Take the 2025 Summer Reading Challenge & Color Your Summer
With Stories 🎨
It's almost the end of another school year, and summer will soon be in full swing! It's the perfect time to read, explore and celebrate every shade of imagination by joining our 2025 Summer Reading Challenge. This year’s theme, Color Our World, invites you to discover how books bring vibrant stories, ideas and experiences to life. Here's how you can participate:
- Visit any library location to join anytime from Saturday, June 7 through Saturday, July 26, and pick up a Summer Reading & Activity Log. You can also download a copy online.
- Complete any combination of the following each week: read three books, read for three hours or attend library learning activities. Track your progress on your log.
- Library cardholders ages 18 years and under are eligible for weekly rewards – just bring your log to any library location to collect them.
- Complete all seven weekly challenges to score a voucher for two tickets to a Miami Marlins game provided by UHealth.
- Participants will automatically be entered into the grand prize drawing at the end of the seven-week challenge for a chance to win great prizes (one entry per cardholder, ages 18 years and under)!
Reading just 20 minutes a day helps keep young minds sharp. It builds vocabulary, strengthens focus and helps prevent the “summer slide” – learning loss that can occur when students are out of school for the summer break – plus, it boosts happiness and it's fun!
For more information and to view the list of prizes, our sponsors and additional resources, visit www.mdpls.org/2025SummerReading.
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Wildlife Show 🐊
Get up close with amazing creatures in this interactive animal experience led by a skilled animal trainer! Learn fascinating facts and meet a variety of friendly critters. All ages.
Saturday, June 7 – Saturday, July 19
Various Library Locations & Times
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Color Your World with Books starring Brent Gregory! ✨
Step into a world of wonder with magician Brent Gregory! Packed with jaw-dropping tricks and laugh-out-loud moments, this interactive magic show celebrates imagination, reading and the excitement of the Summer Reading Challenge. All ages.
Saturday, June 7 – Monday, August 4
Various Branches & Times
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resource spotlight
Hey, Readers! Use NewsBank to Boost Your Summer Reading 📚
Need some reading inspiration and fun activities for this year’s Summer Reading Challenge? Check out NewsBank’s newly added 2025 Summer Reading Color Our World resource tile and explore a colorful collection of articles, themed reading lists, creative projects and more.
From journaling tips and art projects to music history highlights, there’s something for every reader, available 24/7, free with your library card. And don't forget, you can also read the Miami Herald and search its archives back to 1904 through NewsBank.
Click here to start exploring.
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Hurricane season 2025
Stay Safe: Get Your Severe Weather & Emergency Readiness Guide at the Library 🌪️
Hurricane season begins June 1 – are you prepared? Pick up a free copy of Miami-Dade County’s 2025 Severe Weather and Emergency Readiness Guide at any Miami-Dade Public Library System location to help you get started.
The guide is offered in English, Spanish and Creole and provides essential tips for staying safe during hurricanes, extreme heat and flooding. Learn how to build an emergency kit, create an evacuation plan, establish a communication plan and more.
For more information or to access the guide online, visit www.miamidade.gov/hurricane.
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LIFELONG LEARNING
Mark Your Calendars: Adult Learning Academy Summer Semester Begins in June 📝
Get ready, lifelong learners! Registration for the Library’s Adult Learning Academy Summer 2025 semester opens Monday, June 2.
Explore a new language, strengthen your reading and math skills or prepare for the U.S. citizenship exam with free online and in-person evening classes taught by certified teachers. Classes begin Monday, June 23 and are available to Miami-Dade County residents ages 18 years and up.
For more information and to register, visit www.mdpls.org/AdultLearning.
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tutoring
Stay on the Learning Track This Summer with Free Tutoring from the Library 📓
Keep your child's learning strong and avoid the "summer slide," learning loss that can happen when students are out of school, with the Library’s free Homework Help & Tutoring Program. Students in grades K–12 can boost their skills with in-person, 60-minute group tutoring sessions every Saturday from June 14 through August 9, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., at select library locations.
Led by certified teachers, the sessions help strengthen reading, math and science skills while helping students build confidence and prepare for the new school year.
To view the full list of participating library locations, visit www.mdpls.org/tutor.
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COMMUNITY INFORMATION
Free Summer Dual Enrollment Program for Middle & High School Students 🏫
Calling all middle and high school students! Get a head start on college and explore exciting career paths this summer through Miami Dade College Wolfson Campus' free Generation FINN Dual Enrollment Summer Program.
Eligible students will choose two courses and join an activity track in STEM, business or liberal arts to expand their knowledge and earn up to six college credits. Participants may also qualify for a $500 stipend!
Deadline to apply is Friday, May 30. Classes begin Monday, June 30.
To learn more and enroll in the program, click here.
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employee spotlight
Daniel Cordones Delivers Dedicated Passport Services to Our Community ✈
For more than 20 years, Daniel Cordones has dedicated his career to serving others. After more than two decades with the Miami-Dade County Clerk of Courts Office, he joined the Miami-Dade Public Library System in May 2023 as a passport services clerk. Currently based at the West Kendall Regional Library, Daniel assists patrons with the U.S. passport application process, ensuring each submission is completed accurately and submitted on time.
What inspired you to pursue a career at the Library?
The community we serve. I’ve always found joy in helping people accomplish something important. Whether it’s a newly issued passport or hearing that a child was able to travel and visit family for the first time (thanks to our services), those are moments that stay with me. Listening to people’s stories and being a part of their journey is what motivated me to make a career change and dedicate my remaining public service years to the Library.
