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LIBRARIES CLOSED FOR HOLIDAY

All Day
Betty J. Johnson North Sarasota Library, Elsie Quirk Library, Frances T. Bourne Jacaranda Library, Gulf Gate Library, North Port Library, Osprey Library and History Center, Selby Library, Shannon Staub Library, William H. Jervey Jr. Venice Library, Pop-Up Library

LIBRARIES CLOSED FOR HOLIDAY

Closing
Branches:
Betty J. Johnson North Sarasota Library, Elsie Quirk Library, Frances T. Bourne Jacaranda Library, Gulf Gate Library, North Port Library, Osprey Library and History Center, Selby Library, Shannon Staub Library, William H. Jervey Jr. Venice Library, Pop-Up Library
Description:

LIBRARIES CLOSED FOR HOLIDAY

A Cuban fishing rancho structure in Palmetto, Florida.

Cuban Rancho Heritage

Tuesday, May 28, 2024 at 2:00pm - 3:30pm
Classroom A/B (both rooms) at Osprey Library and History Center
Program Type:
Cultural Life, Green Living, History & Culture, Lectures, Lifelong Learning
Age Group:
Adults, Seniors
Details:

Cuban Rancho Heritage Presented by Sara Alvarez, Education and Volunteer Specialist, Natural Resources Department, Manatee County Government A Florida History Lecture Se...

Registration Open
Required
Library Branch: Osprey Library and History Center
Room: Classroom A/B (both rooms)
Age Group: Adults, Seniors
Program Type: Cultural Life, Green Living, History & Culture, Lectures, Lifelong Learning
Required
Seats Remaining: 11
Details:

Cuban Rancho Heritage

Presented by Sara Alvarez, Education and Volunteer Specialist, Natural Resources Department, Manatee County Government

A bumblebee collecting pollen from a flower.

Florida-Friendly Landscaping for the Bees of Sarasota

Wednesday, May 29, 2024 at 2:00pm - 3:00pm
Meeting Room at Frances T. Bourne Jacaranda Library
Program Type:
Green Living, Lectures, Special Events
Age Group:
Teens (13 to 18 years), Adults, Seniors
Details:

Learn about key native and non-native bee species in Florida and the plants they favor as pollinators. The use of Florida-Friendly Landscaping™ can help you save the bees!  Pr...

Registration Open
Required
Library Branch: Frances T. Bourne Jacaranda Library
Room: Meeting Room
Age Group: Teens (13 to 18 years), Adults, Seniors
Program Type: Green Living, Lectures, Special Events
Required
Seats Remaining: 70
Details:

Learn about key native and non-native bee species in Florida and the plants they favor as pollinators.

Digital Literacy Workshop: Misinformation and Disinformation

Friday, June 7, 2024 at 2:00pm - 4:00pm
Meeting Room at Shannon Staub Library
Program Type:
Lectures, Lifelong Learning, Technology Instruction
Age Group:
Adults, Seniors
Details:

Misinformation and disinformation isn't new, from pre-Revolutionary era falsehoods and errors to the yellow journalism of the 1890s to the current age of social media. Learn what t...

Library Branch: Shannon Staub Library
Room: Meeting Room
Age Group: Adults, Seniors
Program Type: Lectures, Lifelong Learning, Technology Instruction
Details:

Misinformation and disinformation isn't new, from pre-Revolutionary era falsehoods and errors to the yellow journalism of the 1890s to the current age of social

SRQ Con 2024 Logo

SRQCon 2024

Saturday, June 8, 2024 at 11:00am - 4:00pm
Selby Library
Program Type:
Adventure Begins at Your Library (Summer 2024), Art Displays & Exhibits, Arts & Crafts, Author Event, Book Discussions, Creation Station, Games, Lectures, Lifelong Learning, Movies, Outreach, Performances, Special Events
Age Group:
All Ages
Details:

Save the date for Selby Library's annual pop culture convention returning on June 8!  Selby Library's annual pop culture convention, SRQCon, returns again on Saturday, June...

Library Branch: Selby Library
Age Group: All Ages
Program Type: Adventure Begins at Your Library (Summer 2024), Art Displays & Exhibits, Arts & Crafts, Author Event, Book Discussions, Creation Station, Games, Lectures, Lifelong Learning, Movies, Outreach, Performances, Special Events
Details:

Save the date for Selby Library's annual pop culture convention returning on June 8! 

