Palm Beach County Library Association Event Photos

2025 Winter Quarterly Meeting - Cox Science Center and Aquarium - January 2025

Art After Dark Social - Norton Museum of Art - January 2025

Olive Garden Social - December 2024

Book + Art: Crazy Brave by Joy Harjo + Artworks by Rose B. Simpson - Norton Museum of Art - July 2024

2024 Annual Meeting - Spanish River Library - June 2024

2024 Spring Quarterly Meeting - Boynton Beach City Library - April 2024

Art After Dark - Norton Museum of Art - February 2024

Moonlight Cemetery Tour - Woodlawn Cemetery - January 2024

2023 Winter Quarterly Meeting - Mounts Botanical Garden

2023 PBSC Panther Harvest Festival - Loxahatchee Groves Campus

2023 Fall Quarterly Meeting - Society of the Four Arts

2023 SEFLIN Annual Conference - Palm Beach County Convention Center

2023 Annual Meeting - Lantana Public Library

2023 Winter Quarterly Meeting - Mounts Botanical Garden

Moonlight Cemetery Tour - Woodlawn Cemetery - December 2022

2022 Fall Quarterly Meeting - Cox Science Center and Aquarium

Ugly Sweater Holiday Party - Palm Springs Public Library - December 2021

2021 Summer Scavenger Hunt

The Norton Museum of Art Virtual Tour - August 2021

The virtual tour provided a look at a sampling of the Norton Museum's remarkable, diverse collection that has grown to over 8,000 objects since the museum was established 80 years ago by Ralph and Elizabeth Norton. The collection includes ancient Chinese jades and bronzes, artworks by Gauguin, Picasso, O'Keeffe, Pollock, and contemporary pieces by leading artists such as Keith Haring, Njideka Akunyili Crosby and Mickalene Thomas. Click here to view the recording.

Spady Cultural Heritage Museum Virtual Tour - May 2021

Spady Cultural Heritage Museum Executive Director, Charlene Farrington, takes us on a virtual tour of the museum, located in Delray Beach, Florida. The museum is dedicated to discovering, collecting and sharing the African-American history and heritage of Palm Beach County. Located in the former home of the late Solomon D. Spady, the most prominent African-American educator and community leader in Delray Beach from 1922-1957, the museum opened in July 2001 and is the only Black History Museum & Cultural Center of its kind in Palm Beach County. Click here to view the recording.

Virtual Tour of the Ripley's Believe it or Not Archive - February 2021

Ripley’s Believe It or Not archivist, Kurtis Moellmann, takes us on a virtual tour of the Ripley’s warehouse archives in Orlando, followed by a Q&A. With about 30,000 exhibits in the collection, we learn about pieces from two-headed calves, to movie memorabilia, and ancient Egyptian scrolls!

Family Day With PBCLA at the Manatee Lagoon - February 2020

Winter 2020 Quarterly Meeting - Palm Springs Public Library

Thank you to Suvi Manner for the wonderful presentation about the Palm Springs Public Library renovation, to Vickie Joslin for the information about COALA’s new ILS Koha, and to Rebekah Stewart and Karen Garcia for the tour of the renovated library!

2019 Annual Meeting - The Society of the Four Arts King Library

A panel discussion on library renovation and construction with library directors Rachel Schipper of The Society of the Four Arts, Douglas Crane of the Palm Beach County Library System, and Craig Clark of the Boynton Beach City Library, was followed by the election of Palm Beach County Library Association officers and directors and a tour of The Society’s campus. Congratulations to newly elected PBCLA President Elizabeth Griffin, Vice President/President Elect Simone Clunie, and Director Ellen Kentner!

2019 Spring Quarterly Meeting - Maltz Jupiter Theatre

2019 Winter Quarterly Meeting - The Book Cellar in Lake Worth

Todd Ketcham, the Book Cellar’s chief bookseller, talked about independent bookstores and the publishing industry. The key to the Book Cellar’s success, Ketcham says, is that “every item in the store is here because someone who works here fell in love with it, and they know they can sell it.” Ketcham presented ideas for partnerships between libraries and independent bookstores — including hosting local author showcases and promoting each other’s events — to ensure that authors who should be heard have a chance to be heard, and read. He recommended the Authors Guild survey as an excellent resource for more information about the current state of the writing profession. Median author income was $6,080 in 2017, down 42 percent from 2009, with writers of literary fiction experiencing the biggest decline.

