Location: Hastings

Join us for a special story break with our Anastasia Library Youth Librarian, Ms. Nicole! We will be teaching young ones weather, colors, counting, letters, songs, stories and more in both English and Spanish in this fun online event. Join us as we go on our Facebook page or at our YouTube channel: SJCLibraryVid!

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.​

Wednesdays @ 2:30 January 6,13,20,27
Join Ms. Nicole for our SSYRA Grades 3-5 Zoom Book Club: Inkling by Kenneth Oppel. We may not be able to meet in person, we can still make new friends, have good discussion and fun! Books are provided by the Friends of the Anastasia Island Library to the first 8 students who sign up! Sign up online or email njebbia@sjcfl.us to sign up for our book club. Sponsored by the Friends of the Library.

Get ready—a little ink blot is about to become your new best friend. The Rylance family is stuck. Dad’s got writer’s block. Ethan promised to illustrate a group project at school—even though he can’t draw. Sarah’s still pining for a puppy. And they all miss Mom so much more than they can say. Enter Inkling. ..

MAIN-iac Science Lab explores different scientific concepts, cool inventors and more. Join Mr. Andy as he shows you some cool science experiments that you can try at home.

Follow this link to our Facebook page: St. Johns County Public Library System

Watch more great science programs HERE on YouTube!

Join Mrs. Akilah as we explores the fluid movements of the body with dance inspiration from around the world. Students will also learn a fully choreographed routine to perform at the end of the term for family and friends. Please grab your bottled H2O and wear your best stretchy dance gear so you can really feel the music and express yourself in this live Zoom event.

Please note: Youth Dance classes will span January through April, ending with a virtual recital in April. Materials for costumes are provided by the Friends of the Southeast Library. Registration is required for this free class. If you have missed the January 13 registration date, please e-mail apickett@sjcfl.us to request to register.

Teens and Tweens, grades 6-12, join Miss Carla in making an adjustable cord bracelet. Pick up a kit at your local library branch while supplies last, kits are limited.

Materials needed (if you do not have a kit from the library)

• Cord – 15 inches of leather, satin, cotton, etc.
• All beads need to have a middle hole size large enough to fit over your bracelet cord:
• Center tube bead (about 1.5-2 inches long)
• 2 tube beads about 5/8 inch long (you can use 3 round beads that total about ½ to ¾ inch together (000 = 5/8 to ¾ inches) to replace each 5/8 inch tube bead
• 4 spacer beads
• 1 bead with a large enough hole that two strands of your cord will fit through it
• Scissors

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.

Registration Required

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 us for a special Facebook online story break with Youth Services Librarian Ms. Michelle! Songs! Stories Fun!! This is a Facebook event that you can conveniently watch on our Facebook page, and it will be archived afterward on our website and on our Youtube channel!

Upcycle your old maps in this fun, St. Johns Reads-themed online adult crafting session, presented by Adult Programming Assistant Beth. 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. Follow along with Beth 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.

Meet Origami Master Wayne Tahara as he amazes us with what he can make with just one sheet of paper! Grab any paper you have at home and join us! Learn to make origami fun toys and origami for everyday use. Resources for learning more about origami, its applications, and its many varieties can be found at your local library branch.

This is a Facebook event that you can conveniently watch on our Facebook page, and it will be archived afterward on our website and on our Youtube channel!

Yes, you heard that right! The librarians at SJCPLS have an island in Animal Crossing and want to invite you to come and play. We have named the island Biblio Bay and we would love to welcome you to come play games, do scavenger hunts and hang out together. Be sure to leave some room in your pockets so we can send you back to your own island with some new gifts. Bring a few items with you so you can do some trading at our trading post too.

Registration is required in order to receive the Dodo Code for the event. Only 1 RSVP per Nintendo Switch.
All participants will need their own Switch device, their own copy of the game Animal Crossing: New Horizons and a Nintendo Switch Online Account in order to join the island.

The Nintendo Switch Online app will also be used for voice chat during gameplay. This is not required, but will greatly enhance your experience on the island.

AGES 10-16

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.

Bringing history to life with hands-on history lessons! Join us for classes where kids can use their hands alongside their brains to learn more about Florida’s role in history.

