog:  Such a Fun Age. If you need assistance requesting this title, please stop by the Adult Reference Desk or call our Library at (904) 827-6950. This selection is also available as an e-book and as an e-audiobook in our database, Overdrive, which is also available as a free app called Libby for all Android and Apple devices. We can’t wait to discuss this book with you!

Book Synopsis:  “Such A Fun Age is about Emira, a 25-year-old black woman, who is working as a babysitter to raise Briar, a 3-year-old white girl. It’s a story that examines modern racism by depicting the fallout after Emira is hassled and accused of being a kidnapper when she takes Briar to the supermarket.” (taken from The Bibliophile)

Thank you to the Friends of the Ponte Vedra Beach Branch Library for sponsoring our branch library’s Book Lovers Book Club!

Join us for fun trivia and discussion, just in time for the movie release!  Email njebbia@sjcfl.us to register if you would like to attend via ZOOM.  No sign-up necessary for in-person!

The Bookmobile will be visiting the Publix at the Shoppes at Murabella, 1:00 – 2:30pm. Find us at 84 Tuscan Way, St. Augustine, FL 32092

Join the women of Dress a Girl to learn to make dresses, and now shorts. You can pick up a kit to create at home, or turn in dresses you created to the Bartram Trail Branch. We also accept fabric and notion donations. We welcome all friends, old and new.

The Bookmobile will be visiting the Publix at Nocatee Town Center, 9:30 – 11:30am.  Find us at 120 Marketside Avenue, Ponte Vedra, FL 32081

Our local AARP volunteers return to the Ponte Vedra Beach Branch Library to offer weekly tax aide appointments for patrons in 2022! Registration for an appointment time is required and opens on Monday, January 10, 2022 at 10 am at the Ponte Vedra Beach Branch Library. At your appointment, an AARP volunteer will prep and file your tax paperwork for you. Couples filing together can register for a single appointment time. The AARP requires intake paperwork to be filled out in advance to expedite your appointment. This intake paperwork is available at the Adult Reference Desk to pick up starting January 10. Please give yourself enough time to fill out this paperwork and then bring it to your scheduled appointment.

These free hour-long appointments will be held at 10 am, 11 am, 12 pm, and 1 pm weekly on Wednesdays, February 2 – April 13 in the FOL Community Room. You do not have to be an AARP member or a St. Johns County resident to register for an appointment. If you have any questions, please stop by the Adult Reference Desk or call our Library at (904) 827-6950. The following three SJCPLS branch libraries will also be hosting free AARP Tax Aide appointments if you are looking for a different date or time or if all of our branch library’s appointments are full:  Main Library, Southeast Branch Library, and Hastings Branch Library. The AARP will also provide free Tax Aide appointments at other non-library St. Johns County as well.

The Bookmobile will be visiting the Publix at Palencia Commons, 1:30 – 3:00pm.  Find us at 7462 US Hwy 1 N, Saint Augustine, FL 32095

The Bookmobile will be visiting Coquina Crossing, 11:00am – 12:00pm. Find us at 4536 Coquina Crossing Drive, Elkton, FL 32033.

The Bookmobile will be visiting the Publix at Johns Creek Center, 9:30 – 11:30am.  Find us at 2845 County Road 210 West, St. Johns, FL 32259

The Bookmobile will be visiting the Publix at the Shoppes at Murabella, 1:00 – 2:30pm. Find us at 84 Tuscan Way, St. Augustine, FL 32092

The Bookmobile will be visiting the Publix at Nocatee Town Center, 9:30 – 11:30am.  Find us at 120 Marketside Avenue, Ponte Vedra, FL 32081

Our local AARP volunteers return to the Ponte Vedra Beach Branch Library to offer weekly tax aide appointments for patrons in 2022! Registration for an appointment time is required and opens on Monday, January 10, 2022 at 10 am at the Ponte Vedra Beach Branch Library. At your appointment, an AARP volunteer will prep and file your tax paperwork for you. Couples filing together can register for a single appointment time. The AARP requires intake paperwork to be filled out in advance to expedite your appointment. This intake paperwork is available at the Adult Reference Desk to pick up starting January 10. Please give yourself enough time to fill out this paperwork and then bring it to your scheduled appointment.