Palm Beach County Library Legislative Breakfast - Four Arts King Library

PBCLA President Graham Brunk and PBCLA Vice President Elizabeth Griffin represented the association at the Library Legislative breakfast at the Four Arts King Library on Monday, Dec. 3. Palm Beach County Library System Director Doug Crane presented data and information about libraries in Palm Beach County to local and state legislators.

2018 Fall Library Tour - Palm Beach State College Lake Worth Library

PBCLA’s first library tour of 2018-2019 was Friday, Nov. 9, at Palm Beach State College’s Harold C. Manor Library at the main campus in Lake Worth. Thank you Janet Naughton and Raychell Harris for a fun and informative behind-the-scenes look at the college library. After the tour, participants competed for prizes in an inaugural round of the game "How much do you know about PBCLA?" created by Janet.

2018 October Social - TGI Fridays in Royal Palm Beach

2018 Fall Quarterly Meeting - Delray Beach Public Library

Karen García of the Palm Springs Public Library and Isabella Rowan of the Delray Beach Public Library discussed their work building libraries and supporting communities in Guatemala and Kenya. Karen and Isabella both received PBCLA professional development awards that helped to fund their trips.

Karen, who is from Guatemala, traveled to the country with 12 other librarians from California, North Carolina, Texas and Canada on a Librarians Without Borders service trip. The group set up a school library, where they worked with students of all ages and taught teacher and parent workshops.

Isabella’s trip to Kenya was part of Project Humanity’s Kenya Library Project. She brought books to islands in Lake Victoria in western Kenya for schools in the islands’ rocky, rural hillsides. Elementary school is free in Kenya, but books are expensive. A single paperback can cost a day’s wages. Find out more about the Delray Library’s continuing partnership with the Kendu Bay, Kenya, community on The Kenya Library Project Facebook page.

2018 April Social & Fundraiser - California Pizza Kitchen, Wellington

We raised over $230.00 for PBCLA and had a lot of fun doing it. Thanks to all that turned out. See you next month at our next event. For more information visit our events page here. 

2018 Spring Quarterly Meeting - Delray Beach Public Library, Delray Beach

The 2018 Spring Quarterly meeting featured guest speaker Cristina Farah. She discussed the benefits to both librarians and the community on bringing social workers into libraries. The presentation was followed by a tour of the Delray Beach Public Library that included the newly renovated children's area that features a recording studio, 3D printing, and many interactive technologies. Join us for our next event, a PBCLA Social from 7-9pm on April  27th at California Pizza Kitchen in Wellington. For more information, visit the events page. 

2018 Spring Library Tour - Spanish River Library

For our 2nd Library Tour of the year, we visited the Spanish River location of the the Boca Raton libraries. Library Manager, Ann Nappa led a tour for PBCLA members that included a visit to the rooftop terrace. The group then sat down for a round-table to discuss advocacy efforts taking place at the city libraries in Boca Raton. Topics discussed included: meeting community needs, anticipating future trends, and current initiatives of the library. We hope to see you at the next library tour this Summer at Palm Beach State College, please visit our events page for more information to come. 

2017 December Social - Christopher's Kitchen, Palm Beach Gardens

Our December PBCLA Social was held at Christopher's Kitchen in Palm Beach Gardens. Food, wine and fun were on the menu! See you at the next social! 

2017 Fall Library Tour - St. Vincent De Paul Regional Seminary Library

The 1st stop on our new PBCLA Library Tour series! PBCLA members got a behind the scenes look at the Saint Vincent De Paul Seminary Library in Boynton Beach. Join us for our next event a PBCLA Social on December 8th at Christopher's Kitchen in Palm Beach Gardens. For more information, visit the events page. 

2017 Fall Quarterly Meeting - Mandel Public Library of West Palm Beach

Join us November 3, 2017 for our next event a PBCLA Mixer/Fundraiser that will be held at Blaze Pizza in Royal Palm Beach. For more information, visit the events page. 

2017 September Social - Agliolio Fresh Pasta & Wine Bar

A big thanks to Agliolio's who hosted PBCLA this month and also donated a gift card to the organization that we will raffle off at the next quarterly meeting. The food was great, the company was lively, and there were a few new faces! If you missed out on the fun, be sure to join us October 18th for our Quarterly Meeting that will be held at the Mandel Public Library in West Palm Beach. For more information, visit the events page. 

2017 August Talk and Taste - Dave's Last Resort

This month PBCLA members got together at Dave's Last Resort. This casual tavern, with it's funky artwork was just the place to get the weekend started. A fun time was had by all! Come join us for our next event to be held at Agliolio's Italian Bistro & Bar. Visit the events page for more details and to RSVP. 