Make a tin can lantern! Have an adult present to help with the craft.

Supplies:

• tin can
• Hammer
• Nails (Different sizes will make holes of different sizes)
• towel – stabilizes can while hammering
• sharpie
• wire hanger
• wire-cutter
• tea lights

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

Learn to code and use computer science to change the world! Girls Who code is a free after-school online program for 3rd-5th grade girls. While the Girls Who Code programs are designed for participants who identify as female to promote a girls-supportive environment, we welcome any 3rd-5th grade member who wishes to join the Girls Who Code. This is a 12 week program using the Girls Who Code national curriculum.

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

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

All-ages are welcome to join Will to learn more about the history of the popular 19th Century Anti-Valentine.

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

Middle grade students, join Ms. Akilah with your fall spirit and make your own felted friend pin cushion. You can keep them for yourself or gift them to a friend. Materials are provided for this program by the Southeast Branch Friends of the Library. Registration is required.

This is a Live ZOOM class that meets once a month.  Please register on our web site and you will be e-mailed your meeting ID and password login within 24 hours of the event start time. For this program, “middle grade” refers to students who are approximately ages 8-15.

Join us for a special online storytime with Ms. Lisa from the Ponte Vedra Beach Branch Library! Songs! Books! Laughs! This is an online event that you can conveniently watch on our Facebook page, website and on our Youtube channel!

Do you want some extra practice speaking Spanish? Learning a foreign language can be challenging when you do not have native speakers to learn from. Each meeting we will do something different to practice our Spanish skills – from watching movie clips, to ordering out at a restaurant. This conversation group is open to all middle and high school students needing practice speaking Spanish. Join Ms. Nicole by signing up online or email njebbia@sjcfl.us.

Does your little one love to read already and love talking about the books they have read?  Join Mrs. Akilah and other happy beginning readers as we share our thoughts and ideas on a new book each month.  This live virtual social event will allow each child the opportunity to read aloud, when prompted, sentences from the book as we share time together talking about a good book followed up with a craft to help bring the book to life.  This month we will be reading and discussing the Sunshine State Young Readers Award Winner, The Proudest Blue by Ibtihaj Muhammad.

Books are provided to the first three students who register by the Friends of the Southeast Branch Library.

Please register on our web site and you will be e-mailed your meeting ID and password login within 24 hours of the event start time.

Are you up for a LEGO challenge? Grab your bricks and log into Zoom for weekly challenges, LEGO history tidbits, and a chance to show off your latest creations! This is a fun social gathering designed for grades K-5.

This event will take place on ZOOM. You must register on our website to attend. The Zoom link will be sent out the day of the event.

Join us for a special Facebook LIVE online storytime with Ms. Alex from the Southeast Library! Songs! Books! Laughs!

This is a LIVE Facebook event that you can conveniently watch on our Facebook page, and it will be archived afterward on our website and on our Youtube channel!

Join Main Library’s Adult Programming Assistant Beth online as she creates a lovely decoration for her front door in celebration of Valentine’s Day. To follow along, you will need a ball of yarn in any color (Beth will be using gray) and a matching ribbon, a heart-shaped foam wreath form, a bamboo skewer, a small amount of red and pink felt, a pair of scissors, and a hot glue gun. This is an online event that you can conveniently watch on our website, our Facebook page, or our Youtube channel.

Can’t sew?  This is the perfect project for you! Kids of all ages are invited to join Ms. Nicole and make some fun no sew hearts to celebrate Valentines Day! Stop by the Anastasia Library for your kit, then watch the online video for instructions!  This is an online event that you can conveniently watch on our YouTube Channel, SJCLibraryVid, or our Facebook page.

Can’t get to the Anastasia Library? Supply List: felt, scissors, batting (or something to use as stuffing)

Join Mrs. Akilah as we explores the fluid movements of the body with dance inspiration from around the world. Students will also learn a fully choreographed routine to perform at the end of the term for family and friends. Please grab your bottled H2O and wear your best stretchy dance gear so you can really feel the music and express yourself in this live Zoom event.

Please note: Youth Dance classes will span January through April, ending with a virtual recital in April. Materials for costumes are provided by the Friends of the Southeast Library. Registration is required for this free class. If you have missed the January 13 registration date, please e-mail apickett@sjcfl.us to request to register.