These free hour-long appointments will be held at 10 am, 11 am, 12 pm, and 1 pm weekly on Wednesdays, February 2 – April 13 in the FOL Community Room. You do not have to be an AARP member or a St. Johns County resident to register for an appointment. If you have any questions, please stop by the Adult Reference Desk or call our Library at (904) 827-6950. The following three SJCPLS branch libraries will also be hosting free AARP Tax Aide appointments if you are looking for a different date or time or if all of our branch library’s appointments are full:  Main Library, Southeast Branch Library, and Hastings Branch Library. The AARP will also provide free Tax Aide appointments at other non-library St. Johns County as well.

The Bookmobile will be visiting the Publix at the Shoppes at Murabella, 1:00 – 2:30pm. Find us at 84 Tuscan Way, St. Augustine, FL 32092

The Bookmobile will be visiting the Farmers Market at the St. Augustine Amphitheatre from 8:30 am to 12:30 pm. Find us at 1340C A1A South, Saint Augustine, FL 32080

Our local AARP volunteers return to the Ponte Vedra Beach Branch Library to offer weekly tax aide appointments for patrons in 2022! Registration for an appointment time is required and opens on Monday, January 10, 2022 at 10 am at the Ponte Vedra Beach Branch Library. At your appointment, an AARP volunteer will prep and file your tax paperwork for you. Couples filing together can register for a single appointment time. The AARP requires intake paperwork to be filled out in advance to expedite your appointment. This intake paperwork is available at the Adult Reference Desk to pick up starting January 10. Please give yourself enough time to fill out this paperwork and then bring it to your scheduled appointment.

These free hour-long appointments will be held at 10 am, 11 am, 12 pm, and 1 pm weekly on Wednesdays, February 2 – April 13 in the FOL Community Room. You do not have to be an AARP member or a St. Johns County resident to register for an appointment. If you have any questions, please stop by the Adult Reference Desk or call our Library at (904) 827-6950. The following three SJCPLS branch libraries will also be hosting free AARP Tax Aide appointments if you are looking for a different date or time or if all of our branch library’s appointments are full:  Main Library, Southeast Branch Library, and Hastings Branch Library. The AARP will also provide free Tax Aide appointments at other non-library St. Johns County as well.

REGISTRATION REQUIRED. Join Amy, a librarian, and AyoLane, a naturalist, for an outdoor book club that focuses on our natural world. We discuss our all-time favorite nature titles, both fiction and non-fiction. The book club meets at parks throughout St. Johns County, practically in your own backyard!

This month we’ll be reading The Orchid Thief by Susan Orlean at Canopy Shores Park. In Susan Orlean’s mesmerizing true story of beauty and obsession is John Laroche, a renegade plant dealer and sharply handsome guy, in spite of the fact that he is missing his front teeth and has the posture of al dente spaghetti. In 1994, Laroche and three Seminole Indians were arrested with rare orchids they had stolen from a wild swamp in south Florida that is filled with some of the world’s most extraordinary plants and trees. Laroche had planned to clone the orchids and then sell them for a small fortune to impassioned collectors. After he was caught in the act, Laroche set off one of the oddest legal controversies in recent memory, which brought together environmentalists, Native American activists, and devoted orchid collectors. The result is a tale that is strange, compelling, and hilarious.

New Yorker writer Susan Orlean followed Laroche through swamps and into the eccentric world of Florida’s orchid collectors, a subculture of aristocrats, fanatics, and smugglers whose obsession with plants is all-consuming. Along the way, Orlean learned the history of orchid collecting, discovered an odd pattern of plant crimes in Florida, and spent time with Laroche’s partners, a tribe of Seminole Indians who are still at war with the United States.

