Summer Reading Program: Congratulations, Grand Prize Winner!

Hey, meet our big winner! Congratulations to Kayleigh B. who won the grand prize in the "Escape the Ordinary" adult summer reading program. The Friends of Smyrna Library purchased GoPro HERO cameras for both the adult and Young Adult reading raffles. Do something epic, Kayleigh, and share the footage with us!

Summer Reading Program: Congratulations to Weekly Winners

Congratulations to weekly winners in the "Escape the Ordinary" Summer Reading program. They won books, flash drives, coffee mugs, and gift cards to local restaurants (courtesy of the Friends of Smyrna Library).

2015 Summer Reading Program Finale

The Friends of Smyrna Library sponsored the 2015 Summer Reading Program finale today to cap off our support of the entire program since late May. The summer theme for the kids’ program was “Every Hero Has a Story” and our reading heroes were out in force!

The Youth Services team put on a wide array of activities that kept the kids busy and entertained.  Activities included hero crafts, face painting, an obstacle course, sidewalk chalk artistry, lots of soap bubble fun and more.

The Friends of Smyrna Library sincerely appreciate all of the great work of the Children’s Service team this summer.         

FOSL passed out the ice cream and had a small book sale of New York Times Bestsellers.  All had a great time!  Click this link to enjoy the photos.

     

FOSL 25th Anniversary Project #2 Completes: 2,000 Photos Organized Into Online Albums

Over the past 25 years we have taken a lot of photos.  The library also had quite a few in old photo albums.  

To commemorate our Silver Anniversary we searched, scanned and organized 2,000 photos into over 150 online photo albums.

The oldest photo is from the 1930s. There is a large assortment of 1970s and 1980s Summer Reading Program photos too. There are around 1,800 photos of Friends of Smyrna Library events over the years. 

Albums are ordered chronologically. If you have scanned photos you can contribute please email jjatlanta@gmail.com.   

Click this link: https://picasaweb.google.com/113792345765857937547

FOSL 25th Anniversary Project #1 Completes: All Old Printed FOSL Newsletters Now Online

The Friends of Smyrna Library published THE LINK printed newsletter from 1994 to 2010.   It highlighted the activities at the Smyrna Public Library and the support from FOSL to promote appreciation of the library within the community. In 2010 we moved to an online format to take advantage of new technology and share information more quickly.

To celebrate FOSL’s 25^th anniversary this year we located all printed copies of our past newsletters. They have now been scanned (over 600 pages) and are available on our website.

Additionally, our online news blog now has over 250 articles dating back to 2010. Enjoy reading the old newsletters and the new blog entries!

Click here to take a walk down Memory Lane: http://tinyurl.com/p9rvuhm

Dr. Jennifer Garlen Presents a Celebration of Harper Lee

Dr. Jennifer Garlen presented a celebration of beloved Southern author, Harper Lee, on the eve of the publication of her second novel today. In addition to the speaker’s presentation, attendees enjoyed deliciously Southern refreshments and special access to the reserve list for Go Set a Watchman. One lucky attendee won a gift basket.

The arrival of Harper Lee's second book, Go Set a Watchman, makes the summer of 2015 an especially appropriate time to revisit her 1960 debut, To Kill a Mockingbird, which earned the Pulitzer Prize and became a beloved American classic. Reading this iconic novel is more than an exercise in nostalgia, however, since Lee's themes and problems are still very much with us today. The author's brilliant handling of such thorny issues as racial prejudice, injustice, class inequality, and even gender roles makes To Kill a Mockingbird as much a work for the present moment as it was for the 1960s.

Enjoy the photo album

Speaker Bio: Dr. Jennifer C. Garlen holds degrees in English Literature from Agnes Scott College, Georgia Southern University, and Auburn University. She teaches for LearningQuest in Huntsville, Alabama, and is the author of several books, including Beyond Casablanca: 100 Classic Movies Worth Watching and the YA fantasy novel, Wierm's Egg.  

   

Oral Historian Pat Burns Presents WWII at Smyrna Public Library

Oral historian Pat Burns presented at today’s “First Sunday” lecture.  

Ms. Burns introduced her videotaped interview with World War II veterans entitled "The Cobb County Boys" comprised of multiple interviews with local veterans. The program featured a display of World War II photographs. Audience members had the opportunity to sign up to participate in an oral history training workshop, directed by Bill Marchione, who has had much experience over the years in oral interviewing.

Thank you Ms. Burns for an excellent presentation.

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

Pastels by Paula Landry Opens in Art Gallery

The July and August art gallery exhibit opened today - Pastels by Paula Landry. Ms. Landry's work is on display until August 30. The art gallery is located on the 2nd floor of the Smyrna Library. The display gallery exhibits are sponsored by the Friends of Smyrna Library.  

Artist Statement:

Paula Landry is a pastel artist living and working in Smyrna, Georgia. After many years of teaching art in the Cobb County School District, she has spent her retirement years focusing on expanding and exploring her own artistic skills.

With a BFA in Art Education from the University of Southern Mississippi and a Master’s from the University of Georgia, Paula has studied and has shown work everywhere from France to the small towns of the Southeast. Paula’s portraits and landscapes reflect the vibrant colors found in the Georgia landscape. She is often commissioned for her informal child portraits.

Porcelain Paintings by Mary Belle Cordell Opens in Display Gallery

The July and August display gallery exhibit opened today - Porcelain Paintings by Mary Belle Cordell. Ms. Cordell's work is on display until August 30. The display gallery is located on the 2nd floor of the Smyrna Library. The display gallery exhibits are sponsored by the Friends of Smyrna Library.  

Artist Statement:

Mary Belle Cordell is a porcelain art teacher, certified by the World Organization of China painters. She has studied at the prestigious Penland School of Arts and Crafts, the Virginia Douglas School of Porcelain Art in N. Carolina, and with internationally known porcelain art teachers. She paints in many mediums but her first love is porcelain painting.

Mary Belle has a broad experience in teaching this fine art and is presently on the staff of the Boca Museum of Art the Art School. She attributes her successful professional life to a challenging teaching style and a passion for porcelain painting. Her commissions have included painting very large murals on tiles and designing the smallest porcelain boxes from Limoges, France.

As a tribute to her fine eye, the works of Mary Belle are in several prestigious private collections including the collection of best-selling author Mary Higgins Clark. A winner of many awards from regional South Florida art shows, Mary Belle continues to be nourished by her art and the passion it inspires in her teaching.