Join us for a special online story break with our Main Library Youth Services Librarian, Mr. Andy!

You can find this story break and more on our Facebook page and our YouTube channel.

Thursdays @ 3:30 PM in February
Join Ms. Nicole for our zoom teen book club (Grades 7 and up) for this month’s pick, Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi. We may not be able to meet in person, we can still make new friends, have good discussion and fun! Books are provided by the Friends of the Anastasia Island Library to the first 8 students who sign up! Sign up online or email njebbia@sjcfl.us to sign up for our book club. Sponsored by the Friends of the Library.

They killed my mother.
They took our magic.
They tried to bury us.
Now we rise.
Zélie Adebola remembers when the soil of Orïsha hummed with magic. Burners ignited flames, Tiders beckoned waves, and Zélie’s Reaper mother summoned forth souls. But everything changed the night magic disappeared. Under the orders of a ruthless king, maji were killed, leaving Zélie without a mother and her people without hope. Now Zélie has one chance to bring back magic and strike against the monarchy. With the help of a rogue princess, Zélie must outwit and outrun the crown prince, who is hell-bent on eradicating magic for good.

Are you a video game 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.

Join Donna as she travels to Fort George Island to visit Kingsley Plantation and have a one-on-one with Lead Ranger, Susan Sernaker. Susie shares the history of this beautiful park, and the incredible story of the Kingsley’s and those that lived on the plantation.

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

Learn to code and use computer science to change the world! Girls Who code is a free after-school online program for 3rd-5th grade girls. While the Girls Who Code programs are designed for participants who identify as female to promote a girls-supportive environment, we welcome any 3rd-5th grade member who wishes to join the Girls Who Code. This is a 12 week program using the Girls Who Code national curriculum.

Join Donna for an Adult Zoom Book Club featuring a variety of titles sure to spark a discussion. Choose one of the titles below or one of your choosing with a similar theme.

• The Book of Lost Friends by Lisa Wingate
• Wench by Dolan Perkins Valdez
• The Yellow Crocus by Iaila Ibrahim
• Washington Black by Esi Edugyan
• Never Caught by Erica Armstrong Dunbar
• Anna Kingsley by Daniel Shafer
• Daughter of the Daughter of a Queen by Sara Bird

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 talk about 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!

Join Ms. Kimberley to create a cute Valentine Bee in celebration of Valentine’s Day! This craft can be made with items you likely have at home. A limited number of craft kits will be available for pick-up at the Ponte Vedra Beach, Main, Bartram Trail and Anastasia Island Library locations February 4-6th on a first come, first served basis. Supplies generously provided by the Friends of the Ponte Vedra Beach Branch Library.

This is a Facebook event that you can conveniently watch on our Facebook page, and it will be archived afterward on our website and on our Youtube channel!

Join us for a special Facebook online story break with Youth Services Librarian Carla Day. Songs! Books! Laughs! This is a Facebook event that you can conveniently watch on our Facebook page, and it will be archived afterward on our website and on our Youtube channel!

Join Park Naturalist Kelly Ussia for a family-friendly presentation about the snakes and alligators found throughout the State of Florida and maybe even in your backyard. Learn about the various species of snakes in our areas as well as how to live with the amazing crocodilian neighbors.

Registration Required

Are you up for a LEGO challenge? Grab your bricks and log into Zoom for weekly challenges, LEGO history tidbits, and a chance to show off your latest creations! This is a fun social gathering designed for grades K-5.

This event will take place on ZOOM. You must register on our website to attend. The Zoom link will be sent out the day of the event.

Join Akilah monthly to discuss best-selling graphic novels! This month, we’ll be chatting about the graphic novel edition of The Dragonet Prophecy, part of the Wings of Fire series.

Books are provided to the first four people who register by the Friends of the Southeast Branch Library.

Please register on our web site and you will be e-mailed your meeting ID and password login within 24 hours of the event start time.

Join Karlene, the head of the teen anime club at the Main branch, as she reviews anime series and movies, talks a bit about Japanese culture and history, and shares her opinion on all things anime. 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 FACEBOOK and YOUTUBE. New episodes will be uploaded the second Tuesday of every month.

