Visit From Santa

 

Santa stopped by the library today! What a wonderful Christmas surprise.

Handmade Christmas Tree Topper Fundraiser Underway

The Friends of Smyrna Library have handmade Christmas Tree Toppers for sale in the library atrium. They were made by a FOSL Board Member.  All are priced at only $7.

2018 An Evening with the Friends Holiday Event

We had a great time last night at An Evening with the Friends holiday event. We updated our members on our 2018 activities and honored the memory of long-time FOSL Board member Debbie Battiste.  Thanks to the Pebblebrook High School Chamber Orchestra and Chorus for the wonderful entertainment!

November is National Novel Writing Month

November is National Novel Writing Month. Get your creative juices flowing with a free novel writing workshop at Smyrna Library on Monday, November 5, at 6 p.m. Novelist Amber Brock will discuss tools for creating compelling plots and characters. Seating is limited, so RSVP to sreference@smyrnaga.gov.

Steve Stoichev Art Exhibit Extended Until December 31

Steve Stoichev has graciously extended his art exhibit in the library's Upper Level Art Gallery. He changed out the selection, so be sure to take a look.

The Art Gallery exhibits are sponsored by the Friends of Smyrna Library.

November/December 2018 Display Gallery Exhibit: Ceramics by Adrina Richard

The November/December 2018 Display Gallery exhibit has opened - Ceramics by Adrina Richard. Ms. Richard ’s exhibit is on display through December 31. The Display Gallery is located on the 2nd floor of the Smyrna Public Library. The Display Gallery exhibits are sponsored by the Friends of Smyrna Library.

Artist Statement:

Born to survivors of the Armenian Genocide, Adrina Richard is a first generation American whose upbringing was immersed in the rich combination of two cultures, the near east and the new world.

Growing up, Adrina was surrounded by artists, her father was a professional musician, her mother, and many female members of her family were experts in sewing, crocheting, and knitting — as well as culinary arts.

Both an avid and lifelong collector of ceramics, Adrina was enticed into the world of creating pottery by her best friend. In 2004, nearing the end of her 35-year career in higher education, Adrina made her first pot and she never looked back.

Clay has become Adrina’s passion. She has participated in numerous workshops, experimenting with techniques, forms and methods, developing a style of her own. Full of textures and impressions, Adrina’s work is evocative of her fascination and love of ancient arts, which have surrounded her throughout her life.

Adrina has worked as an artist-in-residence and studio assistant for many years at MudFire Clayworks & Gallery in Decatur, Georgia. She has also participated in numerous regional shows and exhibits work in several regional galleries.

Huge Selection of Donated Civil War Magazines

 

Hello, Civil War history buffs!  We just put out a HUGE selection of Civil War history magazines for just 10 cents each in the Friends of Smyrna Library Bookstore.

Movie DVDs and Books on CD Pop-Up Sale

We are having a Pop-Up Sale in the library lobby on Movie DVDs and Books on CD. All are only $2!!! Proceeds benefit the 2019 Summer Reading Program.

First Sunday Lecture: James Edward Oglethorpe: Georgia’s Founding Father

First Sunday Lecture
James Edward Oglethorpe: Georgia’s Founding Father

Sunday, November 4, 2018
3:00-4:00 p.m.
Smyrna Public Library, Meeting Room

Presenter: Dr. William P. Marchione

An examination of the life and career of one of the most interesting of America’s founding fathers, the British aristocrat who presided over the early stages of Georgia’s colonial history, who led the venture as much by force of personality as constituted authority. Soldier, scholar, diplomat, philanthropist, city planner, and visionary, Oglethorpe’s life and career, with its myriad twists and turns, is both fascinating and instructive, foreshadowing in many ways the complex history of the state he helped found.

The First Sunday Lecture series is sponsored by the Friends of Smyrna Library and Smyrna Library.

FREE ADMISSION

Fall Jonquil Festival Book Sale Concludes - Highest Proceeds Since 2010

We had the most successful book sale since October, 2010 at this weekend’s Jonquil Festival. We raised $2,050 and it is dedicated to the 2019 Summer Reading Program. 

THANK YOU, Smyrna Volunteers and Shoppers. Special thanks to Jonquil Festival organizers, JRM Management, for supporting our book sales for over 20 years!.

Thank You, Volunteers

THANKS to all of the volunteers who sorted 3000 books and 1000 CDs/DVDs/Audio Books this week for the annual Friends of Smyrna Library Fall Book Sale this weekend at the Jonquil Festival. We have an enormous selection of children’s books from 25 cents to $3. Equally enormous is the selection of hardback fiction novels, nonfiction, paperbacks, cook books, crafting books and many more genres. 

