Hillsborough County, Fla. (Sept. 3, 2025) - Join the Hillsborough County Public Library Cooperative for engaging, entertaining, and informative free programs for the entire family in September. The events listed below are only a sampling of the many scheduled. Find more listings under the "Events & Classes" tab at HCPLC.org.
The views expressed in these programs are those of the presenters and do not necessarily reflect the official policies, positions, or opinions of Hillsborough County, Tampa-Hillsborough County Public Libraries, or the Friends of the Library of Tampa-Hillsborough County, Inc., which do not endorse the presenters. For more information about these and the many other programs at your library, call (813) 273-3652 or visit HCPLC.org.
Be social! Like the Tampa-Hillsborough County Public Library System on Facebook and follow @TampaHillsLib on Instagram, X, and YouTube.
Brick Building
Monday, Sept. 8, from 4 p.m. - 5 p.m.
North Tampa Branch Library, 8916 North Blvd., Tampa, FL, 33604
Explore creativity and problem-solving with colorful building blocks in this guided building activity.
Recommended for children ages 6-12. Registration recommended.
Master Gardener: Monarchs and Milkweeds
Tuesday, Sept. 9, from 6:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.
New Tampa Regional Library, 10001 Cross Creek Blvd., Tampa, FL, 33647
Learn how to identify the different butterflies that rely on specific milkweeds to survive. This workshop will cover the lifespan from eggs to new butterflies hatching in the landscapes.
Registration recommended. Recommended for adults.
Colors in a Leaf
Thursday, Sept. 11, from 4 p.m. - 5 p.m.
Jan Kaminis Platt Regional Library, 3910 S. Manhattan Ave., Tampa, FL, 33611
Exploring how to use chromatography to discover the different colors found in leaves!
Recommended for teens age 13-17. Registration recommended.
Coding with Ozobots
Monday, Sept. 15, from 3:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.
C. Blythe Andrews, Jr. Public Library, 2607 E. Martin Luther King Jr Blvd., Tampa, FL, 33610
Join us in an engaging, hands-on coding activity with Ozobots.
Recommended for children ages 6 to 12. Registration recommended.
Augmented Reality
Tuesday, Sept. 16, from 3:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Town 'N Country Regional Public Library, 7606 Paula Dr., Tampa, FL, 33615
Mix creative, virtual environments with the real world through augmented reality (AR). Bring your own smart phone or tablet to participate and download the app: Quiver-3D Coloring App.
Recommended for teens ages 13 to 17. Registration recommended.
Movie Screening: "My Family, Mi Familia"
Wednesday, Sept. 17, from 6 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.
North Tampa Branch Library, 8916 North Blvd., Tampa, FL, 33604
Three generations of a Los Angeles family love, work, and struggle against discrimination as non-Anglo outsiders in a city that was originally part of Mexico in this exquisitely wrought chronicle of Mi Familia.
Rated R. Intended for adults.
Portrait Drawing Made Easy - A Bilingual Program
Thursday, Sept. 18, from 3:30 p.m. - 5 p.m.
Jan Kaminis Platt Regional Library, 3910 S. Manhattan Ave., Tampa, FL, 33611
Learn to create expressive portraits inspired by arts and culture. Work with colored pencils using an aromatherapy blending gel. No prior drawing experience necessary.
Using a subject inspired by arts and culture, participants learn to create a painterly effect with colored pencils to create expressive portraits. The class/workshop includes a live, step-by-step demo. Classes/workshops can be done in both English and Spanish. Participants are provided with a template of the subject, colored pencils, and blending gel for in-class use, and a sheet protector for their completed portraits.
Available in English, Spanish, and bilingual. Funded by the Friends of the Jan Platt Library.
Turn the Page Book Discussion: "In the Time of Butterflies"
Tuesday, Sept. 23, from 10:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.
Wednesday, Sept. 24, from 6 p.m. - 7 p.m.
Jimmie B. Keel Regional Library, 2902 W. Bearss Ave., Tampa, FL, 33618
Join us for a discussion of "In the Time of Butterflies" by Julia Alveraz.
Synopsis: A fictional account of the young lives of Mirabal sisters Patria, Minerva, and Maria Teresa, otherwise known in the Dominican Republic as Las Mariposas, describes their suffering and martyrdom in the last days of the Trujillo dictatorship. Copies of the book, e-book, audiobook, and e-audiobook are available at the library.
Recommended for Adults. Registration recommended.
Movie Screening: "Coco"
Friday, Sept. 26, from 3 p.m. - 4 p.m.
New Tampa Regional Library, 10001 Cross Creek Blvd., Tampa, FL, 33647
Join us for a movie screening of "Coco" (2017).
Synopsis: Despite his family's baffling generations-old ban on music, Miguel dreams of becoming an accomplished musician like his idol, Ernesto de la Cruz. Desperate to prove his talent, Miguel finds himself in the stunning and colorful Land of the Dead following a mysterious chain of events. Along the way, he meets charming trickster Hector, and together, they set off on an extraordinary journey to unlock the real story behind Miguel's family history. Rated PG.
Recommended for children ages 6-12.
Silver Screen Saturdays: "Blue Beetle"
Saturday, Sept. 27, from 3 p.m. - 5 p.m.
Jimmie B. Keel Regional Library, 2902 W. Bearss Ave., Tampa, FL, 33618
Join us for a movie screening of "Blue Beetle" (2023).
Synopsis: An alien scarab chooses Jaime Reyes to be its symbiotic host, bestowing the recent college graduate with a suit of armor that's capable of extraordinary powers, forever changing his destiny as he becomes the superhero known as Blue Beetle.
Recommended for adults. Rated PG-13.
The Dearly Departed: Conversations on Historic Cemeteries and Death Records
Saturday, Sept. 27, from 11 a.m. - Noon
John F. Germany Public Library, 900 N. Ashley Dr., Tampa, FL, 33602
Please join us for the 11th annual Family Heritage Festival!
Join us for a conversation with Erin H. Kimmerle, Ph.D., who will be speaking about her book, "We Carry Their Bones," which investigates the notorious Dozier Boys School - the true story behind the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel "The Nickel Boys" - and the contentious process to exhume the graves of the boys buried there in order to reunite them with their families.
Recommended for Adults. Registration recommended.
Bring Out Your Dead: Using Death Records to Trace History and Genealogy
Saturday, Sept. 27, from 2 p.m. - 3 p.m.
John F. Germany Public Library, 900 N. Ashley Dr., Tampa, FL, 33602
Please join us for the 11th annual Family Heritage Festival!
This program will show how death records such as obituaries, funeral home records, and cemeteries can be used to show the history of an area. It will also show you how these records can put meat on the bones of our ancestors.
Recommended for Adults. Registration recommended.
STEAM Time: Glow in the Dark Slime
Tuesday, Sept. 30, from 4 p.m. - 5 p.m.
Town 'N Country Regional Public Library, 7606 Paula Dr., Tampa, FL, 33615
Engage in a hands-on STEAM activity. Today's focus is Glow in the Dark Slime.
Recommended for children ages 6-12. Registration recommended.