Program Type: Adult

In observance of the Thanksgiving holiday, all SJCPLS libraries will be closed Thursday, November 26 and remain closed through Friday, November 27, 2020. Libraries will reopen on Saturday, November 28, 2020.

Bookdrops will remain open during all closed days and, of course, our virtual services such as eBooks, databases and downloadables are available 24/7. We wish you a safe and enjoyable Thanksgiving holiday.

Adults, if you’re looking for a simple craft project to make and give as a holiday gift this year, Emma has just the thing! This oil candle smells wonderfully festive and is fun and easy to make.

Supplies:
Pint Mason Jars
Olive Oil
Dried Orange Slices
Cinnamon Sticks
Small Pine Cones
Floating Wicks
Essential Oils – your choice

This is an online event that you can conveniently watch on our website, our Facebook page, or our YouTube channel.

Together Donna and Sherry share how to make plarn, and fashion sleeping mats for the homeless. These mats can be crafted from plastic shopping bags. If you happen to have a lot of these bags, or want to know what you can do with these bags, tune in!

This is an online event that you can conveniently watch on our website, our Facebook page, or our YouTube channel.​

Do the holidays make you stressed? Is there so much delicious food that you can’t help but partake and then gain that dreaded weight?! Robin Gren of Wildflower Healthcare has some helpful solutions to get us through the holidays Happy and Healthy! Join Robin and Harold George, Bookmobile-Extension Services Manager, as they talk about the healthy choices we can make this holiday season while still enjoying ourselves.

This is an online event that you can conveniently watch on our website, our Facebook page, or our YouTube channel.​

Are you a Disney fan? Join us for this family friendly trivia night on Zoom!

Contact Will at mpate@sjcfl.us for issues with Zoom links and questions.

Registration Required.

The holidays are here, and there’s nothing prettier than homemade decorations made from natural materials that pay homage to our homes in Florida! Join Main Library’s Adult Programming Assistant Beth as she creates an easy garland made from dried oranges that can hang in your home or even on top of gifts. Materials needed to follow along include oranges (or clementines or tangerines), string (or twine or yarn), baking sheets, parchment paper, a cooling rack, paper towels, a yarn sewing needle, and scissors; in addition, you might optionally want to have some essential oils on hand to add aroma. This is an online event that you can conveniently watch on our website, our Facebook page, or our Youtube channel.

Join Amy in this online event where she shows you how to use the library’s subscription to the Gale Books and Authors database.  This is a fantastic reader’s advisory tool that will help you find new things to read! Combining over 140,000 titles, 50,000 authors, and thousands of read-alike, award winner and librarian’s favorites lists, Books & Authors helps bring readers and literature together.

This is an online event that you can watch on our website, our Facebook page, or our Youtube channel!

Are you looking for some great new non-fiction to enjoy and learn from during the holiday season? Join Reference and Adult Services Librarian Anne Crawford as she shares some of the many new print non-fiction and biography titles in our Library’s catalog! All you need is your St. Johns County Public Library System card which you can obtain, if you need one, at any one of our six library branches. A list of our library branches and the hours of operation for each may be found here:  https://sjcpls.org/branches/. The titles shared will be listed at the end of the presentation, making requesting these titles in person, over the phone, or online easy. Don’t miss Part 2 of this presentation on December 9 at 12 pm!

This is an online event that you can conveniently watch on our website, our Facebook page, or our YouTube channel.

Do you enjoy Hallmark’s Holiday titles? Join Will as he highlights titles offered in the library and the books they are based off of.

This is an online event that you can conveniently watch on our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/sjcpls or our YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/user/sjclibraryvid.

Are you looking for some great new non-fiction to enjoy and learn from during the holiday season? Join Reference and Adult Services Librarian Anne Crawford as she shares some of the many new print non-fiction and biography titles in our Library’s catalog! All you need is your St. Johns County Public Library System card which you can obtain, if you need one, at any one of our six library branches. A list of our library branches and the hours of operation for each may be found here:  https://sjcpls.org/branches/. The titles shared will be listed at the end of the presentation, making requesting these titles in person, over the phone, or online easy. Don’t miss Part 1 of this presentation on December 7 at 12 pm!

