Libraries Closed for Staff Training

Libraries will open two hours later than usual due to a scheduled staff training. View the relevant date and special open time for each location.

At Broward County Libraries, the month of May is packed with great events! We have cultural, international and literary delights galore, as well as heritages to celebrate, galactic battles to wage, gardens to tend, businesses to grow, veterans to salute – the list goes on!

We kick off the month by celebrating Star Wars Day on May 4th, better known as “May the Fourth Be with You.” Check our events calendar (search “Star Wars” and choose desired date range) for movie marathons, games, activities and a fun Mandalorian-themed crafting program for teens.

Throughout May, Broward County Libraries serve our diverse communities by commemorating Jewish American Heritage Month, Haitian Heritage Month and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. Join your neighbors at events including a free Jewish Heritage Month Concert by soloist Ester Brewda, happening live at Weston Branch, or “Krik Krak,” a Haitian Heritage Month family storytelling show at NSU-Alvin Sherman Library, both on May 6th. The African American Research Library and Cultural Center will also host “Celebrating Freedom” May 18-20,  a three-day event series celebrating both Haitian Flag Day and Florida Emancipation Day.

I’m also looking forward to learning all about Japanese art, history and culture from Wendy Lo of the Morikami Museum at an upcoming presentation at the Pompano Beach Library. At Main Library, we’ll be exploring kintsugi or “golden repair,” the Japanese art of restoring broken pottery pieces as something beautiful. Incidentally, did you know we offer free tai chi classes on Fridays at Northwest Regional and on Mondays and Wednesdays at Davie/Cooper City Branch? If you haven’t tried it, please do! It’s a perfect mind/body exercise for all abilities.
       
My Director’s Book Club will discuss Erika Lee’s The Making of Asian America: A History, which has been described as the definitive history of Asian Americans by one of the nation’s preeminent scholars on the subject. Join me online or in-person at the Hallandale Beach Branch and the Northwest Regional Library to join in the conversation. 

Another key observance in May is Small Business Month – a perfect moment to check out our Creation Station Business Coworking Hub at Main Library, where you’ll find training and resources to start or grow your business with professionals eager to help you. This month we offer the free course, Introduction to Project Management with Patricia Ojeda, a senior management consultant in technology, marketing, and operations with an MBA in Strategic Planning. Stop by and see what we can do for you.

College-bound students – you are in luck! We are bursting at the seams with free college readiness workshops that would cost a fortune elsewhere. These include immersive SAT/ACT prep classes, as well as workshops on financial literacy for students, creating a winning scholarship essay and ways to maximize your summer break. Start now to assure your success.

May is also a glorious time for gardeners. Perhaps that’s why it’s Gardening for Wildlife Month! I invite you to a program on that topic at Miramar Library as well as to Sunrise Dan Pearl Branch, where we’ll be painting clay pots for your garden. This month (and all year round), let’s do all we can to make our community an eco-friendly haven for bees and birds. 

As a reminder, we are closed on Monday, May 29th for Memorial Day, in honor of service men and women who have made the ultimate sacrifice of their lives for this country. Join us at the Weston Branch on May 13th for a Memorial Day Tribute with music and a special presentation for veterans. 

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Allison Grubbs
Broward County Library Director

Library Events Calendar

All program details are available on our Events calendar - to find a specific event use the search box, filters and select your desired date range.

Book Sanctuaries Now Open at All Library Locations