What is your favorite part about working for the Library?
The team! I’ve made great friendships and love how we come together – not just for work, but also through events like the Library’s annual United Way Bowling Tournament and team picnics that help support Making Strides Against Breast Cancer. There’s a strong sense of community here that I hadn’t experienced in previous roles.
What do you consider to be a personal achievement in your career at the Library?
I take great pride in mentoring others. It’s incredibly rewarding to see those I’ve trained thrive in their roles, especially when they receive praise for their outstanding service. Knowing I’ve played a part in their growth and success makes the feedback even more meaningful.
What was the last book or eBook you read and what did you think of it?
Losing Spring by V.C. Andrews. It’s a dramatic story centered on a young woman caught in a web of family secrets and forbidden love. The emotional weight the protagonist carries is intense, but it builds toward a deeply satisfying conclusion. I couldn’t put it down.
Do you have a favorite Library program or event?
Definitely our annual May the Fourth Be With You Star Wars Day events. Dressing up in costume and engaging with the community in such a fun, creative way is something I never got to do in previous jobs. It’s a highlight of the year for me.
U.S. Passport Services Update
The South Dade Regional Library is currently closed for an interior renovation and modernization project. Beginning Tuesday, June 3, U.S. passport services will be temporarily relocated to the Naranja Branch Library.
Click here for service hours and more information.
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online event
Genetic Genealogy: Best Research Practices 🧬
Genetic genealogy may at times unveil unexpected family secrets. Discover how breakthroughs in genealogy research can lead to complex ethical questions. Join this virtual session led by certified genealogist Jennifer Zinck to examine real-life scenarios, learn how professionals navigate sensitive discoveries and much more. Registration is required. Ages 18 years and up.
Saturday, June 7, 2 – 3 p.m.
Register Online
Presented by the Library’s Special Collections & Archives Division.
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art at the library
Explore Humanity’s Place in the Universe with Rosemarie Chiarlone 🌍
Experience a powerful journey with The Story, a mixed media exhibition by artist Rosemarie Chiarlone. Inspired by sculptor Albert Vrana’s 1962 concrete bas-relief The Story of Man and author Carl Sagan’s Pale Blue Dot, this thought-provoking installation invites viewers to reflect on culture, fragility and the threads that connect us all.
On view now through July 17
Miami Beach Regional Library
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community memory project
Preserving Stories from Miami-Dade’s Migrant Communities 🗣
As part of the third annual History Collaborative, a community archiving event organized by Miami-Dade County’s Office of Historic Preservation, the Library partnered with HistoryMiami Museum and Plusurbia Design to digitize scrapbooks, collect oral histories and spotlight the deeply-rooted history of farm workers during the 1960s.
Learn more about how the Library is preserving these personal stories in the latest Digital Collections Blog.
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MDPLS Local Author series
Celebrate Fatherhood with Macarena luz Bianchi 🤗
Experience love and gratitude as Macarena luz Bianchi presents her heartwarming book, Dear Dad: A Poem of Appreciation. This heartfelt poem spotlights the meaningful lessons and lasting support fathers provide their children. Registration is required. Ages 4 years and up.
Saturday, June 7, 10:30 – 11:30 a.m.
Northeast Dade-Aventura Branch Library
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Special Storytime
Read Books with Mowgli the Eastern Screech Owl 🦉
Have a hoot during this special storytime presented by Pelican Harbor Seabird Station! Meet Mowgli the Eastern Screech Owl for an up-close animal encounter, then enjoy a themed book reading and activity. Registration is required. Ages 4 - 7 years.
Saturday, June 7, 1 – 2 p.m.
Doral Branch Library
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digital magazines
Ready to feel your best this summer? Explore a variety of digital magazines on fitness, gut health and more – available for free with your library card through OverDrive and the Libby, by OverDrive app! Check out our featured picks below and start fueling your mind and body today!
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Looking to boost your well-being or try something new in the kitchen? From vegan food alternatives and live cooking demonstrations to hands-on salad-making and more, explore a variety of inspiring and informative programs at your local library.
In addition to the programs highlighted here, you can also visit our online Calendar of Events to see what else is happening at your library. Select a date and filter your search by event type, keyword, age range or library location to get started.
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Vegan BBQ Cookout 👨🍳
Learn how to prepare healthier versions of classic BBQ recipes with vegan chef Janay Laing, including plant-based pulled pork, dairy-free mac and cheese and more. Registration is required. All ages.
Friday, May 30, 4:00 – 5:30 p.m.
Allapattah Branch Library
Healthy Plates, Healthy Families 🍴
Join Florida International University’s Department of Dietetics & Nutrition for a fun and informative session on building healthy eating habits, including meal planning, shopping and more. All ages.
Friday, June 6, 4 – 5 p.m.
Naranja Branch Library
Sensational Salads 🥗
Get hands-on in this creative cooking session. From grilled peaches to Mediterranean-inspired ingredients, discover fresh ways to create wholesome, delicious salads. Registration is required. Ages 8 years and up.
Tuesday, June 10, 11 a.m. – noon
North Central Branch Library
Prediabetes & Type 2 Diabetes Screening 👨⚕️
Take part in a free screening for prediabetes and Type 2 diabetes and start taking steps toward a healthier future. Registration is required. Ages 19 years and up.
Tuesday, June 10, 12:30 – 1:30 p.m.
Westchester Library Health and Wellness Information Center
Presented by the Lions Association for Diabetes Awareness.
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