Week Calendar

Want to learn more about Florida-Friendly gardens, composting, or citrus trees?  Need a plant or an insect identified?  On the first and the third Monday mornings of the month, from 10am to 12 pm, Gulf Gate Library hosts the Master Garde

For mobile babies to 5 years old. Drop in to enjoy a special uninterrupted playtime with your child in our FREE Partners in Play® (PIP) groups. Meet our friendly Parenting Educators and discover how play and learning go hand-in-hand.

Expand Your Horizons with Qigong (Chi Kung)

Qigong is an ancient mind body practice integrating slow, gentle movements with the breath and a relaxed state of mind to energize and balance the body to maintain and maximize

Enjoy special uninterrupted play time with your child in our drop-in FREE Partners In Play® (PIP) parenting education groups.

Join us for songs, rhymes, play, and of course great stories! Engage kids in visual literacy, language development, and social skills in a fun class presented by our Youth Services team.

Local author, Dr. George Eisen will discuss his latest book and the chain of events that lead to the writing of this hitherto untold chapter of the Holocaust. 

Paint and decorate a unique gift for a loved one. Choose from wooden puzzles, ornaments, toys, bookmarks and more!  For Adults.

Supplies provided by the Friends of Elsie Quirk Library.

Use 1 of our 4 Brother sewing machines on Your Own Project. Must Know How to Sew. Machines available on first come first serve basis.

On the first and third Tuesday of each month, the Pop-Up will be at Longboat Key with books for all ages and a Storytime for children. Swing by to sign up for a library card and read a book by the beach! 

This special storytime features baby sign language, rhymes, songs, books, and playtime.

Registration is not required. Attendance is first come, first serve as room capacity is limited. Please see youth staff the morning of the program.

For mobile babies to 5 years old. Drop in to enjoy a special uninterrupted playtime with your child in our FREE Partners in Play® (PIP) groups. Meet our friendly Parenting Educators and discover how play and learning go hand-in-hand.

Get into the adult coloring craze! Join us for a fun and unique way to unwind, reduce stress, and express your creativity at the Shannon Staub Library.

All supplies will be provided. Artistic talent is not required.

Come and get assistance with your genealogy research from experienced and knowledgeable volunteers

Ages 0 - 5, attending with caregiver.

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.

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.

Joy McIntyre, Opera singer & Associate Professor Emerita, Boston University presents:

 Wagner's The Ring of the Nibelung, A Modern Fable

Children ages 2-8 and their caregivers are invited for Wednesday morning free-play time, with an assortment of toys and props to inspire the young imagination! Drop-in anytime between 10:30am and 11:30am.

Do you need access to a sewing machine for practice? Or do you need help with a sewing or mending project? This is an open lab for adults with basic sewing machine experience.

Do you want help with...

eBooks, movies, eAudiobooks

Email how-to

Using your device

Library Database Resources

Cyber Security Questions

Printing Questions

or something else? 

Come and socialize with fellow knitting, crocheting and sewing enthusiasts! All levels welcome. Bring your current project to work on.

Stumped by technology? Your technology questions can be answered through an in-person appointment with one of our Tech Navigators. Tech Navigators are library staff members ready to assist you with technology skills.

For mobile babies to 5 years old. Drop in to enjoy a special uninterrupted playtime with your child in our FREE Partners in Play® (PIP) groups. Meet our friendly Parenting Educators and discover how play and learning go hand-in-hand.

For mobile babies to 5 years old. Drop in to enjoy a special uninterrupted playtime with your child in our FREE Partners in Play® (PIP) groups. Meet our friendly Parenting Educators and discover how play and learning go hand-in-hand.

The Short Story Discussion group meets the second Thursday of each month moderated by Ellen Bilangi. Readings will be from "That Glimpse of Truth: the 100 Finest Short Stories Ever Written" selected and introduced by David Miller.

For infants to five years, attending with caregiver. The storytime includes simple stories, nursery rhymes, songs, fingerplays, and crafts. Space is limited. Free tickets are available at the youth desk beginning at 10 a.m.

For ages 2-5. Join us for story time filled with a variety of early literacy activities that include music, stories, movement, crafts and school readiness. 

Come get assistance with your genealogy research. Bring your questions!

Join us at the North Port Library for storytime!  Songs, crafts and stories guaranteed! 

This program features a variety of coloring and craft projects for kids to be as creative as possible. 

Crafts are geared towards ages 2-6, but children of all ages are welcome. Registration is not required.

Join us for friendly discussion, book recommendations, and insight! 

We will be discussing 84, Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff

Bertha is back!

Mrs. Palmer, in full regalia, tells the story of her amazing life, her many adventures, and her special influence in Sarasota.

For mobile babies to 5 years old. Drop in to enjoy a special uninterrupted playtime with your child in our FREE Partners in Play® (PIP) groups. Meet our friendly Parenting Educators and discover how play and learning go hand-in-hand.

Bringing a baby into the world can fill our hearts with joy and love, and our minds with questions and wonder.

For mobile babies to 5 years old. Drop in to enjoy a special uninterrupted playtime with your child in our FREE Partners in Play® (PIP) groups. Meet our friendly Parenting Educators and discover how play and learning go hand-in-hand.

Get ready to create: you bring the idea, we bring the tools! 

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. Drop in to enjoy a special uninterrupted playtime with your child in our FREE Partners in Play® (PIP) groups. Meet our friendly Parenting Educators and discover how play and learning go hand-in-hand.

For mobile babies to 5 years old. Drop in to enjoy a special uninterrupted playtime with your child in our FREE Partners in Play® (PIP) groups. Meet our friendly Parenting Educators and discover how play and learning go hand-in-hand.

