Week Calendar

Join other tweens this summer for Xbox and WiiU gaming. Play starts at 10 a.m. and runs until 1 p.m. Refreshments will be served and the program is restricted to youth ages 9-12 years old.

This program will be held at the Venice Community Center located at 326 Nokomis Ave S, Venice, FL 34285.

Join Forty Carrots for a time of sharing and meaningful play. designed specifically for children up to age 5 and their parent/caregiver, this class is a chance to be a partner in your child's play.

Librarian Charlotte Thompson leads a monthly book discussion group. 

For ages 0-5 with caregiver. Join us for a
fun interactive program of stories, songs, movement and
crafts.

Join us on the 2nd Monday and 4th Tuesday of the month. We supply the coloring pages and pencils.

Learn how to navigate ecommerce sites to buy and sell new and used items on online shopping sites like eBay, Amazon, and peer to peer sales sites like LetGo, OfferUp, FaceBook Marketplace, Craigslist, and more!

Join us for an adult beginners jewelry making program presented by local artist Judith Levine. Design and create an original bracelet or necklace. Learn design and jewelry fabrication skills and proudly wear your creation home.

Luis can help alleviate your technology frustrations! Our resident expert specializes in Android and Windows systems. Stop in for assistance.

Want to learn more about Florida-Friendly gardens, composting, or citrus trees?

Need a plant or insect identified?

Drop in to receive research-based lawn, landscape and pest management help from the University of Florida.

Want to learn more about Florida-Friendly gardens, composting, or citrus trees? Need a plant or insect identified? Homeowners can receive research-based lawn, landscape and pest management help from the University of Florida.

Join other tweens this summer for Xbox and WiiU gaming. Play starts at 10 a.m. and runs until 1 p.m. Refreshments will be served and the program is restricted to youth ages 9-12 years old.

Free service to apply to the Affordable Care Act.  Application takes between one and one-half hour.  Only one person can be seen at a time.

Sign Language program for children 0 - 2 1/2 years old. Learn with Beebo the Signing Bear using songs, books, and toys. Older siblings welcome.

This program is geared toward babies from newborn to age 2 ½ years. The 45 minute program includes songs, baby sign language, a book and playtime. Older siblings are welcome.

Join Forty Carrots for a time of sharing and meaningful play.

For mobile babies to 5 years old.

Drop in to enjoy special play time with your child, meet our friendly Parenting Educators.

Sign up to practice what you learned in Genealogy Basics, Parts 1 and 2, or to continue researching your family history using the library's Ancestry Library Edition and Heritage Quest databases and/or genealogy websites. 

Books, puppets, songs, dance, yoga, and more surprises for families with children ages birth-5.

Special guests include:

Adrianne Pezzella for Fun to Be Fit on June 5 and July 10,

Did you just finish a rockin' book? We want to hear about it!

Share what you have just read. Find some recommendations. Be on your way to your next great read!

Stay for 5 minutes, stay for an hour, it's up to you. 

Practice reading with a buddy or have someone read a book to you. Have fun while becoming a better reader. The volunteers are not trained experts, but someone to listen and help when needed.

For people who want to improve their French speaking skills and enjoy reading French-language articles and discussing them. Come practice speaking the romantic language of French.

Join us for a robotics workshop! During this one-day workshop, teams will build a robot and test it for movement. Once the robots are complete, we will have a competition for the fastest robot to complete its task!

Enjoy interacting with your child by participating in early literacy activities that include music and movement, books, crafts, and educational activities.

Join Forty Carrots for a time of sharing and meaningful play. Your child can practice social and motor skills while you chat with trained parenting educators.

Learn to knit or crochet! All ages and skill levels welcome! It is recommended to bring your own yarn and needles. Instructor-supplied yarns remain with the instructor weekly until piece is completed.

After completing the Computer Basics, Part 1, the student is ready to use the skills learned to access software and learn about Toolbars and Ribbons. The basics of file creating and organizing will be demonstrated.

The first hour:  participants will follow the instructor as she uses her own ancestor to demonstrate the features of Ancestry and HeritageQuest. 

Come use our Adobe/ Mac software and sewing machines on your own personal projects. Time slots are filled on a first-come-first-serve basis.