Join Donna for an Adult Zoom Book Club featuring a variety of titles sure to spark a discussion. Choose one of the titles below or one of your choosing with a similar theme.

• The Book of Lost Friends by Lisa Wingate
• Wench by Dolan Perkins Valdez
• The Yellow Crocus by Iaila Ibrahim
• Washington Black by Esi Edugyan
• Never Caught by Erica Armstrong Dunbar
• Anna Kingsley by Daniel Shafer
• Daughter of the Daughter of a Queen by Sara Bird

Registration Required.

Join us for a special story break with our Anastasia Library Youth Librarian, Ms. Nicole! We will be teaching young ones weather, colors, counting, letters, songs, stories and more in both English and Spanish in this fun online event. Join us as we go on our Facebook page or at our YouTube channel: SJCLibraryVid!

MAIN-iac Science Lab explores different scientific concepts, cool inventors and more. Join Mr. Andy as he shows you some cool science experiments that you can try at home.

Follow this link to our Facebook page: St. Johns County Public Library System

Watch more great science programs HERE on YouTube!

Join Mrs. Akilah as we explores the fluid movements of the body with dance inspiration from around the world. Students will also learn a fully choreographed routine to perform at the end of the term for family and friends. Please grab your bottled H2O and wear your best stretchy dance gear so you can really feel the music and express yourself in this live Zoom event.

Please note: Youth Dance classes will span January through April, ending with a virtual recital in April. Materials for costumes are provided by the Friends of the Southeast Library. Registration is required for this free class. If you have missed the January 13 registration date, please e-mail apickett@sjcfl.us to request to register.

Teens and Tweens, grades 6-12, join Ms. Carla to create a banner to celebrate Valentine’s Day. Pick up a kit at your local library branch while supplies last, kits are limited. Materials needed in addition to the kit are scissors, a ruler, a pencil, and a glue stick, glue, double-sided tape or a hot glue gun (adult supervision maybe needed) for attaching letters and hearts to the banner. This is a non-sewing craft.

Materials needed (if you do not have a kit from the library)

• 3 sheets of 12 inch square scrapbook paper in Valentine’s Day colors to make the banner pieces, letters, and heart shapes.
• 1.5 yards of narrow ribbon in Valentine’s Day colors
• Letters for spelling “LOVE” cut out of your scrapbook paper or cardstock (or you could hand write your letters) on your banner pieces
• Scissors
• Ruler and pencil
• Hot glue gun (adult supervision may be needed), double sided tape, or glue

Join Main Library’s Adult Programming Assistant Beth online as she visits the St. Augustine Historical Society to learn more about photographer Richard A. Twine, whose photographs documented life in the African-American community in St. Augustine’s Lincolnville neighborhood throughout the 1920s. Beth will preview the Historical Society’s new Richard A. Twine exhibit to understand more about this period of local history and about Mr. Twine and his work. This is an online event that you can conveniently watch on our website, our Facebook page, or our Youtube channel.

Thursdays @ 3:30 PM in February
Join Ms. Nicole for our zoom teen book club (Grades 7 and up) for this month’s pick, Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi. We may not be able to meet in person, we can still make new friends, have good discussion and fun! Books are provided by the Friends of the Anastasia Island Library to the first 8 students who sign up! Sign up online or email njebbia@sjcfl.us to sign up for our book club. Sponsored by the Friends of the Library.

They killed my mother.
They took our magic.
They tried to bury us.
Now we rise.
Zélie Adebola remembers when the soil of Orïsha hummed with magic. Burners ignited flames, Tiders beckoned waves, and Zélie’s Reaper mother summoned forth souls. But everything changed the night magic disappeared. Under the orders of a ruthless king, maji were killed, leaving Zélie without a mother and her people without hope. Now Zélie has one chance to bring back magic and strike against the monarchy. With the help of a rogue princess, Zélie must outwit and outrun the crown prince, who is hell-bent on eradicating magic for good.

Yes, you heard that right! The librarians at SJCPLS have an island in Animal Crossing and want to invite you to come and play. We have named the island Biblio Bay and we would love to welcome you to come play games, do scavenger hunts and hang out together. Be sure to leave some room in your pockets so we can send you back to your own island with some new gifts. Bring a few items with you so you can do some trading at our trading post too.

