Virtual First Sunday Lecture: A Short History of Bird Feeding in America

Thank you, Professor Van Detta, for today's informative lecture on the history of birdfeeding in America.  

"A Short History of Bird Feeding in America"Professor Jeff Van Detta

Program Summary

Professor Van Detta's presentation is based on the book Feeding Wild Birds in America: Culture, Commerce, and Conservation. The presentation also incorporates fascinating material from the works of Francis Merriam, including her 1889 classic, Birds Through An Opera Glass; the works of Roger Tory Peterson and David Allen Sibley; and Professor Van Detta's own personal experiences in feeding birds in Smyrna. 

He uses a richly illustrated PowerPoint to engage the audience and to explain how the extraordinary history of backyard bird feeding (1) informs us about feeding our own local backyard birds today; and (2) helps us to support their annual nesting season and the sojourn of migratory birds in our area during spring and fall.

Speaker Biography

Professor Jeffrey Van Detta has been a lawyer for 33 years, a resident of Georgia for 32 years, and a law professor and legal scholar for 21 years. He has been a knowledgeable amateur bird feeder since summers during the 1960s and 1970s that he spent in Northern Alabama with his maternal grandmother. He has also been a principal in a local bird feeding store. 

Library Patron's Quarantine Inspiration

One of Smyrna Public Library's avid non-fiction readers checked out "Knitted Animal Friends" by Louise Crowther and made this incredible toy during quarantine! 

#inspiration

Storytime on Hiatus Until August 12

 

Summer Reading Program Finale: Magical Myths and Fairy Tales

Thank you, Mr. Keith the Magic Man, for today’s great virtual magic and ventriloquism show entitled “Magical Myths and Fairy Tales Magic Show”.  It was a wonderful finale to our virtual Summer Reading Program.  We especially enjoyed your zany sidekick, Vern the talking & singing Gooney bird!

Smyrna Public Library Implements COVID-19 Related Changes to Services

The second floor of Smyrna Library is now closed to the public, except for customers needing to use a public computer. If you need materials retrieved from the second floor (non-fiction, biography, young adult), please place the item on hold. Staff will retrieve the item for you. If you need to use a computer, please visit the front desk on the first floor and ask for a number. Computer users will be seated one at a time. Thank you for your cooperation and for using Smyrna Public Library.

Summer Reading Program: ScienceTellers

Join Smyrna Library Kids on Tuesday, July 14th at 11am for "Dragons: Return of the Ice Sorceress" presented by ScienceTellers 

A long time ago, in a faraway land, two brave villagers go on a daring journey to release the dragons and save the kingdom from an evil Ice Sorceress. 

When things don’t go as planned, however, the kids might need to look to themselves — and to science! — for the answer. Don’t miss this fun fantasy adventure featuring awesome dry ice experiments as special effects!

This program will be provided through ZOOM. 

Virtual First Sunday Lecture: Hernando de Soto in Georgia

Virtual First Sunday Lecture
"Hernando de Soto in Georgia"

Sunday, July 12, 2020
3:00-4:00 p.m.

Speaker: Professor Dennis B. Blanton, author of Conquistador's Wake

The focus of Conquistador's Wake is a decade-long archaeological project undertaken at a place now known as the Glass Site, located in Telfair County, Georgia. 

This spot, near the town of McRae, Georgia, offers clues that place Hernando de Soto in Georgia via a different route than previously thought by historians and archaeologists.

Professor Blanton's archaeological focus is eastern North America. His teaching at James Madison University concerns historical archaeology,  especially the topic of cultural encounters. 

His interests also extend to questions of prehistory in the Southeast and Middle Atlantic, Native American smoking ritual, and climate change. More information about Professor Blanton's work is available at his website: https://dennisblanton.weebly.com/.