Summer @ Jax Library
Whether you're digging into a good book, uncovering hidden histories, or exploring the past, every person and every community have stories waiting to be found and shared. Unearth a Story™ underscores the joy of discovery that reading brings.
Visit the your favorite Jacksonville Public Library location June 1 through August 1, 2026, and spark your family's curiosity, imagination, and learning. It's all 100% FREE, all summer long!
Featuring:
- TriceraTOP-notch storytimes,
- DINO-mite guest performers,
- Hands-on art and science labs,
- Reading challenges, games, and more!
Unearth Even More Fun
Want to dig up free books and fun prizes? Click the buttons below to explore all the fossibilites!
Read and Earn Free Books
How to Play Reading Dragons
For Kids (Birth - Age 12)
For Teens (Ages 12 - 18)
For Adults (18 and Over)
Don't miss out. Be the first to know about programs and events!
Build Your Home Library
Don't forget to pick up your free summer prize books at a Summer Reading Kick-Off Party near you. Kids and teens can earn additional books and prizes by completing a Summer Reading Prize Tracker.
If you read every day this summer, you can complete up to three trackers, meaning you can:
- Earn up to three more books for your home library
- Earn eight additional Reading Dragons card sets (32 cards)
Many locations will also host Scavenger Hunts or give out Bingo Cards. Prizes and incentives may vary by location. Please ask your neighborhood librarian for more details.
Community Partners
20 Minutes a Day Paves the Way
Research shows that summer library programs can help prevent summer learning loss and set kids up for future reading and academic success. Summer reading keeps kids connected to books, creativity, and discovery while they are away from the classroom. That is why Jacksonville Public Library is a proud member of Read Jax, a community effort to improve third-grade reading outcomes.
We’ve also adopted the slogan "Twenty Minutes a Day Paves the Way" because research has shown that reading (and being read to) just 20 minutes a day can:
- Provide time for parents and caregivers to bond with children
- Prepare pre-kindergartners for school
- Expose children to as many 1.8 million words per year
- Help students reach the 90th percentile on standardized tests
- Improve their earning potential later in life
- Lead to healthier lives
Note: Prize books were made possible by donations to Tenikka's Books for Kids (annual book drive) and the Library Foundation of Jacksonville. Since it launched in 2018, Tenikka's Books for Kids has put nearly 40,000 books in the hands of local children.
If you're visiting us in person this summer, you're sure to come across posters, bookmarks, and other marketing materials featuring the beautiful artwork by illustrator Tom Bonson whose work you may recognize from from Where Did the Dinosaurs Go?. Dinosaurs, paleontology, and archeology are consistently cited as high-interest areas for children and families, offering rich opportunities to spark curiosity, imagination and learning across all age groups. The slogan UNEARTH A STORY™ was chosen to align with this theme and is a Collaborative Summer Library Program (CSLP) trademark which may only be used with prior written permission.