Registration is required in order to receive the Dodo Code for the event. Only 1 RSVP per Nintendo Switch.
All participants will need their own Switch device, their own copy of the game Animal Crossing: New Horizons and a Nintendo Switch Online Account in order to join the island.

The Nintendo Switch Online app will also be used for voice chat during gameplay. This is not required, but will greatly enhance your experience on the island.

AGES 10-16

Join Ms. Michelle and bring your tablet or phone loaded with the Stop-Motion Studio app.  In this session, we talk about different techniques in working with clay. Please bring either modeling clay, play-doh, or a flour and water mixture to work with.

This event will take place on ZOOM. You must register on our website to attend. The Zoom link will be sent out the day of the event.

The Mars 2020 Perseverance rover launched July 30, 2020 from Cape Canaveral, Florida and is expected to make landing on Mars on February 18, 2021 at approximately 3:30 p.m (Eastern). In anticipation of this historic event, NASA Solar System Ambassador Bharath Muthyala will share how to view the landing, and what NASA and others from around the world expect to accomplish with the Mars 2020 mission.

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

Join us to learn fun facts about pine cones and interesting tips about bird feeding. Then gather a pine cone, bird seed, peanut butter, and string to create a bird buffet. The birds in your yard will be most grateful for this easy to make bird feeder.

This is a Facebook event that you can conveniently watch on our Facebook page, and it will be archived afterward on our website and on our Youtube channel!

Learn to code and use computer science to change the world! Girls Who code is a free after-school online program for 3rd-5th grade girls. While the Girls Who Code programs are designed for participants who identify as female to promote a girls-supportive environment, we welcome any 3rd-5th grade member who wishes to join the Girls Who Code. This is a 12 week program using the Girls Who Code national curriculum.

Teens and Tweens, grades 6-12, join Ms. Michelle in building a Calder-inspired mobile. The mobile was invented by sculptor Alexander Calder when he was inspired to create a “drawing in the air.” Hang yours and relax as chance and the air currents move your creation. Pick up a kit at your local library branch beginning January 19 (while supplies last, kits are limited).

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

Materials needed (if you do not have a kit from the library)

• Light floral or other easily bendable wire (12 ft.)
• Paper, various colors
• Wire cutters
• glue
• scissors
• ruler
• pencil
• hook to hang mobile

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.

Join us for a special online storytime with Ms. Lisa from the Ponte Vedra Beach Branch Library! Songs! Books! Laughs! This is an online event that you can conveniently watch on our Facebook page, website and on our Youtube channel!

Join Will to learn about Florida under Jim Crow, Sheriff Willis Mccall, and the Groveland Four.

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

Do you want some extra practice speaking Spanish? Learning a foreign language can be challenging when you do not have native speakers to learn from. Each meeting we will do something different to practice our Spanish skills – from watching movie clips, to ordering out at a restaurant. This conversation group is open to all middle and high school students needing practice speaking Spanish. Join Ms. Nicole by signing up online or email njebbia@sjcfl.us.

Does your little one love to read already and love talking about the books they have read?  Join Mrs. Akilah and other happy beginning readers as we share our thoughts and ideas on a new book each month.  This live virtual social event will allow each child the opportunity to read aloud, when prompted, sentences from the book as we share time together talking about a good book followed up with a craft to help bring the book to life.  This week’s book will be The Quiet Boat Ride by Sergio Ruzzier.

Books are provided to the first three students who register by the Friends of the Southeast Branch Library.

Please register on our web site and you will be e-mailed your meeting ID and password login within 24 hours of the event start time.

Are you up for a LEGO challenge? Grab your bricks and log into Zoom for weekly challenges, LEGO history tidbits, and a chance to show off your latest creations! This is a fun social gathering designed for grades K-5.

This event will take place on ZOOM. You must register on our website to attend. The Zoom link will be sent out the day of the event.

