Smyrna Public Library Celebrates Día

Smyrna Public Library Celebrated Día (el día de los niños/el día de los libros) today.  The activities included stories, crafts, and games for children of all ages. This program was for English and non-English speakers with stories in Spanish and French. Every child in attendance today received a free book.

El día de los niños/El día de los libros (Children's Day/Book Day), commonly known as Día, is a celebration every day of children, families, and reading that culminates yearly on April 30. The celebration emphasizes the importance of literacy for children of all linguistic and cultural backgrounds.

This program was sponsored in part by a Dia Family Book Club Grant from the Dollar General Foundation and the Association for Library Service to Children. 

FOSL Sponsors Silk Scarf Paining Workshop

The Friends of Smyrna Library sponsored a silk scarf paining workshop today. The session was led by Lois Bell. Ms. Bell is exhibiting her painted silk scarves in the upstairs display gallery as the featured exhibitor for March and April.

The workshop lasted 3 hours and cost the attendees $35, which included all supplies. Thank you Ms. Bell for today’s great community activity and for being an exhibitor. 

Great Success at Annual Spring Jonquil Festival Book Sale

Thank you to all of the volunteers and shoppers who made this weekend’s Friends of Smyrna Library Jonquil Festival Book Sale a huge success.  We raised $1,940 to support the Smyrna Public Library.  

The next sale will be in October.  Volunteer shift sign-up will begin in September.  

Thanks again!

Thank You, Book Sale Volunteers

THANK YOU volunteers! 

We finished pricing a record 2,500 books today for this weekend’s Friends of Smyrna Library book sale at the Jonquil Festival. This is our biggest inventory ever! We also categorized them today for the first time ever too. 

Here are the categories: Kids (almost 400 books), Adult Fiction, Cookbooks (over 300), Arts & Crafts, Vintage (50 to 90 years old), Civil War, WWII, Ancient History & Other Wars, Biographies, Geography & Travel, Sports, Arts, Self Help, Reference, Business Management, Marketing, Spanish, Gardening, Décor, Religion, Creative Writing and OTHER. 

We are open on SAT from 10 – 6 and SUN from 12 – 5. Walk-up volunteers welcome. Our tent is in front of the Community Center.

FOSL Funds New Teen Area at Smyrna Public Library

The Friends of Smyrna Library recently funded the creation of a new Teen Area on the second floor.  The area includes new furniture, books and teen-oriented video DVDs.  This is just one of the many exciting items on the agenda for teenagers this year.  Look for more information on a teenager summer reading program and other announcements in the near future.

The next time you are in the library stop by and check it out!

Georgia House Rabbit Society Presents

The Georgia House Rabbit Society (GHRS) hosted a talk at the Smyrna Community Center yesterday with several of their furry friends. GHRS volunteers discussed bunnies, their care and the work of the GHRS and their rabbit shelter.

The kids had a great time learning about the bunnies!

The Georgia House Rabbit Society (GHRS) is an all-volunteer, nonprofit rabbit rescue organization serving the metro Atlanta area and beyond. They were formed in 1996 and have rescued over 3000 domesticated rabbits in need.

In 2010 they opened the Rabbit Center in Marietta, Georgia. The Rabbit Center is the only rabbit specific shelter in Georgia and there are only a few like it in the country.

The stand-alone facility serves multiple purposes. In addition to providing housing for rescued rabbits, the shelter also serves as a learning center, a boarding facility and a source for quality rabbit supplies.

Smyrna Public Library Hosts Poet Collin Kelly to Celebrate National Poetry Month

The Smyrna Public Library hosted Poet and Author Collin Kelly today. His lecture was titled “Creating a Poetry Collection” and was the signature event for the library’s celebration of National Poetry Month.

Mr. Kelley discussed how he created his latest collection, Render, and offered helpful hints on publishing poetry, putting together a book and where to find inspiration. He also read selections from the book.

Collin Kelley is an award-winning poet and novelist from Atlanta. His poetry collections include Render, After the Poison, Slow To Burn and Better To Travel. His novels include Conquering Venus, Remain In Light and the forthcoming Leaving Paris. His poetry, stories and articles have appeared in magazines and journals around the world.

Thank you Mr. Kelly for presenting today!

FOSL Sponsors Noted Genealogist Kenneth H. Thomas, Jr. Presentation

Noted genealogist Kenneth H. Thomas, Jr. yesterday presented to library patrons about the wealth of genealogical resources that reside in the Clare Isanhour Room at in the Smyrna Public Library, one of the finest collections of its type in Georgia. 

Mr. Thomas, a native of Columbus, Georgia, is a graduate of Emory University. He has had an interest in genealogy since the early 1960s when he was in high school. From 1973 until his retirement in 2006 he was Historian in the Historic Preservation Division of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources in Atlanta, working with the National Register of Historic Places. Through his work on the genealogy of Governor and President Jimmy Carter, his genealogy expertise came to the attention of the Atlanta Journal Constitution staff and he was invited to write his well-known genealogical column for that publication.

We thank Mr. Thomas for a thorough and very interesting presentation.

The "First Sunday" lecture series is held in the Smyrna Public Library Meeting Room and is sponsored by the Friends of Smyrna Library.

Author Fran Stewart Presents at April Reading Group Meeting

Author Fran Stewart presented at the monthly Smyrna Reading Group last night.  She reviewed her novel Indigo as Violet.  Ms. Stewart has also presented at the FOSL-sponsored Murder Goes South mystery writers festival in the past. 

Thank you Ms. Stewart for your continued support over many years of the Smyrna Public Library and the Friends of Smyrna Library.   

The Smyrna Reading Group is sponsored by the Friends of Smyrna Library.  The club meets the first Tuesday of each month in the upstairs meeting room.

Author Biography:

Fran Stewart lives a dual life. She is a free-lance editor during the day and a mystery writer at night. Her Biscuit McKee mystery series, set in a small Georgia town, features a middle-aged librarian and Marmalade, the orange and white library cat.

Stewart resides with an assortment of rescued cats beside a creek on the back side of Hog Mountain, just northeast of Atlanta. She donates a portion of all proceeds from her book sales to the Humane Society and the Gorilla Foundation. Her books include Orange as Marmalade, Green as Garden Hose, Yellow as Legal Pads, Indigo as an Iris, and Violet as Amethyst.