Selby Library'

Practical Wine Know-How

Monday, June 10, 2024 at 2:00pm - 3:00pm
Veranda Room at North Port Library
Program Type:
Cultural Life, History & Culture, Lectures, Lifelong Learning
Age Group:
Adults, Seniors
Details:

From sipping to storing, learn the fundamentals of tasting, buying, and entertaining with wine.

Registration Open
Required
Library Branch: North Port Library
Room: Veranda Room
Age Group: Adults, Seniors
Program Type: Cultural Life, History & Culture, Lectures, Lifelong Learning
Required
Seats Remaining: 35
Details:

From sipping to storing, learn the fundamentals of tasting, buying, and entertaining with wine.

Lecture: David Levy Yulee: Father of the Florida Railroad

Tuesday, June 11, 2024 at 2:00pm - 3:30pm
Meeting Room A at Gulf Gate Library
Program Type:
Adventure Begins at Your Library (Summer 2024), Lectures
Age Group:
Adults
Details:

David Levy Yulee, often called the “Father of Florida Statehood” and the “Father of Florida Railroads,” was a complicated man, in his personal and professional life. Join Sarasota ...

Library Branch: Gulf Gate Library
Room: Meeting Room A
Age Group: Adults
Program Type: Adventure Begins at Your Library (Summer 2024), Lectures
Details:

David Levy Yulee, often called the “Father of Florida Statehood” and the “Father of Florida Railroads,” was a complicated man, in his personal and professional life.

from Florida Memory Project

Having Fun, Wish You Were Here! --- Florida's History Through Postcards

Wednesday, June 12, 2024 at 2:00pm - 3:00pm
Meeting Room at Fruitville Library
Program Type:
Active Older Adult Living, Adventure Begins at Your Library (Summer 2024), History & Culture, Lectures, Lifelong Learning
Age Group:
Adults
Details:

"An Illustrated History of the Postcard in Florida" presented by Liz Coursen a Sarasota award-winning author and editor. Join us as Liz Coursen takes us on a "Illustrated Hist...

Registration Open
Required
Library Branch: Fruitville Library
Room: Meeting Room
Age Group: Adults
Program Type: Active Older Adult Living, Adventure Begins at Your Library (Summer 2024), History & Culture, Lectures, Lifelong Learning
Required
Seats Remaining: 32
Details:

"An Illustrated History of the Postcard in Florida" presented by Liz Coursen a Sarasota award-winning author and editor. Join us as Liz Coursen takes us on a "Illustrated History of Postcards in Florida.", First restricted by

Photo of the Dalmatian Coast line.

Travelogues with Jane Mahler: Dalmatian Coast

Tuesday, June 18, 2024 at 10:30am - 12:00pm
Meeting Room at Elsie Quirk Library
Program Type:
Adventure Begins at Your Library (Summer 2024), Cultural Life, History & Culture, Lectures, Lifelong Learning
Age Group:
Adults, Seniors
Details:

Join world adventurer, Jane Mahler, for a lecture exploring her travels in the countries that used to be Yugoslavia. We'll take a scenic tour of medieval villages, the Dinaric Alps...

Library Branch: Elsie Quirk Library
Room: Meeting Room
Age Group: Adults, Seniors
Program Type: Adventure Begins at Your Library (Summer 2024), Cultural Life, History & Culture, Lectures, Lifelong Learning
Details:

Join world adventurer, Jane Mahler, for a lecture exploring her travels in the countries that used to be Yugoslavia.

A couple on the porch of their raised house in Florida.

Designing for the Sunshine State: How Creative Architecture Made Florida More Livable

Tuesday, June 18, 2024 at 2:00pm - 3:30pm
Classroom A/B (both rooms) at Osprey Library and History Center
Program Type:
Cultural Life, Green Living, History & Culture, Lectures, Lifelong Learning
Age Group:
Adults, Seniors
Details:

Designing for the Sunshine State: How Creative Architecture Made Florida More Livable Presented by: Dr. Josh Goodman, Manager, Sarasota County History Center Jorge ...

Required
Library Branch: Osprey Library and History Center
Room: Classroom A/B (both rooms)
Age Group: Adults, Seniors
Program Type: Cultural Life, Green Living, History & Culture, Lectures, Lifelong Learning
Required
Seats Remaining: 50
Details:

Designing for the Sunshine State: How Creative Architecture Made Florida More Livable

Presented by:

Lecture: Citrus Labels in Florida: Signs of the Times

Tuesday, June 18, 2024 at 2:00pm - 3:30pm
Meeting Room A at Gulf Gate Library
Program Type:
Lectures, Lifelong Learning, Special Events
Age Group:
Adults, Seniors
Details:

Award-winning Sarasota author Liz Coursen will discuss how the brightly colored citrus and vegetable crate labels used by both Florida and California farmers mirrored America’s pre...