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

The February meeting will take place at Beluthahatchee Park (1501 S. R. 13 North, Fruit Cove, FL, 32259).  We’ll discuss “Their Eyes Were Watching God” by Zora Neale Hurston. This book is an enduring Southern love story sparkling with wit, beauty, and heartfelt wisdom. Told in the captivating voice of a woman who refuses to live in sorrow, bitterness, fear, or foolish romantic dreams, it is the story of fiercely independent Janie Crawford, and her evolving selfhood through three marriages and a life marked by poverty, trials, and purpose. A true literary wonder, Hurston’s masterwork remains as relevant and affecting today as when it was first published.  Throughout the book, Hurston uses nature as a metaphor and symbol. From 1938 through 1939, Hurston was a folklorist and contributor to the Florida division of the Federal Writers’ Project, part of the Works Progress Administration. During that time, Stetson Kennedy was in charge of folklore, oral history, and ethnic studies of the Florida Writer’s Project.

This event is free and open to the public, but for social distancing purposes, 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.  Masks are encouraged, social distancing is required. Feel free to bring your own beverages!  Questions?  Please call Amy at 904.827.6942 or email at aackerman@sjcfl.us.

Join us for a special Facebook LIVE online storytime with Ms. Alex from the Southeast Library! Songs! Books! Laughs!

This is a LIVE Facebook event that you can conveniently watch on our Facebook page, and it will be archived afterward on our website and on our Youtube channel!

Everyone loves beads!  Beads have a long and colorful history all over the world.  Join Ms. Nicole via Zoom to learn a little about the history of trade beads, as well as why they are still so popular today.  After, we will create our own recyclable trade beads together online and share our creations with each other!

Kids of all ages are invited to join Ms. Nicole and make some fun pet toys!  Sometimes the best toys are ones you make yourself!  Your cats and dogs will love these easy to make toys. Stop by the Anastasia Library for your easy toy kit, then watch the online video for instructions!    This is an online event that you can conveniently watch on our YouTube Channel, SJCLibraryVid, or our Facebook page.

Can’t get to the Anastasia Library? Supply List: old socks, scissors, catnip, hair tie, old t-shirt or fabric

Join Mrs. Akilah as we explores the fluid movements of the body with dance inspiration from around the world. Students will also learn a fully choreographed routine to perform at the end of the term for family and friends. Please grab your bottled H2O and wear your best stretchy dance gear so you can really feel the music and express yourself in this live Zoom event.

Please note: Youth Dance classes will span January through April, ending with a virtual recital in April. Materials for costumes are provided by the Friends of the Southeast Library. Registration is required for this free class. If you have missed the January 13 registration date, please e-mail apickett@sjcfl.us to request to register.

Join us for a special online story break with our Main Library Youth Services Librarian, Mr. Andy!

You can find this story break and more on our Facebook page and our YouTube channel.

Join Main Library’s Adult Programming Assistant online as she introduces a conversation between Jacksonville-based artist, curator, and activist Shawana Brooks and Flagler College’s Crisp Ellert Art Museum (CEAM) Director Julie Dickover. The conversation will address Brooks’ own literary practice, how she harnesses the use of language within her curatorial and community programming, and more broadly how art and language play a pivotal role in community building, and navigating issues of social justice and equity.

The merging of visual and literary arts is epitomized in the exhibition Magic, Mirth, and Mortality: Musings on Black Motherhood, first organized by Hope McMath, Director, Yellow House in Jacksonville in March 2020. The exhibition builds on Brooks’ writings on Black Motherhood, and is shown alongside artwork by artists Martha Hatcher, Tatiana Kitchen, and Cheryl McCain.

This is an online event that you can conveniently watch on our website, our Facebook page, or our Youtube channel, and is generously sponsored by the Friends of the Main Library St. Augustine.

Join Ms. Akilah and create whimsical, adorable fairy crafts! All materials are provided by the Friends of the Southeast Branch Library. Registration is limited for this free class, which will be recorded and available to watch on our website, Facebook page, and YouTube channel.

Please register on our web site and you will be contacted via e-mail with information on picking up your supplies.

Thursdays @ 3:30 PM in February
Join Ms. Nicole for our zoom teen book club (Grades 7 and up) for this month’s pick, Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi. We may not be able to meet in person, we can still make new friends, have good discussion and fun! Books are provided by the Friends of the Anastasia Island Library to the first 8 students who sign up! Sign up online or email njebbia@sjcfl.us to sign up for our book club. Sponsored by the Friends of the Library.