Join us for our monthly book club that delves deep into mysteries! 

Michael Pugh - "When Only G-d Knew"

Can the Bible be proven beyond the preponderance of evidence or beyond a reasonable doubt through ancient writings, and modern archaeology, or science to be historically and scientifically accurate?

The Writer's Circle was created for writers of all types and genres. Whether you write Fiction, Poetry, Lyrics even Stand-Up Comedy; here, you will find a welcoming place via Zoom to share and if you wish to, discuss your work.

Come play American mah jongg at Selby Library! Beginners and experienced players welcome. 

Please come on time to start the game with others. 

Everyone is welcome to the open-topic discussions of the Socrates Cafe.

Bring your projects, patterns, and questions to Elsie Quirk Library and join the Quirky Knitters for an afternoon of knitting and crochet.  All skill levels welcome.  Registration is not required, so come on in to knit and chat!

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.

Teens in grades 6 through 12 are welcome to hang out, play games, and more.

Join us as Jane Mahler takes us on a trip to Madagascar.

The Republic of Madagascar is home to some of the world’s most unique flora and fauna from Lemurs, colorful chameleons and towering baobab trees.

Stumped by technology? Your technology questions can be answered through an in-person or distance appointment with one of our Tech Navigators. Tech Navigators are library staff members ready to assist you with technology skills.

Teens in grades 6 through 12 are welcome to hang out, play games, and more.

Join the fun as we explore various arts and craft formats!  Sponsored by the Friends of the North Port Library.

Local authors Ron Prouty and Peggy Donoho discuss the research behind their book “Miguel's Bay: The Pioneer Tale of Miguel and Frederica Guerrero.” MIguel Guerrero, a Menorcan sailor born in 1817, established a fishing rancho on Terra Ceia Island

Teens in grades 6 through 12 are welcome to hang out, play games, and more.

Interested in your family's genealogy but don't know where to start?

Teens in grades 6 through 12 are welcome to hang out, play games, and more.

The Shannon Staub Library will be open for this special event from 1 - 5 p.m.

Writing from the Bones: A Songwriting Workshop

LAST Stop is a drop-in program designed for teens in 6th through 12th grade to participate in fun activities, talk with friends, have snacks, and play games.

In this workshop, we’ll show you how to unlock the secrets of creating captivating realms filled with magic, mythical creatures, and epic quests.

LAST Stop is a drop-in program designed for teens in 6th through 12th grade to participate in fun activities, talk with friends, have snacks, and play games.

LAST Stop is a drop-in program designed for teens in 6th through 12th grade to participate in fun activities, talk with friends, have snacks, and play games.

Award-winning children's authors and writing teachers Dianne Ochiltree, Ryan Van Cleave, and Sylvia Whitman tell you everything you need to know about writing for children--whether you want to create picture books, middle grade fiction or nonficti

National Novel Writing Month (or NaNoWriMo for short) is an annual creative writing event in which participants attempt to write a 50,000-word manuscript during the month of November.

LAST Stop is a drop-in program designed for teens in 6th through 12th grade to participate in fun activities, talk with friends, have snacks, and play games.

Learn basic computer coding and video game development!

Unleash your imagination!

Learn how to craft suspenseful plots, develop chilling settings, and create characters scary enough to haunt readers' nightmares. Brought to you by the Ringling College of Art and Design.

Club Art is a collaborative space to draw, paint, hang out, and be creative! Various art supplies will be provided. E.g., Graphite, charcoal, watercolor, oil pastels, paper, and more!

Ages 10-18 welcome

No registration required

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.

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

For children ages 5-12. Space is limited and registration is required.

Meet therapy dogs and their owners.  Enjoy the benefits of spending time with therapy pets!

A different project every week!

Ages 6+.

Teens and tweens can play video games with Wii, Switch and Playstation consoles.

Want to get more involved with the library?

Help plan, volunteer at library events and provide feedback on library services.

Children are invited to read with certified pet therapy dogs. The program encourages conversation and develops reading and communication skills.

Join us for this free performance! No ticket required. 

Play the classic role-playing game with a new group of players/adventurers.

Join us for a Family Movie Night!

We will be featuring Studio Ghibli movies for the rest of the year:

September: The Secret World of Arriety

October: Kiki's Delivery Service

November: Ponyo

A bi-monthly open mic jazz jam session for amateur jazz performers and listeners.

Join us for Family Game Night in the Storytime Room on Tuesdays from 5 - 7.

Various board games/tabletop games will be available.

ROAR! is The Ringling's free storytime that connects art with early literacy. At this program, we read together, make art, and learn about an object in the museum.

Join us for LEGOs in the Storytime Room on Thursday from 5-7.

Both DUPLOs and regular LEGOs will be available.

~ The Music Man (1962) ~

Traveling con artist Harold Hill targets the naïve residents of a small town in 1910s Iowa by posing as a boys' band leader to raise money before he can skip town.

Two Florida writers discuss how Florida and its history of kooky crimes have affected both crime-writing and the state's reputation.

Oceanview Publishing will be at Selby Library talking all about mysteries! Oceanview is an independent book publisher specializing in the best in mystery, thrillers, and suspense.

A self-described "feral child who was raised in libraries," Gaiman credits librarians with fostering a life-long love of reading. 

Neil Gaiman has been honored with  4 Hugos, 2 Nebulas, 1 World Fantasy Award, 4 Bram Stoker Awar

Writing with A.I. with author and writing instructor Rick Dakan.