Pick up seeds. Learn how to compost. Find out how to make dinner in only 30 minutes. Check out a toy. Exchange a jigsaw puzzle.

If the only time you visit your local library is to vote, it’s time to change that. The library system offers so much more. Yes, you can still check out books. But thanks to innovative programs and partnerships with other organizations, including the UF/IFAS Extension, chefs, Master Gardeners and nutritional experts, you can learn about, well, just about anything.  

Ellen Book, Pinecrest branch manager, has long been arranging cooking classes and gardening classes. During the pandemic, those classes went virtual. “We did Zoom calls with chefs doing food demos from their kitchen,” she says. Today, both in-person and virtual classes are popular offerings. 

“We’re here to serve the public and provide services to everyone,” says Leila Khalil, chief, communications and community engagement. Get your library card and start exploring!

Student-Run Pop-Up Café

Kendale Lakes Branch Library Mon.-Fri. from 9:30am-12:30pm 

Grab a coffee and pastries at Sips and Stories, a pop-up café, operated by students with autism spectrum disorders and other learning disabilities. 

Cinema Canopy

Miami Beach Botanical Garden
Sat., Aug. 9, 8-8:30pm

Catch a curated screening of 16mm films pulled from the Miami-Dade Public Library System’s Special Collections and take part in discussions about film, history and archives. The library system has one of the few remaining circulating film collections in the country.

Who’s a Good Boy or Girl? Presents for Pets

Bookmark this event for the holiday season. This annual holiday donation drive at the end of the year collects toys, treats, cozy blankets and dog beds for animals at the county Animal Services Pet Adoption and Protection Center in Doral. Donation bins will be available from the end of Nov. through Dec. 31 at these library branches: Coral Reef, Coconut Grove, Doral, Golden Glades, Little River, Miami Beach Regional, Miami Lakes, Miami Springs, Naranja, North Dade Regional, Northeast Dade – Aventura, South Dade Regional, West Kendall Regional and Westchester Regional.  

Buy a Book! Donate a Book!

It’s the best deal in town! Visit your library and stock up on books for $2 (hardback) and $1 (paperback). Downsizing your library? Donate your books – not encyclopedias or old textbooks, please – to your local branch so they can find a new home. 

Miami Seed Share – West Kendall Regional Library

Help yourself to a free packet of seeds! Pick up and drop off local seeds plus information on what grows well here. Bonus: Find copies of Edible South Florida here, too!

Discard Used Batteries – Coral Gables Branch Library

Don’t throw those old batteries in the trash where they end up in the landfill. Bring them to the battery bin in the lobby for safe disposal. 

Wi-Fi on the Go – Multiple locations

Park in a designated drive-up Wi-Fi spot or Wi-Fi enabled parking lot at participating library locations and access free Internet from your car. 

Check Out Toys

Action figures, animals and dinosaurs, dolls, musical instruments, blocks and more are all available for 30-day checkout. Choose from dozens of age-appropriate toy kits. Toy kits are sanitized between check-outs. Main Library, 101 W Flagler St. and local branches

Movies, Books, Music, Magazines Online

Download and stream digital books, audiobooks, online newspapers and magazines anytime, free with your library card.

Get Fit

Check out the calendar of events to find classes in lightsaber training, yoga, tai chi and qigong, Zumba, Pilates, belly dancing cardio strength, Caribbean dance workout and more. Various locations.

Cooking and Nutrition

Spice Heritage Circle

Arcola Lakes Branch

Sat., July 26, 1-2pm and
Sat. Aug. 23, 1-2pm

Monthly gathering where community members share knowledge about how to grow, cook with and preserve spices while exploring their cultural significance. 12+

Nutritional Education Series

North Dade Regional

Mon., July 28, 4:30-5:30pm
Mon., Aug. 4:30-5:30pm

Six-week series focused on practical nutrition, food budgeting and goal setting presented by UF/IFAS.

Cooking the Rainbow

Arcola Lakes Branch

Tues., July 29, 1-2pm and Tues., Aug. 5, 1-2pm

Especially for tween and teen chefs, this hands-on cooking program focuses on colorful snacks using fresh fruits, veggies and other wholesome ingredients.

Campfire Tales & S’mores

Coconut Grove Branch Library

Thur., July 31, 4-5pm

Bring your blanket for a digital campfire experience with s’mores and campfire stories. Ages 5-13.

YOUmake Miami: Culinary Creations

Miami Beach Regional

Thur., July 31, 3:30-4:30pm; Thurs., Aug 14, 3:30-4:30pm; Thurs., Aug. 28, 3:30-4:30pm

Learn valuable cooking skills while whipping up tasty treats. Ages 12-18.

Healthy Afternoon Snack

Westchester Library Health and Wellness Information Center

Fri., Aug. 8, 3-4pm and Fri., Aug. 22, 4:30-5:30pm

Interactive cooking series. K kids can prepare their own snacks and adults can learn new recipes. Ages 3+

Cooking with Chef Jill: Thirty-minute Dinners

North Central Branch

Sat., Aug. 9, 12:30-1:30pm

Create easy dinners, whip up healthy treats and learn your way around the air fryer. Ages 12+.

Afternoon Tea and Talk: Senior Social Club

Miami Springs Branch

Thurs., Aug. 14, 4:30-5:30pm and Thurs., Aug. 29, 4:30-5:30pm

Especially for older adults 55+. Enjoy tea with friends and neighbors.

Healthy Plates, Healthy Families

Naranja Branch

Fri., Aug. 15, 4-5pm

Nourish your family’s health through the power of food and nutrition. Presented by FIU’s Department of Dietetics and Nutrition.

Gardening

Composting at Home 101

Pinecrest Branch/online

Sat., July 26, Sat., Aug. 23, 2-3:30pm

Join UF Master Gardeners to learn how to turn leaves, branches, paper plates and other recyclables into compost. A Zoom link will be emailed to registrants.

Can’t Get to the Library? 

The library can come to you! Ruben Gonzalez, the mobile library services manager, takes the van to events in town. You can borrow items from the traveling collection on the Bookmobiles, which make their rounds throughout the community; or check out the Technobus, a mobile technology learning center. If your neighborhood needs a visit, let them know. See their schedules here: mdpls.org/mobile-library
Miami-Dade Public Library System

These are among the many events taking place at Miami-Dade public libraries this summer. Some are in-person, others online or both. Register at mdpls.org. South Dade Regional Library and the Lemon City Branch Library are currently closed for renovations.