This is an online event that you can conveniently watch on our website, our Facebook page, or our YouTube channel.

Join Will and the Alzheimer’s Association for this class to strengthen brain health.

Alzheimer’s disease is not a normal part of aging. Join us to learn about the impact of Alzheimer’s; the difference between Alzheimer’s and dementia; stages and risk factors; current research and treatments available for some symptoms; and Alzheimer’s Association resources.

REGISTRATION REQUIRED:

Homemade books are a great item to make as gifts or to keep for yourself for drawing, journaling, or keeping notes. Join Main Library’s Adult Programming Assistant Beth online as she meets with local artist Russell Maycumber to make a lovely book out of very simple materials. This is an online event that you can conveniently watch on our website, our Facebook page, or our Youtube channel.

Join Donna for an Adult Zoom Book Club featuring a book of your choice! Read a selection of your choosing and join this group to highlight your choice and hear others as well. You might even get more ideas for your reading list!

Registration Required.

Join Amy, Assistant Branch Manager of the Main Library, as she welcomes Terra Freeman, Horticulture Extension Agent and Master Gardener Program Coordinator of the University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences – Extension St. Johns (UF/IFAS). Terra will share what beginning gardeners should do when setting up their first garden, and what sort of plants are appropriate to plant here in December.

This is an online event that you can watch on our website, our Facebook page, or our Youtube channel!

All-ages are welcome to join Will to learn more about the history of one of America’s favorite activities.

This is an online event that you can conveniently watch on our Facebook page or our Youtube channel :sjclibraryvid

Together Donna and John Shallman discuss “Return from Siberia” an emotional account of how John’s grandfather survived Siberia one hundred years ago, and how his first person journal of experiences mirrors current events.

This is an online event that you can conveniently watch on our website, our Facebook page, or our YouTube channel.​

Join Donna for an Adult Zoom Book Club: The Giver of Stars by Jojo Moyes.

Set in Depression-era America, a breathtaking story of five extraordinary women and their remarkable journey through the mountains of Kentucky and beyond, from the author of Me Before You and The Peacock Emporium Alice Wright marries handsome American Bennett Van Cleve hoping to escape her stifling life in England. But small-town Kentucky quickly proves equally claustrophobic, especially living alongside her overbearing father-in-law. So when a call goes out for a team of women to deliver books as part of Eleanor Roosevelt’s new traveling library, Alice signs on enthusiastically. The leader, and soon Alice’s greatest ally, is Margery, a smart-talking, self-sufficient woman who’s never asked a man’s permission for anything. They will be joined by three other singular women who become known as the Horseback Librarians of Kentucky. What happens to them–and to the men they love–becomes a classic drama of loyalty, justice, humanity and passion. Though they face all kinds of dangers, they’re committed to their job–bringing books to people who have never had any, sharing the gift of learning that will change their lives. Based on a true story rooted in America’s past, The Giver of Stars is unparalleled in its scope. At times funny, at others heartbreaking, this is a richly rewarding novel of women’s friendship, of true love, and of what happens when we reach beyond our grasp for the great beyond.

Copies available on request, just let us know where you’d like to pick it up. Email dbraasch@sjcfl.us to request a copy  if needed.

Registration required.

Join Emma for her demonstration of simple eco-friendly wrapping ideas for the holiday season. Gift giving can get overwhelming this time of year. Why not have some fun block-printing recycled plain brown paper using only a potato and non-toxic paint? Emma will also show you how to create beautiful gift tags with old holiday cards.

Supplies-
Gift Wrap:
Roll of 100% recycled plain brown paper
Large potato
Sharp knife
Non-toxic paint

Gift Tags:
Holiday cards from previous years
Scissors
Hole punch
Twine or ribbon

This is an online event that you can conveniently watch on our website, our Facebook page, or our YouTube channel.