Early literacy begins at birth. Bond with your baby through stories, songs, parachute time and peek-a-boo scarf songs. For ages 0-2 years old.

This event will be held at the Venice Community Center located at 326 Nokomis Ave S, Venice, FL 34285.

 Ask Bob, our local Windows expert, any questions about your PC or Laptop.

Join other tweens this summer for Xbox and WiiU gaming. Play starts at 10 a.m. and runs until 1 p.m. Refreshments will be served and the program is restricted to youth ages 9-12 years old.

For mobile babies to 5 years old. Drop in to enjoy special play time with your child, meet our friendly Parenting Educators and discover how Forty Carrots Family Center can help you enjoy parenting even more.

For mobile babies to 5 years old.

Recommended for up to 5 years with parent or caregiver.

 Featuring great stories, singing, dancing, and movement activities young children learn valuable skills and enjoy being with other children. For ages 2-3.

Interact and participate with your child in a variety of early literacy activities that include music, movement, crafts and school readiness activities.

ESOL Conversation Group for intermediate to higher level ESL learners.

Students MUST first be registered with the Literacy Council

Contact:  Sue Bergstrom 941-955-0421

Join us for snacks and a movie!

Prescription Medication & Health Care Assistance for those that are uninsured and qualify financially.

The Life After Downton group meets to discuss British PBS programs, new films, and books along with a nice cup of tea. All are welcome to join.

Join other tweens during the summer for Friday Tween Movie Days. Movie titles are listed on the monthly tween flyer available at the library. This event is for ages 9-12 years old and refreshments will be provided. 

For mobile babies to 5 years old. Drop in to enjoy special play time with your child, meet our friendly Parenting Educators and discover how Forty Carrots Family Center can help you enjoy parenting even more.

Preschoolers, ages 2 ½ - 5 and their parent, guardian or caregiver are invited to join us for a variety of activities throughout the summer. Drop by the youth department to get a detailed list of activities that will be offered.

Come use our Adobe/ Mac software and sewing machines on your own personal projects. Time slots are filled on a first-come-first-serve basis.

Ages: 5-9. Foil Art Animals with Ellen Goldberg. Children will create animal shapes from cardboard and cover with foil, decorate with markers, and leave with their own stained glass style artwork. *Registration required*

Children are invited to read with certified pet therapy dogs. This program encourages conversation and develops reading and communication skills. The dogs love the attention and the kids love the interactions.

Drop-in breastfeeding support and education will be offered at no charge by a trained peer counselor from Healthy Start Coalition with the goal of increasing knowledge and awareness for mothers.

Practice speaking English in a group setting. Sponsored by the Literacy Council of Sarasota. Please call 941-955-0421 to register as an ESOL learner with the Literacy Council of Sarasota.

Join us for a morning of games, activities, stories, and learning designed to build skills to help children succeed in school. Educators will guide families through learning and share ideas with parents to help ready your children for school.

Join Forty Carrots for a time of sharing and meaningful play. designed specifically for children up to age 5 and their parent/caregiver, this class is a chance to be a partner in your child's play.

Infant Feeding Support Group Community group open to WIC moms and the public to receive support and information about infant feeding including breast feeding. No registration required.

Join Forty Carrots for a time of sharing and meaningful play.

A six-part class to help children stay more focused and to concentrate better, important skills that can lead to enhanced student performance.

Join Forty Carrots for a time of sharing and meaningful play. Your child can practice social and motor skills while you chat with trained parenting educators.

 Join us for a fun-filled morning of reading, songs, dancing, learning Kindergarten readiness skills and craft activities. For ages 3-6.

Join our resident technology expert to learn digital art, coding, and web design.  Be sure to sign up for the series as these programs build on one another.

For mobile babies to 5 years old. Drop in to enjoy special play time with your child, meet our friendly Parenting Educators and discover how Forty Carrots Family Center can help you enjoy parenting even more.

For mobile babies to 5 years old.

Participate with your child in singing, chanting, moving, dancing, listening and playing simple instruments while developing a strong musical bond with your child.

Explore the latest trend of painting and hiding small rocks as a way to brighten the day of a stranger. Join us at the library to make some rock creations of your own. Rocks, paint, and brushes will be provided while supplies last.

