Smyrna Public Library Announces Free lynda.com Service for Library Card Holders

Want to learn Photoshop, Excel, or WordPress? Now you can access thousands of online self-paced courses for free with your Smyrna Public Library card. 

lynda.com is an online learning site that hosts a constantly growing library of over 3,000 courses that include over 130,000 videos.

Courses cover a variety of topics (including business, design, web development and multimedia skills) and software (Microsoft Office, Adobe Creative Suite and open source applications) that can help you pursue personal and professional goals. These courses are delivered by expert instructors and feature searchable transcripts that make it easy to find quick answers to questions. They also feature Certificates of Completion that can be uploaded to a LinkedIn profile.

Normally, using lynda.com requires a paid subscription, but as a Smyrna Public Library cardholder you can access lynda.com content from any device with an Internet connection simply by entering your library card barcode and 4-digit PIN.

(Please note that you can only access course content through Smyrna Library's lynda.com login page, and not by directly visiting the lynda.com homepage. Bookmark accordingly. Please also note that while the BPL's lynda.com accounts are accessible through mobile devices, they are not accessible through lynda.com apps. Please use your mobile device's browser.)

Once you have logged into lynda.com with your library barcode you must create a personalized lynda.com account by entering your name and e-mail address. This account can help you manage your course history, playlists, bookmarks, and Certificates of Completion. Many courses also feature exercise files, so that if you're watching a tutorial about Microsoft Excel you can follow the activity with downloadable, pre-populated Excel spreadsheet files.

“The Tuskegee Airmen: The Segregated Skies of World War II” Exhibition Opens

The exhibition, explores the history and heroism of the first African-American pilots to fly in combat during World War II. In 1941 the U.S. Army established a segregated training program for African American pilots at Moton Field in Tuskegee, Alabama.

Over the next five years, more than 1,000 pilots trained in what became known as the “Tuskegee Experiment.” The Red Tails, as they became known in combat, compiled a stellar record during the war. These pilots and 16,000 men and women who served as support personnel are all part of the Tuskegee Airmen.

While their success did not bring broad social change at home, their service during the war influenced President Truman to integrate the military in 1948. The ten-panel “Tuskegee Airmen” exhibit is presented by the Museum of History and Holocaust Education in partnership with Tuskegee University in Tuskegee, Alabama.

First Sunday Lecture – William Marchione Speaks on Vinings Folk Artist Nellie Mae Rowe

Smyrna historian Dr. William P. Marchione Ph.D. kicked off the Smyrna Public Library’s celebration of African American History Month with an informative presentation on Vinings folk artist Nellie Mae Rowe.

A creative and resourceful self-taught artist, Nellie Mae Rowe gained national recognition during the last decade of her life (1970s). Long before that, she was well known locally in Vinings by visitors who came to her exuberantly embellished home, which contained her drawings, stuffed dolls, and recycled objects. Her works are on display at the High Museum of Art, the Smithsonian and other public and private collections. [New Georgia Encyclopedia]

The First Sunday Lecture is sponsored by The Friends of Smyrna Library. For more information, visit www.friendsofsmyrnalibrary.org.

Smyrna Library Announces Month Long “1915-2015: A CENTURY OF BLACKLIFE, HISTORY AND CULTURE” Program

This year’s theme for African-American History Month celebrates African-American creativity and achievement. Through exhibits, lectures, materials and programs, Smyrna Library will highlight some of the many contributions and influences to history and culture worldwide.

Please visit our book and AV displays in the adult and children’s areas. And take time to enjoy the10-panel traveling exhibit on “The Tuskegee Airmen” on loan from Kennesaw State University.

We will also highlight materials and resources on our Pinterest page and online catalog.

Please join us in celebration of American achievement.

Congratulations, Janeen Lewis!

Congratulations, Janeen Lewis! She knew her "Downton Abbey" trivia and won the tea basket. Cheers!

Modern Art by Moise S. Semexant Opens in Art Gallery

Haitian-born artist, his style proved to be very unique among the contemporary artists. This is one of the reasons that he has been highly recognized by many art curators and art lovers alike in a variety of countries including, Haiti, France, England, Holland, Trinidad & Tobago, Spain, the United States, Switzerland, and the Czech Republic.

In fact, the meticulous manner in which the Atlanta-artist blends the vibrant colors seems to spontaneously invite gallery goers into a world of light and shadow, where geometric forms and beauty create a high sense of internal freedom, love, and peace. These are many of the artistic touches that Moise has been applying in his works and which prompted many experts and critics to salute him as one of the emerging master artists of modern art. Others even went very far in proclaiming Moise as William Blake of modern age.

If you wish to purchase any particular piece, please contact the artist through his email address or telephone (msemexant@aol.com / 404-825-8641).

Exotic Wooden Bowls by Jack Anderson Opens in Display Gallery

Born in and raised on Tybee Island, off the coast of Georgia (directly adjacent to Hilton Head Isle and Daufuskie Isle), Jack Anderson began working with wood at a very early age. His mother still lives in the same house less than two blocks from the Historic Tybee Island lighthouse. Since childhood, he has enjoyed exploring the surrounding islands and marshes, including Daufuskie Island. At the age of eight, he was given a construction/woodworking tool kit; This was the beginning of his long career of woodworking and construction.

Being very comfortable on the beach and in the water, Jack later became a lifeguard at Myrtle Beach. He 

attended Coastal Carolina University, playing basketball while majoring in marketing.

He later met his future wife Mavis Eaton Anderson, at the University of South Carolina. They traveled a lot including a trip to India and some time living on a sailboat. They eventually settled down in Atlanta, GA. They had a total of four children, while Jack started his first official business, “The Wooden Peg”. It was a small business of selling custom furniture that was made of local woods and was characteristic by having rounded edges, linseed oil finishes, and rugged seamless dovetail and wooden peg construction. During this time, Jack began collecting and storing some of the “exotic” woods of the south, including large boards from Hickory Tubers and huge planks from the “second biggest pine in Georgia.

In order to make more money for his family, Jack began building custom homes for people. He took his woodworking and craftsmanship with him, often doing elaborate custom decks, cabinets and floor plans for clients. Over the years he built many custom and innovative homes including underground houses, houses on stilts on steep hills, and even one house now featured on MTV Cribs (a reality show of celebrity homes). Jack and his wife Mavis are and have always been avid art collectors. They have also supported three of their four children through art schools.