Library Branch: Gulf Gate Library
Room: Meeting Room A
Age Group: Adults, Seniors
Program Type: Lectures, Lifelong Learning, Special Events
Details:

Award-winning Sarasota author Liz Coursen will discuss how the brightly colored citrus and vegetable crate labels used by both Florida and California farmers mirrored America’s prevailing pre-World War II attitudes about race and gender, health an

An illustrated history of the postcard in Florida

Having Fun, Wish You Were Here! An Illustrated History of the Postcard in Florida

Thursday, June 20, 2024 at 2:00pm - 3:30pm
Classroom A/B (both rooms) at Osprey Library and History Center
Program Type:
Active Older Adult Living, Adventure Begins at Your Library (Summer 2024), Cultural Life, History & Culture, Lectures
Age Group:
Teens (13 to 18 years), Adults, Seniors
Details:

Come take a trip - a trip back to a time, beginning when Florida was a backwoods swamp in the 1900s through its transformation into a vacation paradise in the 1950s as told by vint...

Required
Library Branch: Osprey Library and History Center
Room: Classroom A/B (both rooms)
Age Group: Teens (13 to 18 years), Adults, Seniors
Program Type: Active Older Adult Living, Adventure Begins at Your Library (Summer 2024), Cultural Life, History & Culture, Lectures
Required
Seats Remaining: 30
Details:

Come take a trip - a trip back to a time, beginning when Florida was a backwoods swamp in the 1900s through its transformation into a vacation paradise in the 1950s as told by vintage postcards.

Lighthouse

History Program- Guiding Light, Florida's Famous Lighthouses

Wednesday, June 26, 2024 at 2:00pm - 3:00pm
Meeting Room at Fruitville Library
Program Type:
Adventure Begins at Your Library (Summer 2024), History & Culture, Lectures, Lifelong Learning
Age Group:
Adults
Details:

Sarasota award-winning author and editor, Liz Coursen, presents a richly illustrated, fast-paced program featuring Florida's most famous lighthouses. Learn about the important and ...

Registration Open
Required
Library Branch: Fruitville Library
Room: Meeting Room
Age Group: Adults
Program Type: Adventure Begins at Your Library (Summer 2024), History & Culture, Lectures, Lifelong Learning
Required
Seats Remaining: 34
Details:

Sarasota award-winning author and editor, Liz Coursen, presents a richly illustrated, fast-paced program featuring Florida's most famous lighthouses.

segregation in Florida

Shade in the Sunshine State: Reflections on Segregation in Florida

Thursday, June 27, 2024 at 2:00pm - 3:30pm
Classroom A/B (both rooms) at Osprey Library and History Center
Program Type:
Active Older Adult Living, Adventure Begins at Your Library (Summer 2024), Cultural Life, History & Culture, Lectures, Lifelong Learning
Age Group:
Teens (13 to 18 years), Adults, Seniors
Details:

If you're like most Americans, when someone asks you to name a "southern" state, chances are good that places like Mississippi, Georgia, or Alabama will come to mind. Join award-wi...

Registration Open
Required
Library Branch: Osprey Library and History Center
Room: Classroom A/B (both rooms)
Age Group: Teens (13 to 18 years), Adults, Seniors
Program Type: Active Older Adult Living, Adventure Begins at Your Library (Summer 2024), Cultural Life, History & Culture, Lectures, Lifelong Learning
Required
Seats Remaining: 29
Details:

If you're like most Americans, when someone asks you to name a "southern" state, chances are good that places like Mississippi, Georgia, or Alabama will come to mind.

Beautiful Dalmatian Coast

Travelogue: Dalmatian Coast

Friday, June 28, 2024 at 2:00pm - 3:30pm
Community Room at William H. Jervey Jr. Venice Library
Program Type:
Active Older Adult Living, Adventure Begins at Your Library (Summer 2024), Cultural Life, Healthy Living, History & Culture, Lectures, Lifelong Learning
Age Group:
Adults, Seniors
Details:

The Ancient and Classical Antiquity of the Dalmatian Coast: Slovenia, Croatia, Montenegro, and Bosnia & Herzegovina as experienced by Jane Mahler. This session will explore tra...