We open at 10 am on Saturday morning. Our tent is located in front of the Smyrna Community Center. 

Genealogy Workshop: Researching Your Military Ancestors

November is the centennial anniversary of the armistice which ended World War I. Smyrna Library is honoring this anniversary with a genealogy workshop, "Researching Your Military Ancestors."  

This free workshop, underwritten by the Friends of Smyrna Library, is Saturday, November 3, at 10:30 a.m. at Smyrna Library. Seating is limited, so RSVP to sreference@smyrnaga.gov.

Thank You, Mayor Bacon

Thank you, Mayor Bacon, for being yesterday's Mystery Reader  The kids had a great time the mayor did an awesome job. The kids learned so much about him and his job. 

Smyrna Reads 2018: Author Appearance with Thomas Mullen

Smyrna Reads 2018
Author Appearance with Thomas Mullen
Presenter: Thomas Mullen, author of Darktown, Lightning Men, The Last Town on Earth

Thank you, Mr. Mullen, for your book discussion today at the Reed House. 

Award-winning author and Decatur resident Thomas Mullen discussed his novel Darktown and the real-life history that inspired it. Set in 1948, when the city of Atlanta hired its first eight African-American police officers, Darktown paints a portrait of a city on the cusp of great change. Following the stories of two black and two white officers, the book explores resonant issues of race, police, and the criminal justice system while showing how the coming Civil Rights Movement would impact life in Atlanta, the South, and the United States--in ways we're still experiencing today.

Thomas Mullen’s newest novel, Lightning Men, was named one of the Top Ten Crime Novels of 2017 by The New York Times. He’s the author of four other novels, including Darktown, an NPR Best Book of 2016, which was shortlisted for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize, the Southern Book Prize, the Indies Choice Book Award, and was nominated for two Crime Writers Association Dagger Awards; The Last Town on Earth, which was named Best Debut Novel of 2006 by USA Today and was awarded the James Fenimore Cooper Prize for excellence in historical fiction; and The Many Deaths of the Firefly Brothers, which was awarded the Townsend Prize for best novel by a Georgia author. Two of his books have been named Books All Georgians Should Read, and the "Darktown" series is being developed for television by Amazon Studios, Sony Pictures, and executive producer Jamie Foxx. He lives with his family in Decatur.

Attendees also enjoyed refreshments and a booksigning after the presentation.

Smyrna Reads is sponsored by The Friends of Smyrna Library.

Thank You, Smyrna City Administrator Saddler-Jones

Special thanks go to Smyrna City Administrator, Tammi Saddler-Jones, and her son, Leland, for leading today's "Mystery Reader" story time. After reading "Giraffes Can't Dance," we did the hotdog dance and talked about Tammi's responsibilities as administrator.

Librarians from Okinawa and Japan Visit the Smyrna Public Library

Librarians from Okinawa and Japan visited the Smyrna Public Library today. They had traveled to North Carolina for training but were evacuated due to Hurricane Florence. We loved sharing our library with them and trading information on how we serve our unique communities.

Thank You, Cobb Senior Services (CSS)

Thank you, Cobb Senior Services (CSS), for the fantastic "SAIL: Stay Active & Independent for Life" demonstration class this morning at Smyrna Library. September is "Falls Prevention Month," and the Smyrna Public Library is pleased to partner with the Cobb County Public Library System and Senior Services for important events like this one. 

We had a blast, thanks again!

Flute and Harp Recital, with Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Principals Christina Smith and Elisabeth Remy

Thank you to Ms Smith, Ms Remy Johnson, the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, and the wonderful audience members who made this program such a joy. What a great afternoon.

Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Principals Christina Smith, flute, and Elisabeth Remy Johnson, harp, presented an afternoon recital of flute and harp music today. The program included a wide variety of works, from American composers to the tango music of Astor Piazzolla. The program also included descriptions of their instruments and the musical selections, and time for questions and answers. 

Christina Smith is one of the most sought-after flutists in the country as an orchestral player, soloist, chamber musician, and teacher. This is her 27th season as principal flutist of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, and her flute solos can be heard on 40 ASO recordings. She has also appeared with the orchestra numerous times as concerto soloist. A graduate of Interlochen Arts Academy, she studied at the Curtis Institute of Music as a pupil of the legendary Julius Baker. 

Ms. Smith has also studied with Jeffrey Khaner, Tim Day, and Keith Underwood. Ms. Smith has recently appeared as guest principal flutist with orchestras such as the Chicago Symphony, LA Philharmonic, and the orchestras in Vancouver, Baltimore, St. Paul and Pittsburgh. Equally passionate about teaching, Ms. Smith serves on the faculty at Kennesaw State University and Emory University.

