School will soon be out for the summer and the Main Library Downtown has a full slate of activities for teenagers and tweens scheduled during the break.
The 7th Annual Teen Battle of the Bands is scheduled June 23 in the Multipurpose Room at the Main Library Conference Center.
The competition is open to all genres of music as long as all band members are 12-18 years of age. The event is limited to eight bands, which each will have 15 minutes to perform. The emphasis is on original music because only one cover song will be allowed per band.
This year, a complete drum kit and sound system will be provided to speed up the transition between bands.
The event has outgrown the Hicks Auditorium and organizers expect at least 400 spectators for this year’s contest.
“It gets people into the library who may not realize there’s more to the library than books. We want to enhance the community’s experience of seeking all types of information,” said Kaity Barrand, library associate senior.
Prizes, including time in a recording studio and a YouTube-ready video, will be awarded to the top three contestants.
Sponsors for this year’s battle are Green Team Media, Sunburst Studios, True Tone Recording, Friends of the Jacksonville Public Library, Five Star Pizza and Wayne and Delores Weaver.
The band competition is the biggest one-day event of the summer, but there’s a variety of activities planned for teenagers at the Main Library, said Teen Services Department Senior Librarian Keli Likins.
“There’s something to do almost every day,” she said.
“Movie Madness” is scheduled every Monday, offering films for teens. Titles are rated PG and PG-13 and “superhero” movies will be on the schedule this summer, said Barrand.
“A lot of teens also like to see old movies, like from the ‘80s,” said Barrand.
Every Tuesday is “Gaming Day” when the department sets up electronic game platforms as well as board games.
Wednesdays are reserved for book clubs and an educational partnership with the Museum of Contemporary Art based on the museum’s current feature exhibit, “ReFocus: Art of the ‘70s.”
By enrolling in the Summer Reading Program and reading at least six books, teens are entered in a grand prize drawing. Likins said this year’s specific prize hasn’t been announced, but she knows the category.
“It will be some type of personal electronic device. It might start with ‘i,’” she said.
Teens who are interested in learning how the library works can enroll in the Student Volunteers program. By working for at least 10 hours during the summer at the Main Library or any branch library and writing a short story, participants are entered in a drawing for cash prizes of up to $300.
Volunteer hours can count toward the Florida Bright Futures Scholarship or other educational grant programs, Likins said.
“There are more programs for teens at the library during the summer than any other time of the year. We take up the slack for the school system,” said Barrand.
To learn more about services for teenagers available from the Jacksonville Public Library, visit jaxpubliclibrary.org.
356-2466