This event is free and open to the public, but registration is required. If the weather is sunny, please bring your own camp chair for sitting out under the trees. If it’s rainy, we’ll be sitting in the park pavilion. Feel free to bring your own snacks & beverages! Please notify us at least 3 days in advance if you should need a sign language interpreter. The title is available in e-audio format on our Hoopla platform and as an ebook on our Libby/Overdrive platform. If you need a print copy, please contact Amy at 904.827.6942 or aackerman@sjcfl.us.

The Ponte Vedra Beach Branch Library’s Book Lovers Book Club meets twice a month in 2022 – in person on Friday morning and via Zoom on Wednesday evening – so everyone can join in, even if you work or go to school! All adults and high school teens are invited to participate. If you can’t join us in person, please visit this link to RSVP for our Zoom Book Lovers Book Club meeting this month:  Zoom Book Lovers Book Club

The March selection our Book Club will be reading is The Wonder Boy of Whistle Stop by Fannie Flagg, the sequel to Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe. Print copies of The Wonder Boy of Whistle Stop (and its prequel (Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe), while they last, are available at the Adult Reference Desk at the Ponte Vedra Beach Branch Library for checkout. You can also request a copy of this selection in our catalog:  The Wonder Boy of Whistle Stop. If you need assistance requesting this selection, please stop by the Adult Reference Desk or call our Library at (904) 827-6950. This selection is also available as an e-book and as an e-audiobook in our database, Overdrive, which is also available as a free app called Libby for all Android and Apple devices. We can’t wait to discuss this book with you!

Book Synopsis  “Bud Threadgoode grew up in the bustling little railroad town of Whistle Stop with his mother, Ruth, church-going and proper, and his Aunt Idgie, the fun-loving hell-raiser. Together they ran the town’s popular Whistle Stop Cafe, known far and wide for its fun and famous fried green tomatoes. And as Bud often said of his childhood to his daughter Ruthie, “How lucky can you get?” But sadly, as the railroad yards shut down and Whistle Stop became a ghost town, nothing was left but boarded-up buildings and memories of a happier time. Then one day, Bud decides to take one last trip, just to see what has become of his beloved Whistle Stop. In so doing, he discovers new friends, as well as surprises about Idgie’s life, about Ninny Threadgoode and other beloved Fannie Flagg characters, and about the town itself. He also sets off a series of events, both touching and inspiring, which change his life and the lives of his daughter and many others. Could these events all be just coincidences? Or something else? And can you really go home again?” (taken from Penguin Random House)

Thank you to the Friends of the Ponte Vedra Beach Branch Library for sponsoring our branch library’s Book Lovers Book Club!

The Bookmobile will be visiting the Publix at Nocatee Town Center, 9:30 – 11:30am.  Find us at 120 Marketside Avenue, Ponte Vedra, FL 32081

Our local AARP volunteers return to the Ponte Vedra Beach Branch Library to offer weekly tax aide appointments for patrons in 2022! Registration for an appointment time is required and opens on Monday, January 10, 2022 at 10 am at the Ponte Vedra Beach Branch Library. At your appointment, an AARP volunteer will prep and file your tax paperwork for you. Couples filing together can register for a single appointment time. The AARP requires intake paperwork to be filled out in advance to expedite your appointment. This intake paperwork is available at the Adult Reference Desk to pick up starting January 10. Please give yourself enough time to fill out this paperwork and then bring it to your scheduled appointment.

These free hour-long appointments will be held at 10 am, 11 am, 12 pm, and 1 pm weekly on Wednesdays, February 2 – April 13 in the FOL Community Room. You do not have to be an AARP member or a St. Johns County resident to register for an appointment. If you have any questions, please stop by the Adult Reference Desk or call our Library at (904) 827-6950. The following three SJCPLS branch libraries will also be hosting free AARP Tax Aide appointments if you are looking for a different date or time or if all of our branch library’s appointments are full:  Main Library, Southeast Branch Library, and Hastings Branch Library. The AARP will also provide free Tax Aide appointments at other non-library St. Johns County as well.

The Bookmobile will be visiting the Publix at Palencia Commons, 1:30 – 3:00pm.  Find us at 7462 US Hwy 1 N, Saint Augustine, FL 32095