Registration Open
Required
Library Branch: William H. Jervey Jr. Venice Library
Room: Community Room
Age Group: Adults, Seniors
Program Type: Active Older Adult Living, Adventure Begins at Your Library (Summer 2024), Cultural Life, Healthy Living, History & Culture, Lectures, Lifelong Learning
Required
Seats Remaining: 108
Details:

The Ancient and Classical Antiquity of the Dalmatian Coast: Slovenia, Croatia, Montenegro, and Bosnia & Herzegovina as experienced by Jane Mahler. This session will explore travels in the countries that used to be Yugoslavia.

LIBRARIES CLOSED FOR HOLIDAY

All Day
Betty J. Johnson North Sarasota Library, Elsie Quirk Library, Frances T. Bourne Jacaranda Library, Fruitville Library, Gulf Gate Library, North Port Library, Osprey Library and History Center, Selby Library, Shannon Staub Library, William H. Jervey Jr. Venice Library, Pop-Up Library

LIBRARIES CLOSED FOR HOLIDAY

Closing
Branches:
Betty J. Johnson North Sarasota Library, Elsie Quirk Library, Frances T. Bourne Jacaranda Library, Fruitville Library, Gulf Gate Library, North Port Library, Osprey Library and History Center, Selby Library, Shannon Staub Library, William H. Jervey Jr. Venice Library, Pop-Up Library
Description:

LIBRARIES CLOSED FOR HOLIDAY

Logo of the United States National Park Service - brown arrow head with an outline of a mountain, tree and buffalo.

Fascinating Stories from our National Parks

Thursday, July 11, 2024 at 2:00pm - 3:00pm
Meeting Room at Elsie Quirk Library
Program Type:
Adventure Begins at Your Library (Summer 2024), Green Living, Lectures
Age Group:
Teens (13 to 18 years), Adults, Seniors
Details:

Do you know which national parks are associated with President Lincoln's assassination? What's the most visited national park - and its controversial history? That there's a park w...

Library Branch: Elsie Quirk Library
Room: Meeting Room
Age Group: Teens (13 to 18 years), Adults, Seniors
Program Type: Adventure Begins at Your Library (Summer 2024), Green Living, Lectures
Details:

Do you know which national parks are associated with President Lincoln's assassination? What's the most visited national park - and its controversial history? That there's a park where taking a bath is a common activity?

Photo of Amboseli National Park with an elephant and Mt. Kilimanjaro in the background.

Travelogues with Jane Mahler: Africa, Part 1

Tuesday, July 16, 2024 at 10:30am - 12:00pm
Meeting Room at Elsie Quirk Library
Program Type:
Adventure Begins at Your Library (Summer 2024), Cultural Life, Lectures
Age Group:
Adults, Seniors
Details:

Join world adventurer, Jane Mahler, for a lecture exploring Amboseli National Park, Kenya, and Volcanoes National Park, Rwanda. Amboseli National Park has the most elephants of all...

Library Branch: Elsie Quirk Library
Room: Meeting Room
Age Group: Adults, Seniors
Program Type: Adventure Begins at Your Library (Summer 2024), Cultural Life, Lectures
Details:

Join world adventurer, Jane Mahler, for a lecture exploring Amboseli National Park, Kenya, and Volcanoes National Park, Rwanda. Amboseli National Park has the most elephants of all the parks in Kenya, including some of the oldest.

Yes, You! An Entertaining Autobiography in Three Easy Steps

Tuesday, July 16, 2024 at 2:00pm - 3:30pm
Meeting Room A at Gulf Gate Library
Program Type:
Lectures, Lifelong Learning, Special Events
Age Group:
Adults, Seniors
Details:

Have you ever thought about writing a memoir, but didn’t know where to begin? What stories are "must-haves," and what could be (and should be) left out? Join Sarasota author and pu...

Library Branch: Gulf Gate Library
Room: Meeting Room A
Age Group: Adults, Seniors
Program Type: Lectures, Lifelong Learning, Special Events
Details:

Have you ever thought about writing a memoir, but didn’t know where to begin? What stories are "must-haves," and what could be (and should be) left out?

taking the waters

Taking the Waters: A History of Florida's Most Famous Springs

Thursday, July 18, 2024 at 2:00pm - 3:30pm
Classroom A/B (both rooms) at Osprey Library and History Center
Program Type:
Active Older Adult Living, Adventure Begins at Your Library (Summer 2024), History & Culture, Lectures, Lifelong Learning
Age Group:
Teens (13 to 18 years), Adults, Seniors
Details:

From Ponce de Leon to the caravans of RVs that ply our highways, tourists visit the Sunshine State for many reasons, including the health benefits they hope to find here. Join awar...