Color your world with this fun and easy oil pastels class! Join Main Library’s Adult Programming Assistant Beth online as she welcomes local artist Kasha Fahy to teach us how to make a beautiful lighthouse on black paper with vibrant oil pastels. This is an online event that you can conveniently watch on our website, our Facebook page, or our Youtube channel.

Kasha will be teaching us how to draw with oil pastels in a series of four online classes. A template for helping to create your lighthouse can be downloaded here. Kasha’s lessons have been made possible through a grant from the Barbara Kay Foundation.

Together Donna and Andrew Letter, Wildlife Biologist of Florida Fish and Wildlife Research Institute discuss the American Alligator, Florida’s state reptile. Andrew brings along Toothless, a juvenile alligator, to give you a close-up view of an alligator’s coloring, scutes, and eggs.

This is an online event that you can conveniently watch on our website, our Facebook page, or our YouTube channel.​

All libraries will be closed for the Christmas holiday on Thursday, December 24th and Friday, December 25th. All libraries will reopen on Saturday, December 26th.

Bookdrops will remain open during all closed days and, of course, our virtual services such as eBooks, databases and downloadables are available 24/7. We wish you a safe and enjoyable holiday.

All SJCPLS libraries will be closed Friday, January 1 for the New Year’s Day holiday. Libraries will reopen on Saturday, January 2. Book drops will remain open during these closures and our virtual services such as eBooks, databases, and downloadables are available 24/7. From all of us at SJCPLS, we wish you a safe and enjoyable holiday!

Ever find an old cookbook at your grandmother’s house? Join Will as he attempts a recipe from his Mema’s cookbook published in 1928.

This is an online event that you can conveniently watch on our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/sjcpls or our Youtube channel https://www.youtube.com/user/sjclibraryvid. ​

St. Johns Reads is the St. Johns County Public Library System’s annual one-book, one-community program.

Presented for the 16^th year, 2021’s program features a variety of virtual programs on The Library Book by Susan Orlean. The Library Book is available to enjoy in print, large print, audiobook on disc, digital audiobook, and eBook formats. Special thanks to our generous Friends of the Library groups for sponsoring our St. Johns Reads programming.​

Kris and Emma will demonstrate how to make a unique book page wreath. Breathe new life into an old book and create beautiful decorative wall art. Step by step instructions will be provided for this fun and easy craft.

Supplies: a hot glue gun, an old book, cardboard and twine.

This is an online event that you can conveniently watch on our website, our Facebook page, or our YouTube channel.

St. Johns Reads is the St. Johns County Public Library System’s annual one-book, one-community program. Presented for the 16th year, 2021’s program features a variety of virtual programs on The Library Book by Susan Orlean. The Library Book is available to enjoy in print, large print, audiobook on disc, digital audiobook, and eBook formats. Special thanks to our generous Friends of the Library groups for sponsoring our St. Johns Reads programming.​

If you enjoy reading, join us for this Family Friendly Trivia Night based off of classic literature.

This is an online event that you can conveniently watch on our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/sjcpls or our YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/user/sjclibraryvid. ​

St. Johns Reads is the St. Johns County Public Library System’s annual one-book, one-community program.

Presented for the 16^th year, 2021’s program features a variety of virtual programs on The Library Book by Susan Orlean. The Library Book is available to enjoy in print, large print, audiobook on disc, digital audiobook, and eBook formats. Special thanks to our generous Friends of the Library groups for sponsoring our St. Johns Reads programming.​

Join Adult Programming Assistant Beth online as she tours different kinds of libraries and special collections in celebration of St. Johns Reads. In this tour, she will meet with local historians Bob Nawrocki and Charles Tingley while visiting the St. Augustine Historical Society Research Library, a closed-stack library that specializes in local history, Florida colonial history, and genealogy. This is an online event that you can conveniently watch on our website, our Facebook page, or our Youtube channel.

St. Johns Reads is the St. Johns County Public Library System’s annual one-book, one-community program. Presented for the 16th year, 2021’s program features a variety of virtual programs on The Library Book by Susan Orlean. The Library Book is available to enjoy in print, large print, audiobook on disc, digital audiobook, and eBook formats. Special thanks to our generous Friends of the Library groups for sponsoring our St. Johns Reads programming.