Elisabeth Remy Johnson is principal harpist of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, where she is frequently a soloist. Ms. Remy Johnson gives solo and chamber music recitals throughout the U.S.A. and teaches at Emory University, Georgia State University, and Kennesaw State University. In addition to numerous recordings with the ASO, she has recorded several solo and chamber CDs, most recently, “A Christmas Collection” for solo harp. Ms. Remy Johnson is a graduate of Harvard University, Phi Beta Kappa, where she majored in Music and French. Her studies were with Alice Chalifoux and Ann Hobson Pilot. 

In addition to her performances with the ASO, recent highlights include performances at the Grand Teton Music Festival, the Meeting House Chamber Music series in New England, and the International Harp Festival in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Ms. Remy Johnson was co-founder and artistic director (2000-2010) of the Urban Youth Harp Ensemble, serving students from the Atlanta Public Schools. She has received Atlanta's Channel Eleven Community Service Award, the TBS Pathfinder’s Award, and the Atlanta Business Chronicle's "Up & Comers Award.”

The First Sunday Lecture series is sponsored by the Friends of Smyrna Library and Smyrna Library.

September/October 2018 Display Gallery Exhibit: Ceramics by Marise Fransolino

The September/October 2018 Display Gallery exhibit has opened – Ceramics by Marise Fransolino.  Ms. Fransolino’s exhibit is on display through October 31. The Display Gallery is located on the 2nd floor of the Smyrna Public Library. The Display Gallery exhibits are sponsored by the Friends of Smyrna Library.

Artist Statement:

I often tell a little bit about how I started as a potter to my new students, hoping to find common ground and to give them an incentive.

For a long time I thought my story was unique, until I started reading other potters’ biographies. It amazes me how many of us arrive to pottery “accidentally”, which makes me understand the changes one can make in life. As you grow up, you prepare yourself to become something. Many will follow that dream and will stick to it till the end. To switch to something else later in life, was not what I would have foreseen for myself!

I was 43 when I stumbled in a pottery class at a local community arts center. I was looking for a break from my professional activities as an Industrial Designer and Sales Representative. Pottery was an alternative, since the watercolor class I was looking for was full. Once I touch the clay and the wheel started spinning, I knew I had found myself! I was a potter and didn’t know it!!!

What was supposed to be a temporary activity became a life’s passion. Since then, from a beginner student, I became a ceramic’s lab assistant, children’s pottery instructor, adults’ pottery instructor, and studio potter. I started selling my work in small galleries and gift shops, participating in outdoors juried arts festivals and invitational art shows.

Looking back I realize how much experience I’ve gained and how my work has improved and changed directions. The more I learn the more there is to be learned and that’s what keeps me going - I love taking the challenges clay offers me! It gives me an un-measurable pleasure to see the successful results coming from the kiln and a learning humble moment when a piece doesn’t make it.

In my opinion, the most rewarding experience is when you have your mind and motor skills in such coordination that your hands can create exactly what your thoughts conceived.

Clay is the refuge where I find my sanity!

September/October 2018 Art Gallery Exhibit: Contemporary Acrylics by Steve Stoichev

The September/October 2018 Art Gallery exhibit has opened – Contemporary Acrylics by Steve Stoichev.  Mr. Stoichev’s exhibit is on display through October 31. The Art Gallery is located on the 2nd floor of the Smyrna Public Library. The Art Gallery exhibits are sponsored by the Friends of Smyrna Library.

Artist Statement:

Steve Stoichev's passion for creating art appearing recognized in a very early age. He was only 4 years old when he desperately clay figurines for his first exhibit.

Steve was born in Sliven, Bulgaria, EU, a very picturesque city with rich cultural life and traditions. He is multimedia artist. Self taught in many aspects, he developed a very distinctive style in any of his art creations. As a fashion designer he developed a company in high fashion for years in Europe. It was a very creative investment full with much success.

He's worked with textile design, sculpture and he is most recognized impressionism. Steve developed a technique of painting to be a joy for the eye and to be touched if the audience is disable to see . He thinks it is not fair that sometimes art cannot be accessible to everyone.

Steve exhibits in two continents and his art is displayed in private and business places. He has lived in Smyrna since 1998 with his wife and three children.

Books & Bricks LEGO-Themed Fundraiser Announced

 

Falls Prevention Workshop Announced

 

Tinker Tuesday

We programmed Ozobots to move based on the color of lines we drew. And our ArtBots created their own artwork with markers, a cup and HexBugs.