They killed my mother.
They took our magic.
They tried to bury us.
Now we rise.
Zélie Adebola remembers when the soil of Orïsha hummed with magic. Burners ignited flames, Tiders beckoned waves, and Zélie’s Reaper mother summoned forth souls. But everything changed the night magic disappeared. Under the orders of a ruthless king, maji were killed, leaving Zélie without a mother and her people without hope. Now Zélie has one chance to bring back magic and strike against the monarchy. With the help of a rogue princess, Zélie must outwit and outrun the crown prince, who is hell-bent on eradicating magic for good.

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.

Join Ms. Marcia as she explores Our Big Backyard. Learn about the animals and the ecosystems right here in our own Big Backyard.

Follow this link to our Facebook page: St. Johns County Public Library System

Watch more great library programs right HERE on YouTube!

Learn to code and use computer science to change the world! Girls Who code is a free after-school online program for 3rd-5th grade girls. While the Girls Who Code programs are designed for participants who identify as female to promote a girls-supportive environment, we welcome any 3rd-5th grade member who wishes to join the Girls Who Code. This is a 12 week program using the Girls Who Code national curriculum.

Join Ms. Kimberley as she teaches us how to create a cute origami fish! This craft can be made with items you likely have at home. A limited number of craft kits will be available for pick-up at the Ponte Vedra Beach, Main, Bartram Trail and Anastasia Island Library locations February 18-20 on a first come, first served basis. Supplies generously provided by the Friends of the Ponte Vedra Beach Branch Library.

This is a Facebook event that you can conveniently watch on our Facebook page, and it will be archived afterward on our website and on our Youtube channel!

Bringing history to life with hands-on history lessons! Join us for classes where kids can use their hands alongside their brains to learn more about history.

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

Join us for a special Facebook online story break with Youth Services Librarian Carla Day. Songs! Books! Laughs! This is a Facebook event that you can conveniently watch on our Facebook page, and it will be archived afterward on our website and on our Youtube channel!

Join Donna Braasch for her field trip to the St. Joseph’s Mission Schoolhouse in Mandarin, Florida. Members of the Mandarin Museum Society shed light on its rich history.

Kids and tweens, join Ms. Akilah in a world of pure imagination for you to practice roleplay and be a part of an epic storytelling adventure.  Register online for this epic social and emotional learning class designed for kids and tweens to learn the joy of working as a team.  Problem solving skills and math will be used to help move you along throughout this fun journey with your teammates.  No adventure is the same and will be complete at the end of each session.

Registration is required. Please register online for this free virtual program. You will be e-mailed your Zoom login the day of the program.

Are you up for a LEGO challenge? Grab your bricks and log into Zoom for weekly challenges, LEGO history tidbits, and a chance to show off your latest creations! This is a fun social gathering designed for grades K-5.

This event will take place on ZOOM. You must register on our website to attend. The Zoom link will be sent out the day of the event.

Join us for a special story break with our Anastasia Library Youth Librarian, Ms. Nicole! We will be teaching young ones weather, colors, counting, letters, songs, stories and more in both English and Spanish in this fun online event. Join us as we go on our Facebook page or at our YouTube channel: SJCLibraryVid!

Winner of the 2020 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, The Nickel Boys is based on the true story of the Dozier School, a reformatory in Marianna, Florida. The novel is a fascinating study of human perseverance, dignity and redemption. Margaret and Cheryl will discuss the plot (no spoilers), characters, and their mutual adoration of this must-read book.

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

MAIN-iac Science Lab explores different scientific concepts, cool inventors and more. Join Mr. Andy as he shows you some cool science experiments that you can try at home.

Follow this link to our Facebook page: St. Johns County Public Library System

Watch more great science programs HERE on YouTube!

Join Mrs. Akilah as we explores the fluid movements of the body with dance inspiration from around the world. Students will also learn a fully choreographed routine to perform at the end of the term for family and friends. Please grab your bottled H2O and wear your best stretchy dance gear so you can really feel the music and express yourself in this live Zoom event.