Join Adult Programming Assistant Beth online as she meets with local artist Kasha Fahy to create a local landscape scene using a set of oil pastels and paper, in celebration of both St. Johns Reads and St. Johns County’s 200th anniversary in 2021. This class is made possible by a grant from the Barbara Kay Foundation. This is an online event that you can conveniently watch on our website, our Facebook page, or our Youtube channel.

St. Johns Reads is the St. Johns County Public Library System’s annual one-book, one-community program. Presented for the 16th year, 2021’s program features a variety of virtual programs on The Library Book by Susan Orlean. The Library Book is available to enjoy in print, large print, audiobook on disc, digital audiobook, and eBook formats. Special thanks to our generous Friends of the Library groups for sponsoring our St. Johns Reads programming.

Join Will for this edition of Quirky History that explores how libraries were created.

This is an online event that you can conveniently watch on our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/sjcpls or our YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/user/sjclibraryvid. ​

St. Johns Reads is the St. Johns County Public Library System’s annual one-book, one-community program.

Presented for the 16^th year, 2021’s program features a variety of virtual programs on The Library Book by Susan Orlean. The Library Book is available to enjoy in print, large print, audiobook on disc, digital audiobook, and eBook formats. Special thanks to our generous Friends of the Library groups for sponsoring our St. Johns Reads programming.​

“Stephen King isn’t that scary.” “Marvel movies are too long.” Margaret and Cheryl divulge some of their most unpopular opinions about books and movies in the library’s collection. Even if you don’t agree, join us to relish in literature and laugh a little bit along the way.

This is an online event that you can conveniently watch on our website, our Facebook page, or our YouTube channel.

St. Johns Reads is the St. Johns County Public Library System’s annual one-book, one-community program. Presented for the 16th year, 2021’s program features a variety of virtual programs on The Library Book by Susan Orlean. The Library Book is available to enjoy in print, large print, audiobook on disc, digital audiobook, and eBook formats. Special thanks to our generous Friends of the Library groups for sponsoring our St. Johns Reads programming.​

Join Adult Programming Assistant Beth online as she tours different kinds of libraries and special collections in celebration of St. Johns Reads. In this tour, she will visit Proctor Library at Flagler College, an academic library serving the needs of students, faculty, and staff at this private college. She will also take a peek at their Special Collections, a sort of library within the library, committed to giving proper care to the rare and fragile materials held in its collection. In addition, she will tour the Archives, which includes collections of materials about Henry Flagler and his wives, and the Hotel Ponce de Leon. This is an online event that you can conveniently watch on our website, our Facebook page, or our Youtube channel.

St. Johns Reads is the St. Johns County Public Library System’s annual one-book, one-community program. Presented for the 16th year, 2021’s program features a variety of virtual programs on The Library Book by Susan Orlean. The Library Book is available to enjoy in print, large print, audiobook on disc, digital audiobook, and eBook formats. Special thanks to our generous Friends of the Library groups for sponsoring our St. Johns Reads programming.

Join Adult Programming Assistant Beth online as she tours different kinds of libraries and special collections in celebration of St. Johns Reads. In this tour, she will meet Collections Coordinator Laura Douglass Marion while visiting the library at the Governor’s House Cultural Center and Museum. She will take a peek at some of the more than 800 maps in the Governor’s House Collection that have been crucial to much of the reconstruction and preservation work in downtown St. Augustine, helping to inform many of the decisions the city has made over the last 100 years. This is an online event that you can conveniently watch on our website, our Facebook page, or our Youtube channel.

St. Johns Reads is the St. Johns County Public Library System’s annual one-book, one-community program. Presented for the 16th year, 2021’s program features a variety of virtual programs on The Library Book by Susan Orlean. The Library Book is available to enjoy in print, large print, audiobook on disc, digital audiobook, and eBook formats. Special thanks to our generous Friends of the Library groups for sponsoring our St. Johns Reads programming.