A six-part class to help children stay more focused and to concentrate better, important skills that can lead to enhanced student performance.

For mobile babies to 5 years old. Drop in to enjoy special play time with your child, meet our friendly Parenting Educators and discover how Forty Carrots Family Center can help you enjoy parenting even more.

Explore, create, discover new technologies, devices, computer programs and tools as you work with all kinds of materials to invent or make something yourself. Limited to 28 participants.

Celebrate Father's Day with story time, donuts, and make dad a craft for Father's Day. Program is for children, families, dads, grandpas, and moms are welcome too. Donuts will be provided while supplies last.

Join the production team of the library's teen podcast "A Pocketful of Rascals" to talk about your interests and record your thoughts on our radio show. 

Teen programs are recommended for grades 6-12. 

For mobile babies to 5 years old.

Drop in to enjoy special play time with your child, meet our friendly Parenting Educators and discover how Forty Carrots Family Center can help you enjoy parenting even more.

Free lunches for anyone up to age 18 will be served in the youth program room June 4-Aug. 3 excluding July 4.

The Chess Club meets every Tuesday from 12-4 in the computer lab. No registration required. 

Free lunches for anyone up to age 18 will be served in the youth program room June 4-Aug. 3 excluding July 4.

Free lunches for anyone up to age 18 will be served in the youth program room June 4-Aug. 3 excluding July 4.

Free lunches for anyone up to age 18 will be served in the youth program room June 4-Aug. 3 excluding July 4.

Free lunches for anyone up to age 18 will be served in the youth program room June 4-Aug. 3 excluding July 4.

Chess lovers meet and play chess with other chess lovers. All skill levels are welcome.

Join us every Monday through the summer for family movies and refreshments! Stop by the youth department for a full list of movie titles.

Ask an E-Help volunteer for all your technology-related questions and predicaments. Held every Tuesday in the public meeting area.

Get ready to move this summer with an official instructor from Sarasota Contemporary Dance Company. In this free workshop, teen participants will learn how to dance Hip-Hop style!

Teen programs are recommended for grades 6-12.

Use your imagination and creative abilities to make things. Each session will be a different do-it-yourself activity.

Want to learn more about Florida-Friendly gardens, composting, or citrus trees? Need a plant or insect identified?

Bug Songs is a fun program that will introduce children to music, songs about bugs, and educational, fun facts about bugs used in the performance.  Tom Cornwell performs this lively program for school aged children to 3rd grade.  Older s

Have fun finding out about all kinds of drums and percussion instruments with Barbara. Make music and rhythm sampling different instruments yourself.

Want to learn more about using a computer or your device?

Sign up for your 30 minute session with one of our librarians.

Sessions are set up for Wednesdays starting at 1:00 pm.

Call 941-861-1360 to sign up.

Loss of friends and family, work, physical ability or a sense of identity ... these realities signal critical life changes, but can also be catalysts for personal growth.

A fun, exciting, and educational science program. The Mad Scientist will unlock the mystery of sound using ordinary items to make spectacular noises. Sponsored by the Friends of Elsie Quirk Library.

Socrates Café is a gathering where people from different backgrounds get together and exchange thoughtful ideas and experiences while embracing the central theme of Socratic teaching; the idea that we learn.

Drop in and explore your creative side by painting rocks to inspire and encourage others. Supplies provided, first come, first served.

Kids ages 6-12. Each week we'll explore different musical forms via special performances, instrument show-and-tell, and creating musical instruments with everyday materials. Check with the library to learn more about each week's activities.

Have you read this year's One Book One Community selection Sing For Your Life - A Story of Race, Music, and Family by Daniel Bergner?   Would you like to add it to your list of Books-to-read?  Come join us for this Book Discussion a

Learn how to use NoveList Plus and your favorite books to find other titles and authors to build your summer reading list.

Sarasota County Extension Services Master Gardeners are here to help folks identify plants, flowers, etc. as well as care for them.  Get expert advice on your landscaping needs.

Snakes have long been the objects of fascination, fear and even revulsion. In the natural world, snakes perform valuable environmental services that benefit other species and even the human population!