Please note: Youth Dance classes will span January through April, ending with a virtual recital in April. Materials for costumes are provided by the Friends of the Southeast Library. Registration is required for this free class. If you have missed the January 13 registration date, please e-mail apickett@sjcfl.us to request to register.

Teens and Tweens, grades 6-12, join Ms. Carla in sewing a mug rug (oversized coaster). You will build on your sewing skills and begin learning about quilting. Pick up a kit at your local library branch while supplies last, kits are limited. A sewing machine and iron (both of which may require adult supervision) will be needed in addition to the kit.

Materials needed (if you do not have a kit from the library)

• Fabric #1 – Two 3.5 inch squares of light colored fabric
• Fabric #2 – Two 3.5 inch squares of coordinating dark colored fabric
• One 6.5 inch square of cotton fabric (I used white) for the back of the coaster
• 6.5 inch square of batting
• Pins
• Coordinating thread
• Sewing Machine and iron (adult supervision may be needed)

Join Main Library’s Adult Programming Assistant Beth online as she creates an outdoor landscape using collage techniques. To follow along, you will need a variety of different colored paper, scissors and/or an x-acto knife, and glue. This is an online event that you can conveniently watch on our website, our Facebook page, or our Youtube channel.

Thursdays @ 3:30 PM in February
Join Ms. Nicole for our zoom teen book club (Grades 7 and up) for this month’s pick, Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi. We may not be able to meet in person, we can still make new friends, have good discussion and fun! Books are provided by the Friends of the Anastasia Island Library to the first 8 students who sign up! Sign up online or email njebbia@sjcfl.us to sign up for our book club. Sponsored by the Friends of the Library.

They killed my mother.
They took our magic.
They tried to bury us.
Now we rise.
Zélie Adebola remembers when the soil of Orïsha hummed with magic. Burners ignited flames, Tiders beckoned waves, and Zélie’s Reaper mother summoned forth souls. But everything changed the night magic disappeared. Under the orders of a ruthless king, maji were killed, leaving Zélie without a mother and her people without hope. Now Zélie has one chance to bring back magic and strike against the monarchy. With the help of a rogue princess, Zélie must outwit and outrun the crown prince, who is hell-bent on eradicating magic for good.

Yes, you heard that right! The librarians at SJCPLS have an island in Animal Crossing and want to invite you to come and play. We have named the island Biblio Bay and we would love to welcome you to come play games, do scavenger hunts and hang out together. Be sure to leave some room in your pockets so we can send you back to your own island with some new gifts. Bring a few items with you so you can do some trading at our trading post too.

Registration is required in order to receive the Dodo Code for the event. Only 1 RSVP per Nintendo Switch.
All participants will need their own Switch device, their own copy of the game Animal Crossing: New Horizons and a Nintendo Switch Online Account in order to join the island.

The Nintendo Switch Online app will also be used for voice chat during gameplay. This is not required, but will greatly enhance your experience on the island.

AGES 10-16

Join Ms. Michelle and bring your tablet or phone loaded with the Stop-Motion Studio app.  In this session, we talk about different techniques in working with clay. Please bring either modeling clay, play-doh, or a flour and water mixture to work with.

This event will take place on ZOOM. You must register on our website to attend. The Zoom link will be sent out the day of the event.

Meet Origami Master Wayne Tahara as he amazes us with what he can make with just one sheet of paper! Grab any paper you have at home and join us! Learn to make origami fun toys and origami for everyday use. Resources for learning more about origami, its applications, and its many varieties can be found at your local library branch.

This is a Facebook event that you can conveniently watch on our Facebook page, and it will be archived afterward on our website and on our Youtube channel!

Learn to code and use computer science to change the world! Girls Who code is a free after-school online program for 3rd-5th grade girls. While the Girls Who Code programs are designed for participants who identify as female to promote a girls-supportive environment, we welcome any 3rd-5th grade member who wishes to join the Girls Who Code. This is a 12 week program using the Girls Who Code national curriculum.

German expressionist Ernst Barlach was a sculptor, writer, and printer. We’ll use an example of his woodblock printing as a jumping-off point for creating your own prints. Materials needed are watercolor paints, a sharp pencil, and craft foam or polystyrene squares (like those used in packaging in the grocery store.)