All SJCPLS libraries will be closed on Monday, January 18 in observance of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday.

Bookdrops will remain open and, of course, our virtual services such as eBooks, databases and downloadables are available 24/7.

Ryan is the executive Director of the Hesed House in Aurora Illinois. As the executive Director for over 18 years, Ryan started training library employees on how to work with homeless patrons, which led to a book “The Librarian’s Guide to Homelessness: An Empathy Driven Approach to Solving Problems, Preventing Conflict, and Serving Everyone.”

This is an online event that you can conveniently watch on our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/sjcpls or our YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/user/sjclibraryvid ​

St. Johns Reads is the St. Johns County Public Library System’s annual one-book, one-community program. Presented for the 16^th year, 2021’s program features a variety of virtual programs on The Library Book by Susan Orlean. The Library Book is available to enjoy in print, large print, audiobook on disc, digital audiobook, and eBook formats. Special thanks to our generous Friends of the Library groups for sponsoring our St. Johns Reads programming.

Join Adult Programming Assistant Beth online as she tours different kinds of libraries and special collections in celebration of St. Johns Reads. In this tour, she will meet curator Anne Lewellen while visiting the Timucuan Ecological and Historic Preserve curatorial facility in Jacksonville, a part of the National Park Service that houses the museum collections of Kingsley Plantation, Fort Caroline, Castillo de San Marcos, and Fort Matanzas. This is an online event that you can conveniently watch on our website, our Facebook page, or our Youtube channel.

St. Johns Reads is the St. Johns County Public Library System’s annual one-book, one-community program. Presented for the 16th year, 2021’s program features a variety of virtual programs on The Library Book by Susan Orlean. The Library Book is available to enjoy in print, large print, audiobook on disc, digital audiobook, and eBook formats. Special thanks to our generous Friends of the Library groups for sponsoring our St. Johns Reads programming.

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Plants returns to celebrate St. Johns Reads 2021 with flower tutorials inspired by St. Johns Reads titles of years past! Watch and/or follow along as the Sisterhood teaches you, step-by-step, to create beautiful flower arrangements that tie in with some of our favorite St. Johns Reads titles. Don’t miss the “flower arranging meets literary reading” event guaranteed to educate and entertain! This special event is sponsored by the Friends of the Ponte Vedra Beach Branch Library.

St. Johns Reads is the St. Johns County Public Library System’s annual one-book, one-community program. Presented for the 16^th year, 2021’s program features a variety of virtual programs on The Library Book by Susan Orlean. The Library Book is available to enjoy in print, large print, audiobook on disc, digital audiobook, and eBook formats. Special thanks to our generous Friends of the Library groups for sponsoring our St. Johns Reads programming.​

We scoured the internet for the most burning questions people had about libraries and librarians. The results were both hilarious and informative. Join Cheryl and Margaret behind the library curtain for some surprising answers.

This is an online event that you can conveniently watch on our website, our Facebook page, or our YouTube channel.

St. Johns Reads is the St. Johns County Public Library System’s annual one-book, one-community program. Presented for the 16th year, 2021’s program features a variety of virtual programs on The Library Book by Susan Orlean. The Library Book is available to enjoy in print, large print, audiobook on disc, digital audiobook, and eBook formats. Special thanks to our generous Friends of the Library groups for sponsoring our St. Johns Reads programming.​

Did you love reading The Library Book? Join Reference and Adult Services Librarian Anne Crawford as she shares other titles that are similar to The Library Book for you to enjoy! These books and e-books can all be found in the library’s catalog and all you need is your library card to get started. This is an online event that you can conveniently watch on our website, our Facebook page, or our YouTube channel.