Required
Library Branch: Osprey Library and History Center
Room: Classroom A/B (both rooms)
Age Group: Teens (13 to 18 years), Adults, Seniors
Program Type: Active Older Adult Living, Adventure Begins at Your Library (Summer 2024), History & Culture, Lectures, Lifelong Learning
Required
Seats Remaining: 29
Details:

From Ponce de Leon to the caravans of RVs that ply our highways, tourists visit the Sunshine State for many reasons, including the health benefits they hope to find here.

elephant in flowery water

Travelogue: Sri Lanka

Friday, July 19, 2024 at 2:00pm - 3:30pm
Community Room at William H. Jervey Jr. Venice Library
Program Type:
Active Older Adult Living, Adventure Begins at Your Library (Summer 2024), Cultural Life, Healthy Living, History & Culture, Lectures, Lifelong Learning
Age Group:
Adults, Seniors
Details:

Sri Lanka, the land of serendipity and Pearl of the Indian Ocean, is the oldest continuous Buddhist country in the world.  There are ancient Buddhist ruins, tea plantations, b...

Registration Open
Required
Library Branch: William H. Jervey Jr. Venice Library
Room: Community Room
Age Group: Adults, Seniors
Program Type: Active Older Adult Living, Adventure Begins at Your Library (Summer 2024), Cultural Life, Healthy Living, History & Culture, Lectures, Lifelong Learning
Required
Seats Remaining: 115
Details:

Sri Lanka, the land of serendipity and Pearl of the Indian Ocean, is the oldest continuous Buddhist country in the world.  There are ancient Buddhist ruins, tea plantations, beautiful beaches, amazing wildlife, the world’s oldest human-plante

What's So Funny? Adding Humor to Your Stories and Presentations

Monday, July 22, 2024 at 4:00pm - 5:00pm
Veranda Room at North Port Library
Program Type:
Adventure Begins at Your Library (Summer 2024), Lectures, Lifelong Learning, Special Events
Age Group:
Teens (13 to 18 years), Adults, Seniors
Details:

Everyone loves a funny story - or a funny storyteller - or a story with funny characters - or just a good laugh.  This workshop offers strategies and tips for adding humor to ...

Registration Open
Required
Library Branch: North Port Library
Room: Veranda Room
Age Group: Teens (13 to 18 years), Adults, Seniors
Program Type: Adventure Begins at Your Library (Summer 2024), Lectures, Lifelong Learning, Special Events
Required
Seats Remaining: 36
Details:

Everyone loves a funny story - or a funny storyteller - or a story with funny characters - or just a good laugh.  This workshop offers strategies and tips for adding humor to your story or your presentation or both.

Green Living: Tips for Becoming More Sustainable

Thursday, July 25, 2024 at 2:00pm - 3:00pm
Meeting Room at Shannon Staub Library
Program Type:
Green Living, Lectures, Lifelong Learning
Age Group:
Adults, Seniors
Details:

Learn ways you can live more sustainably that work best for you. There are many opportunities for becoming more sustainable in the way we live our lives, but where should you st...

Library Branch: Shannon Staub Library
Room: Meeting Room
Age Group: Adults, Seniors
Program Type: Green Living, Lectures, Lifelong Learning
Details:

Learn ways you can live more sustainably that work best for you.

Rosenwald Schools

The Rosenwald Schools of Florida

Thursday, July 25, 2024 at 2:00pm - 3:30pm
Classroom A/B (both rooms) at Osprey Library and History Center
Program Type:
Active Older Adult Living, Adventure Begins at Your Library (Summer 2024), History & Culture, Lectures, Lifelong Learning
Age Group:
Teens (13 to 18 years), Adults, Seniors
Details:

In 1911, Booker T. Washington, principal of the Tuskegee Institute in Tuskegee, Alabama, met Julius Rosenwald, Chicago philanthropist and CEO of Sears, Roebuck. Mr. Washington mana...

Required
Library Branch: Osprey Library and History Center
Room: Classroom A/B (both rooms)
Age Group: Teens (13 to 18 years), Adults, Seniors
Program Type: Active Older Adult Living, Adventure Begins at Your Library (Summer 2024), History & Culture, Lectures, Lifelong Learning
Required
Seats Remaining: 30
Details:

In 1911, Booker T. Washington, principal of the Tuskegee Institute in Tuskegee, Alabama, met Julius Rosenwald, Chicago philanthropist and CEO of Sears, Roebuck. Mr. Washington managed to convince Mr.