Blog Entries

In the United States, we celebrate Asians and Pacific Islanders during the month of May.  In 1977, two resolutions introducing Asian/Pacific American Heritage Weeks failed to pass Congress.  In June 1978, Representative Frank Horton tried again – this time with a resolution suggesting that the president should “proclaim a week, which is to include the seventh and tenth of the month, during the first ten days in May of 1979 as ‘Asian/Pacific American Heritage Week.’” That resolution passed and President Jimmy Carter signed it into law on October 5, 1978.  Annually, presidents ...

April 4-10, 2021 is National Library Week!

National Library Week is a time to remember how libraries and librarians contribute and promote library use in our communities and is celebrated in libraries across the nation every April.  The week was first sponsored in 1958 by the National Book Committee (a partnership between the American Library Association and the American Book Publishers), with the theme “Wake Up and Read!”  The National Book Committee disbanded in 1974, leaving the American Library Association to assume the full sponsorship.

This year’s theme is “Welc...

Women’s History Month celebrates the vast contributions that women have made throughout history.  Beginning as a local festivity in California in 1978, President Carter issued the first Presidential Proclamation in 1980 and made it a national celebration.  The week of March 8 was chosen to coincide with International Women’s Day.  In 1987, Congress decided to extend the celebration to a month, creating Women’s History Month. 

The theme for Women's History Month 2022 is Providing Healing, Providing Hope and is a tribute to all of the women who have provided heal...

Storytime with Matia

Have you seen any of Matia's storytimes?  Like a lot of good ideas, it came about almost by accident.  When the library staff recorded Happy in Our Skin, Matia did such a wonderful job that she was a natural choice to spotlight many of the diverse books in the library collection. When asked what storytime has meant to her, Matia states, "It has meant a lot to me to be able to read the many diverse stories that I do!   Each book I have read as a part of our diverse storytime, I have related to in one way or another. From having famil...

Concrete Rose, the prequel to The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas, is ready for you to check out!  Concrete Rose takes place seventeen years before the events of The Hate U Give and tells the story of seventeen-year-old Maverick Carter.  He knows that a real man takes care of his family. As the son of a former gang legend, Mav does that the only way he knows how: dealing for the King Lords. With this money he can help his mom, who works two jobs while his dad's in prison.

Life's not perfect, but with a fly girlfriend and a cousin who always has his back, Mav's got ...

Last year, teens across Arkansas voted I Am Still Alive by Kate Alice Marshall as the winner of the Level 1 (Grades 7-9) Arkansas Teen Book Award.  The Cruel Prince by Holly Black was the runner-up.  The Level 2 winner (Grades 10-12) was Truly Devious by Maureen Johnson, and the runner-up was On the Come Up by Angie Thomas.  Voting opened for the 2020-2021 nominees on September 25, 2020 and will run through August 31, 2021.  Any Arkansas teen can vote for Level 1, Level 2, or both!

For more information or to nominate a book for a future list, click here. &...

 

¡Celebrar!

Hispanic Heritage Month (September 15-October 15) celebrates the histories, cultures and contributions of Latino Americans to the United States. The day of September 15 is significant because it is the anniversary of independence for Latin American countries Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua. In addition, Mexico and Chile celebrate their independence days on September 16 and September 18, respectively.*

Have you read these? The Poet X, With the Fire on High, and Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo Mexi...

Hey everyone! We hope you’re all hanging in there during these strange times. We know a lot of you are participating in virtual schooling this year. When we spend a lot of time at home, random stuff tends to pile up- usually without us even realizing it. With how the past several months have been, there are probably all kinds of things lying around in your homes. So, we have created the QuaranTEEN Photo Challenge!

The rules are simple: Include as many of the items from this list as you can in one single photo. Then, be sure to post your photo in the comments when we post "The...

You awaken in a dark cabin in the woods. It is the middle of the night and you have no memory of why you are there. What do you do?

Do you remember those Choose Your Own Adventure books? They were popular back when I was a kid, and they still check out from the library today. During these times, it’s easy to feel like we don’t have much control over our lives and the world around us. Well, this won’t change the global situation, but it’ll help you take back some power! For this virtual event, YOU get to pick your own path to adventure. That’s right -- you call the shots. Every sto...

President Snow (Hunger Games), Bellatrix Lestrange (Harry Potter), and Jeanine Matthews (Divergent) have banded together to form one master plan to take over and make captives of their subjects, controlling their minds and stealing their wills. Never backing down from a fight, you vow to stop them and restore freedom. However, Simon (One of Us is Lying), secretly working for Snow, sneaks out one night to gather intel on your plan and rats you out. Snow sends out his Great Kami Dragon to capture you, locking you deep inside a maze of five doors. There is no escape. Or is there?

E...

Are YOU ready to read for fun and prizes?  

I hope so because the summer reading program is ready for you! The theme of our program is Imagine Your Story. This year, it's all online beginning on June 1 and ending on August 14!  We have a really neat program called READsquared, and all you have to do is go to the READsquared website, register, and start reading (or listening!).   For every minute you spend reading or listening, you will earn one point.  Before you know it, you will have 1,000 points!  When that happens, you will have earne...

Hey all you cool cats and kittens!  We are busy working on various projects while we are closed, but we miss you all tremendously.  Here are just a few of the things I ( Mrs. Tiffany :) miss the most: Laptime storytime.  I miss sitting in the floor with everyone, singing and reading books.  I miss Hudson’s excitement for bubbles.  I miss Ellie and Grace sitting beside me, helping with the closing songs.  I miss sweet Audrey’s smiles and Calder’s serious face.  I miss everyone. Friday storytime.  I miss listening to Mrs. Melanie’s stories and...

Hey guys! Leah here. Hopefully everyone is staying safe and healthy out there. This is certainly a time of adjustment, isn’t it? For us at the library, it has meant postponing events. But then we thought, “Just because we aren't able to host these events in person, that doesn’t mean they cannot happen at all.” As many of you have seen, the Fort Smith Public Library now has a YouTube channel with all kinds of fun Storytimes with Ms. Robin, Ms. Tiffany, and Ms. Rachel. If you check us out on Facebook, you’ll see the STEAM projects I’ve prepared, along with other helpful resources and act...

Welcome to hoopla, a digital media service that allows you to borrow movies, music, audiobooks, ebooks, comics, and TV shows to enjoy on your computer, tablet, or phone – and even your TV! With no waiting, titles can be streamed immediately, or downloaded to phones or tablets for offline enjoyment later. There are hundreds of thousands of titles to choose from, with more being added daily. Hoopla is like having your public library at your fingertips. Anytime. Anywhere.

Fort Smith Public Library customers will need their library card (in good standing; no fines of $2...

Pick up your books, audiobooks, and DVDs from the safety and comfort of your car with curbside pickup!  Place requests for materials through the library’s online catalog, by phone, or by contacting our staff.  Requests will be filled as soon as possible (within a day or two), depending on availability. 

When requesting materials, be sure to select the library location where you want to pick up your materials.  Once notified that your materials are ready for pickup, stop by the pickup library you selected to pick up your materials.  When you arrive at the l...