Jack, The Computer Guy, will explain how your computer works and why it doesn't.

Free entry. Win prizes! 

Work on your own creations or build as a team.  We provide the LEGOs, you provide the imagination.  We provide Duplo Blocks for younger siblings.

Join the Death Cafe for monthly support and discussions on death the end-of-life. Visit www.deathcafe.com for more information.

Create a paper chain showing the phases of the moon to liven up any room, just in time for the Solstice!

Work on your own creations or build as a team. We provide the LEGOs, you provide the imagination!

Drop in to play and create with different materials each week.
June 11: Brain Flakes
June 18: Gears! Gears! Gears!
June 25: Pipe Cleaner Creatures
July 9: Tissue Box Guitars
July 16: Crafty Percussion Instruments

Do you carry a song in your heart and a tap in your toes? Then join us on Monday afternoons all summer long for Musical Monday Matinée! Each Monday we'll be screening a different musical in our Juliano Room at 2:30 p.m.

Ages 6-11. Magician Gerard Tricarico entertains with amazing magic tricks, juggling, and surprising illusions. Limit 80.

Drop in to get assistance with and ask questions about downloading library books to your computer and other devices, such as the Kindle, Nook, iPad, iPod, iPhone and Android phones and tablets.

This program is for teens who are interested in craft creations. Judy Levine will be hosting an optical illusions printmaking workshop. Teens will be creating a three dimensional art piece to take home with them.

Every week, we will focus on a form of tech, such as Coding Games, Let's MakeyMakey music games, and Introduction to 3D Design! Ages 11-18. Click the titles below to go to register for the specific event.

New movies every Tuesday in the meeting room. Movie schedules are published bimonthly and available at the front circulation desk. 

Learn about music, musicians and instruments, show off what you know and win prizes!

Interact with trained horses and talk to the deputies in the Mounted Patrol Unit with the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office to learn about this fascinating branch of law enforcement.

Join us for an adventure, where we'll search for pieces of Pirate Pete's treasure map, leading everyone closer and closer to the lost treasure. This special event includes magic, music, balloon animals, and much more!

In this three-week class, you will create your own tote bag from scratch! Ages 12 and up, participants must attend each session. Registration is required, limit six participants. 

Unfamiliar with your new phone? Here's a hint, if it's not an iPhone, it's an Android. Come learn the basics of setting up and operating smartphones running on Android-based operating systems.

Ages 11-18.

For people who want to improve their Spanish speaking skills. Come practice your pronunciation and oral understanding through conversation and instruction of this romantic language. Everyone is welcome.

Are you a movie buff? Interested in watching critically acclaimed films and learning a little bit about the movie industry as well?

Teens and tweens, think you’ve got cool moves? Learn some new ones in this hip-hip dance class facilitated by Sarasota Contemporary Dance. All levels of experience welcome! Open to teens and tweens ages 11+.

Meets every first and third Friday of the month. Topics vary each session but always cover a lively science subject.

Coloring sheets and tools provided.

Coloring pages, markers, color pencils, and crayons will be provided.

Come and join us as we introduce new books to independent readers.  A different book from a series will be highlighted each month. This month we will be seeing the movie and comparing it to the book "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" by Jeff Kinney.

Drop in and play with Brainflakes and Gears! Gears! Gears! Recommended for ages 5 and up.

All skill levels welcome at this friendly, drop in chess club.

Children are invited to read with certified pet therapy dogs.

This program encourages conversation and develops reading and communication skills.

The dogs love the attention and the kids love the interaction.

Children are invited to read with certified pet therapy dogs from Suncoast Humane Society. This program encourages conversation and develops reading and communication skills. The dogs love the attention and the kids love the interaction!

Looking for something a little more advanced than basic Spanish lessons? Every Monday from 3:30-5:00 join an open group of intermediate Spanish speakers for a small discussion-oriented lecture.

Join the G.A.R.D.E.N (Gardeners and Readers Develop Naturally) Club for gardening fun! Activities to inspire the green thumb in everyone! *Registration is required*

Drop in to get assistance with and ask questions about downloading library books to your computer and other devices, such as the Kindle, Nook, iPad, iPod, iPhone and Android phones and tablets.