Friday, June 20, 2014

FOSL Board of Directors Quarterly Update

FOSL, founded in 1990, is an independent, non-profit, volunteer organization that supports the award-winning Smyrna Public Library through fundraising events and volunteer activities. The Board of Directors, all of whom are unpaid volunteers, meets once a month. Below is a brief summary of key decisions made in APR-JUN 2014 that will be of interest to the local community.


  • $2,000 was approved to build a new Teen Area on the 2nd Floor
  • The Spring Jonquil Festival Book Sale raised $1900
  • FOSL’s Summer Reading Program sponsorship includes two new programs – one for teens and one for adults 
  • Meet the Artist event scheduled with Judy Garrard and Brenda Romero on July 19
  • Ice Cream Social Approved for August 10
  • Fall Community Read Program named “Smyrna Reads” is planned for September with events throughout the month; the featured novel is “Until Tuesday: A Wounded Warrior and the Golden Retriever Who Saved Him” by Luis Carlos Montalván
  •  “Dinner with Destiny: Meet Mr. Lincoln” fundraiser and community event scheduled for November 1
  • First Sunday Lecture for February 2015 (Black History Month) will feature a Tuskegee Airman 
  • First Sunday Lecture for March 2015 will honor Women’s History Month
  • A grant was received to host “Dust, Drought, Dreams Gone Dry”, a traveling exhibit on the Dust Bowl. It will be for 6 weeks March – April 2015. GPB will help with publicity.


Thursday, June 19, 2014

Smyrna City Council Recognizes Dedicated Library Volunteer

At Monday's City Council Meeting, the Library's best and most hard-working volunteer was honored for her years of service to Smyrna and Smyrna Library. Congratulations, Lina Clare Isanhour, for this well-deserved honor. Clare is pictured with Councilman Corkey Welch. 

Thank you for your volunteer service!

Monday, June 16, 2014

Interesting Summer Program Conducted Today: The Science of Spinning Wool



Instructor Nan Remus led a workshop today how wool spinning was done thousands of years ago, before the invention of the spinning wheel. Spinning on a simple spindle was commonly done, preparing flax and wool to be woven into clothing, tents and sails. 


Although the end result was the same, the type of spindle used in different areas was quite different. Nan will exhibit samples of Russian, Tibetan, Turkish, Indian, and many European spindle types as well as samples of different fiber types for comparison.


Today’s participants worked “hands-on” with the fibers and spindles and enjoyed a unique and quality cultural experience.

Nan Remus has a degree in art, but spent her working life in the engineering world at Lockheed Martin. She learned to knit at a very young age and has always been interested in the history of the craft. 

Most of her spinning is done on hand spindles in the ancient technique, but she will confess to owning five spinning wheels in addition to her ‘healthy’ spindle collection.

Thank you Ms. Remus for a great workshop today!

Tuesday, June 10, 2014

FOSL Sponsors “Draw with Michael P. White” Event

Georgia illustrator of The Library Dragon books, Michael P. White, led an interactive show us how one idea can start a story and how an author and illustrator work together to bring a story to life.  The event was held at the Smyrna Community Center.

Today’s fun event was one of the “Fizz, Boom, Read!” Summer Reading Program activities sponsored by the Friends of Smyrna Library,

Thank you Mr. White for the great show.  The kids really enjoyed it!

Saturday, June 7, 2014

Summer 2014 Recommended Reading List

The Friends of Smyrna Library recommend the following books for the spring reading season. This season’s featured book is Until Tuesday by Luis Carlos Montalvan.

All The Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Any Other Name by Craig Johnson
Bittersweet by Miranda Beverly-Whittemore
Carnal Curiosity by Stuart Woods
Chestnut Street by Maeve Binchy
Delicious! by Ruth Reichl
Etched in Sand by Regina Calcaterra
Field Of Prey by John Sandford
Ghost Ship by Clive Cussler And Graham Brown
Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
Gone by Mo Hayder
Inferno by Dan Brown
Jaws by Peter Benchley
Killing Jesus by Bill O'reilly
Missing You by Harlan Coben
Natchez Burning by Greg Iles
Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline
Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn 
Skin Game by Jim Butcher
Sniper's Honor by Stephen Hunter
Suspicion by Joseph Finder
Thankless In Death by J. D. Robb
The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt
The Hit by David Baldacci
The Husband's Secret by Liane Moriarty
The Invention Of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd
The Last Kind Words Saloon by Larry Mcmurtry
The Lincoln Myth by Steve Berry
The Longest Ride by Nicholas Sparks
The Paris Wife by Paula Mclain
The Skin Collector by Jeffery Deaver
The Son by Jo Nesbo 
The Target by David Baldacci
The Vacationers by Emma Straub
Thrive by Arianna Huffington 
Uganda Be Kidding Me by Chelsea Handler
Walking On Water by Richard Paul Evans
Wedding Night by Sophie Kinsella

Compiled by FOSL Volunteer

Tuesday, June 3, 2014

Summer Reading Program: Congratulations to Kathy M.

Congratulations to Kathy M. who won the Volcano modeling kit at last night's Maker Monday movie. Join the Friends of Smyrna Library Book Club discussion of "The Day the World Exploded" for more volcano talk. (6/3/14 - 7pm - Smyrna Library Conference Room)

Monday, June 2, 2014

FOSL Sponsors D-Day Lecture by Joe Kirby

Joe Kirby, author, journalist, and historian, presented a slideshow/lecture at the Smyrna Public Library yesterday on the topic of D-Day, organized around photos he took on a recent trip to Normandy. The talk was very well received. 

With the 70th anniversary of D-Day just around the corner, this seemed an especially appropriate topic for the library's popular first Sunday lecture series, sponsored by the Friends of the Smyrna Library. Joe Kirby is the editorial page editor of the Marietta Daily Journal, the author of four books, and an accomplished speaker. Thank you Mr. Kirby!

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