St. Johns Reads is the St. Johns County Public Library System’s annual one-book, one-community program. Presented for the 16^th year, 2021’s program features a variety of virtual programs on The Library Book by Susan Orlean. The Library Book is available to enjoy in print, large print, audiobook on disc, digital audiobook, and eBook formats. Special thanks to our generous Friends of the Library groups for sponsoring our St. Johns Reads programming.​

Did you love reading The Library Book? Join Reference and Adult Services Librarian Anne Crawford as she shares other titles that are similar to The Library Book for you to enjoy! These books and e-books can all be found in the library’s catalog and all you need is your library card to get started. This is an online event that you can conveniently watch on our website, our Facebook page, or our YouTube channel.

St. Johns Reads is the St. Johns County Public Library System’s annual one-book, one-community program. Presented for the 16^th year, 2021’s program features a variety of virtual programs on The Library Book by Susan Orlean. The Library Book is available to enjoy in print, large print, audiobook on disc, digital audiobook, and eBook formats. Special thanks to our generous Friends of the Library groups for sponsoring our St. Johns Reads programming.​

Grab the family and join us for our Zoom Murder Mystery Night! Help us eliminate a suspect in this mystery. Each month eliminates a new suspect to eventually find the murderer.

This is an online event that you can conveniently watch on our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/sjcpls or our YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/user/sjclibraryvid. ​

St. Johns Reads is the St. Johns County Public Library System’s annual one-book, one-community program.

Presented for the 16^th year, 2021’s program features a variety of virtual programs on The Library Book by Susan Orlean. The Library Book is available to enjoy in print, large print, audiobook on disc, digital audiobook, and eBook formats. Special thanks to our generous Friends of the Library groups for sponsoring our St. Johns Reads programming.​

In Susan Orlean’s The Library Book, we learn that the Map Department of the Los Angeles Public Library is one of the five largest map collections in the United States. Upcycle your old maps in this fun, St. Johns Reads-themed adult crafting session. Follow along with Adult Programming Assistant Beth online as she creates pretty luminary bags from old maps and battery-powered tea lights to brighten your home during these long winter nights. This is an online event that you can conveniently watch on our website, our Facebook page, or our Youtube channel.

St. Johns Reads is the St. Johns County Public Library System’s annual one-book, one-community program. Presented for the 16th year, 2021’s program features a variety of virtual programs on The Library Book by Susan Orlean. The Library Book is available to enjoy in print, large print, audiobook on disc, digital audiobook, and eBook formats. Special thanks to our generous Friends of the Library groups for sponsoring our St. Johns Reads programming.

John F. Szabo has been the City Librarian of the Los Angeles Public Library since 2012, serving the largest population of any library system in the United States. With 25 years of experience, under his leadership, the Los Angeles Public Library’s major initiatives have been immigrant integration and citizenship, improving financial literacy and providing health resources and programs.

This is an online event that you can conveniently watch on our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/sjcpls or our YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/user/sjclibraryvid

St. Johns Reads is the St. Johns County Public Library System’s annual one-book, one-community program. Presented for the 16^th year, 2021’s program features a variety of virtual programs on The Library Book by Susan Orlean. The Library Book is available to enjoy in print, large print, audiobook on disc, digital audiobook, and eBook formats. Special thanks to our generous Friends of the Library groups for sponsoring our St. Johns Reads programming.

Join Amy, Assistant Branch Manager of the Main Library, as she welcomes Terra Freeman, Horticulture Extension Agent and Master Gardener Program Coordinator of the University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences – Extension St. Johns (UF/IFAS). Terra will share what sort of plants are appropriate to plant here in February, as well as how to get started with composting.

This is an online event that you can watch on our website, our Facebook page, or our Youtube channel!

In observance of the President’s Day holiday, all SJCPLS libraries will be closed on Monday, February 15, 2021. Libraries will resume normal operating hours on Tuesday, February 16, 2021. Bookdrops will remain open during this closure and, of course, our virtual services such as eBooks, databases and downloadables are available 24/7.

In honor of both the late John Lewis and the late Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who fought for equal rights for all and passed away in 2020, join Reference and Adult Services Librarian Anne Crawford and learn more about them! The books and e-books Anne shares can all be found in the library’s catalog and are available for checkout or request.

This is an online event that you can conveniently watch on our website, our Facebook page, or our YouTube channel.