2017 Annual Meeting - Pine Jog Environmental Education Center

The 2017 Annual Meeting featured several speakers that offer services to special populations in Palm Beach County. The organizations that presented included: The Agency for Persons with Disabilities, The Homeless Coalition of PBC, The Mental Health Association of Palm Beach County, PBC Youth Services Department, and The Arc of Palm Beach County. Our meeting included a PowerPoint overview of the activities and fundraising done by PBCLA this year and the election of the new officers to the Board of Directors.

2017 Spring Quarterly Meeting - Compass Community Center

The 2017 Spring Quarterly meeting featured speakers from both the Compass Community Center and the Palm Beach County Human Rights Council. These representatives discussed how their organizations support the LGBTQ community of Palm Beach County. The presentation was followed by a tour of the Compass Community Center that included time for browsing the Joel M. Starkey library.

2017 Winter Quarterly Meeting - Palm Springs Public Library

Our 2017 Winter Quarterly meeting featured speaker Patrice Schroeder from the 211 HelpLine for Palm Beach and Treasure Coast, who joined us to discuss the services they offer, including the Crisis line, programs for elders, teens, and families, as well as mental health and suicide prevention.  Also,  Rebekah Stewart, the Palm Springs Children’s Librarian, introduced us to the library and highlighted the various services and programs they offer followed by a delightful tour of the facility.

2016 Fall Quarterly Meeting - Lynn University

The 2016 Fall Quarterly Meeting featured guest speaker Mary Ann Hodel, Director/CEO at the Orange County Library System. She discussed the library's outreach activities that were organized in response to Orlando's tragedy at the Pulse Nightclub where 49 individuals lost their lives. Thank you to the Lynn University Library for hosting our event at the World Performing Arts Center, and for the tour that followed. 

2016 Annual Meeting - Society of the Four Arts

The 2016 Annual Meeting featured a riveting keynote speech from Sharon Koskoff, founder of the Art Deco Society Palm Beaches. Thank you to the Four Arts King Library for hosting our event, and for the wonderful tour. Welcome to 2016-2017 Board. 

2016 May Talk and Taste - Le Rendez-Vous

The forecast looked dark and grim on Friday but was soon relieved by an evening of camaraderie and fine Parisian food and drink. The PBCLA Talk & Taste at Le Rendevz-vous was a wonderful success! We were fortunate to welcome several new and familiar faces to our informal gathering.

If you missed out on the fun, don't worry! Plans are already underway for the next PBCLA Talk & Taste. Stay tuned to our social media and remember: "Mangez bien, riez souvent, aimez beaucoup"

2016 Spring Quarterly Meeting - Spanish River Library

Our 2016 Spring Quarterly meeting featured an illuminating and insightful address from our keynote speaker, Dr. Kathryn Miller, from Florida Polytechnic University's "Bookless" Library.  A group of roughly thirty library professionals from across Palm Beach County gathered to network and share ideas, as well as enjoy snacks and a chance to win a raffle basket filled with great movie-related prizes. Be sure to check our Events page to see where you can join us next!

April 2016 Talk and Taste - Brewhouse Gallery

A small but dedicated group of "Talk & Tasters" met up at the fun and funky Brewhouse Gallery in Lake Park to mull over the ins and outs of mentoring new library professionals.  The group fortunately consisted of a few former mentees and mentors with the Palm Beach County Library System.  The venue provided a good mix of tasty indulgences, common areas to gather/chat and a wide mix of games to easily distract all of the "talk & tasters".  An epic game of Jenga by a skilled group of players was the perfect distraction!  In keeping with our theme, there was a little bit of "mentoring" between players!  A fun and worthwhile night for all!  Be on the lookout for our next event!

Scrabble Tournament - North Palm Beach Public Library

Scrabble fever was in the air at the North Palm Beach Library where the Palm Beach County Library Association was hosting its inaugural Scrabble Tournament Fundraiser!  Sixteen scrabble players, from novice to skilled, gathered to put their word knowledge, spelling abilities and strategic playing to the test.  The tournament began with four groups of four squaring off and then the overall top four scorers moved on to the final round to determine a champion.  To help soothe the players, tasty samples from the PBCLA Cookbook were featured!  Be sure to be on the lookout for our next tournament!

February 2016 Talk and Taste - Howley's

November 2015 Talk and Taste - Dada