Location: Main Branch

The St. Johns County Public Library System will be closed Friday, April 7, 2023, for the Good Friday holiday. All locations will resume normal operating hours on Saturday, April 8, 2023.

Book drops will remain open during this closure and our virtual services such as eBooks, databases, and downloadables are available 24/7.

Friends of the Main Library presents Marineland’s Facility Historian Terran McGinnis, who will share insight into a very unique part of our shared local history. Join us as we go back in time to 1938 as Marine Studios, the World’s First Oceanarium, opened in St. Augustine. From film making to animal training, from marine science to conservation and even to architecture- so many firsts happened here at this classic Florida roadside attraction that is still open today! No matter where your interests lie, this presentation will grab your attention and leave you wanting more.

This program is free and open to the public, and will take place at The Waterworks, 184 San Marco Ave., which shares a parking lot with the Main Library. Seating begins at 12:00 pm, and the presentation starts promptly at 1:00 pm. No reservations are required. For more information, please call the Main Library at 904-827-6940.

Terran McGinnis is the Facility Historian and Manager of Community Development at Marineland Dolphin Adventure. Since 2001, Terran has been discovering and preserving the facility’s historic archive collection while telling the stories of the facility to keep the memories alive. A career conservation and marine science educator, it is Terran’s honor to ensure that the community never forgets where echolocation was discovered, where the first dolphin was trained, and where the public first fell in love with the ocean.

The Waterworks is available through the generosity of the City of St. Augustine and the St. Johns Cultural Council.

The St. Johns County Public Library System will be closed Wednesday, May 3, 2023, for Staff Development Day. All locations will resume normal operating hours on Thursday, May 4, 2023.

Book drops will remain open during this closure and our virtual services such as eBooks, databases, and downloadables are available 24/7.

The St. Johns County Public Library System will be closed Monday, May 29, 2023, for the Memorial Day holiday. All locations will resume their normal operating hours on Tuesday, May 30, 2023.

Book drops will remain open during this closure and our virtual services such as eBooks, databases, and downloadables are available 24/7.

The St. Johns County Public Library System will be closed Tuesday, July 4, 2023, for the Independence Day holiday. All locations will resume normal operating hours on Wednesday, July 5, 2023.

Book drops will remain open during this closure and our virtual services such as eBooks, databases, and downloadables are available 24/7.