Materials for Tinker Tuesday were purchased with generous grants from Gas South, Croy Engineering, the Friends of Smyrna Library, and Google Fiber.

Help Us build Tiny Town

Help us build Tiny Town. Pick a store, house, building or vehicle; then color, cut and glue. We've got all the supplies. You just need to bring your creativity. See you at the library.

The Four Bs: Bach, Beethoven, Brahms, and Berloiz

The Four Bs: Bach, Beethoven, Brahms, and Berloiz

Presenter: Jeffrey Wagner, Northwestern University

Thank you, Mr. Wagner, for presenting "The Four Bs" today. 

Description: The presentation offered a look at the world of classical music by focusing on four of its most well known composers: Bach, Beethoven, Brahms, and Berlioz. It offered musical examples from the masterworks of each of these creators, as well as a look at their remarkable, and very different, personalities and lives.

Jeffrey Wagner holds a BA in Music from Northwestern University, a Masters in piano performance from Indiana University, and has pursued doctoral studies at the Cleveland Institute of Music and Case Western Reserve University. For the past 25 years Mr. Wagner has contributed regularly to Clavier Magazine, where he is a Consulting Editor. During this time he traveled widely in the USA and Canada interviewing over 40 well-known pianists and renowned teachers of music. Mr. Wagner has twice won the Ed Press award for excellence in educational journalism as well as serving as pre-concert lecturer for various Chicago area audiences.

The First Sunday Lecture series is sponsored by the Friends of Smyrna Library and Smyrna Library.

Congratulations to Susan Baker

Congratulations to Susan Baker on her 10th anniversary with the City of Smyrna. Susan has worked in both the Youth Services and Circulation Services departments of Smyrna Library. Thank you for all you do for the Library!

Upcoming Mobile Career Center Visits

Are you a jobseeker? Visit the CobbWorks Mobile Career Center in the Smyrna Public Library parking lot on Wednesday, August 1 or Wednesday, August 8 from 11am-3pm (both days). 

Work Source Cobb will help you with job searches, resume writing, and provide you with free computer time and printing.

Upcoming Perseid Meteor Showers

Planning to enjoy the upcoming Perseid meteor showers? According to EarthSky.org, "the best showing will probably be during the predawn hours on August 12 and/or 13. Perseid numbers often reach 50 or more meteors per hour." No special knowledge or equipment is needed to enjoy them, but if you'd like to read up on meteor showers and constellations of the night sky, Smyrna Library has you covered. Pop in for a great guidebook to learn more.

http://4la.co/1M5GJJ

Building Trades Career Workshop

Are you interested in a career in the building trades? "Build Cobb" will talk about this free training program for Cobb County residents at Smyrna Library on Wednesday, July 25, at 11:00 a.m. See you then!

Summer Reading Program: Congrats, Winners

Congrats to Erin S., Scott M., and also Vicki C. (not pictured) -- all winners in the Adult Summer Reading prize giveaway. There is still time to participate. The Friends of Smyrna Library are giving away one more set of baskets. Pick up an entry form at the front desk on the first floor. Last day to enter is Sunday, July 22.

July/August 2018 Display Gallery Exhibit: Fused Glass by Jennifer Benson

The July/August 2018 Display Gallery exhibit has opened – Fused Glass by Jennifer Benson.  Ms. Benson’s exhibit is on display through August 30. The Display Gallery is located on the 2nd floor of the Smyrna Public Library. The Display Gallery exhibits are sponsored by the Friends of Smyrna Library.

Artist Statement:

Jennifer became interested in fused glass art when she wrote a feature news story on glass artist, Patti Quinn, owner of Aurora Radiant Glass Art. Patti invited Jennifer to create a fused glass plate with her… and later offered her a job. Jennifer worked with Patti in her studio for over a year before she moved full-time into education.

In 2011, owner and glass artist, John Phillips, reintroduced Jennifer to fused glass art at Fire and Light Glass Studio. In 2012, at the encouragement of friends and family, she applied to her first juried art show and was accepted.

“I love how the glass medium is such an excellent metaphor for the human condition. Just as we can only reach our potential when faced with the fire of life’s trials and tribulations, fused glass must be fired in the kiln to become what it never could be without it. The real beauty and potential of the glass is only revealed through the fire! Sometimes the glass doesn’t come out of the kiln the way we expect, but just as life does not always go the way we expect or end with our mistakes… glass can always be reworked… and sometimes those unexpected outcomes can turn into the impetus for inspiration and creation of artwork more beautiful than originally conceived!”

Today, Jennifer lives in Mt. Airy, Georgia where she is the owner of Jennifer Benson Glass Art. She continues to develop her glass skills, seek new challenges, and create glass art and artisan pieces for beauty and function.

July/August 2018 Art Gallery Exhibit: Chinese Calligraphy by the Atlanta Chinese Calligraphy Association

The July/August 2018 Art Gallery exhibit has opened – Chinese Calligraphy by the Atlanta Chinese Calligraphy Association.  The exhibit is on display through August 30. The Art Gallery is located on the 2nd floor of the Smyrna Public Library. The Art Gallery exhibits are sponsored by the Friends of Smyrna Library.

Artist Statement:

The Atlanta Chinese Calligraphy Association was formed in July 2012. Our President is Yaohua Luo and our Vice President is Yiling He.

Since our founding we have been promoting Chinese calligraphy through holding workshops and participating in community events.

First Sunday Lecture: What’s With All the Peaches?

First Sunday Lecture
What’s With All the Peaches?
How the Georgia Peach Became a Southern Symbol

Sunday, July 8, 2018
3:00-4:00 p.m.
Smyrna Library, Meeting Room

Speaker: Dr. William Thomas Okie, author of The Georgia Peach: Culture, Agriculture, and Environment in the American South

Imprinted on license plates, plastered on billboards, stamped on the tail side of the state quarter, and inscribed on the state map, the peach is easily Georgia’s most visible symbol. Yet Prunus persica itself is surprisingly rare in Georgia, and it has never been central to the southern agricultural economy. Why, then, have southerners - and Georgians in particular - clung to the fruit? In this presentation, Kennesaw State professor William Thomas Okie will explain how the peach became such an important cultural icon for the South even as it became increasingly difficult to grow over the course of the twentieth century, and what that tells us about culture and agriculture in the American South.

Speaker Bio: William Thomas Okie grew up in the Georgia peach belt, studied history at Covenant College and the University of Georgia, and serves as associate editor of the journal Agricultural History. As Associate Professor at Kennesaw State University, he teaches American history, food history, and history education. He lives with his family in unincorporated Cobb County, Georgia. The Georgia Peach: Culture, Agriculture, and Environment in the American South (Cambridge University Press, 2016) is his first book.

The First Sunday Lecture series is sponsored by the Friends of Smyrna Library and Smyrna Library.

FREE ADMISSION.

Summer Reading Program: Congratulations, Dorothy S.

Congratulations to Dorothy S. for winning gift bags in our first drawing of the summer for the Adult Summer Reading program. There is still time to win! Pick up an entry at the front desk on the first floor.

FOSL Funds High School Required Summer Reading Titles

Are you a Campbell High School student? Thanks to the Friends of Smyrna Library, the Library has multiple copies on the shelf of all the Required Summer Reading titles. Ask at the Front Desk for assistance if you can't find what you need.

Thank You, Keep Smyrna Beautiful

A big thank you to Keep Smyrna Beautiful for these fabulous conservation books. We had more but they've already been checked out, so hurry in to pick up one of these great titles before they are checked out, too!

First Sunday Lecture: Atlanta's Historic Westview Cemetery

First Sunday Lecture
Atlanta's Historic Westview Cemetery

Sunday, June 3, 2018
3:00-4:00 p.m.
Smyrna Library, Meeting Room

Speaker: Jeff Clemmons, Historian and Author of Atlanta's Historic Westview Cemetery and Rich’s: A Southern Institution

Mr. Clemmons will speak on his second book, “Atlanta's Historic Westview Cemetery” which presents the history of the largest non-profit cemetery in the Southeast where more than more than 108,000 interments have taken place since 1884.

Speaker Bio: Jeff Clemmons curates and guides walking tours of Atlanta's Midtown and SoNo districts and Westview Cemetery for the Atlanta Preservation Center. He also serves on the board of the Atlanta Preservation Center's auxiliary group, CIRCA, which offers its members private tours of some of metropolitan Atlanta's most interesting historic structures. Atlanta's Historic Westview Cemetery is Clemmons's second book. All of his research for it is housed at the Atlanta History Center.

The First Sunday Lecture series is sponsored by the Friends of Smyrna Library and Smyrna Library.

FREE ADMISSION

Summer Reading Program Kick-Off at Smyrna Community Center

The Chattahoochee Nature Center taught young library patrons about the music of nature during today's Summer Reading Program Kick-Off. The kids learned to identify local bird and raptor calls and frog sounds, and also learned how bats use echolocation to find prey. 

We also met a tiny Eastern Screech Owl who lives at the Center. (see below)

Today's event was sponsored by The Friends of Smyrna Library.