Blog Entries

In this unusual world we're living in right now, there's always something we can count on: books!  From Christmas to Hanukkah, animals to space, poetry to sports, there are so many wonderful books to experience.  A fun way to share the joy of books is to sponsor one in your loved ones' name through our annual Perfect Gift fundraiser.  Our library kiddos love to see the label in the front of the book with their name on it!  Since my grandchildren don't live here, I like to sponsor a book in their name then buy them a copy of the book to keep.  I tell them that "...

Let's Celebrate!

Let’s celebrate Picture Book Month by reading at least one picture book a day.  Here are some your librarians’ and library staff member's favorite picture books to get you started. 

If YOU have a favorite picture book, let us know.  We would like to read your favorites too!

The Color Kittens and Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown

The Little House by Virginia Lee Burton

Stellaluna by Janell Cannon

Stand Tall Molly Lou Melon by David Catrow

The Five-Dog Night by...

The Teens' Top Ten Award, sponsored by YALSA (Young Adult Library Services Association), is a "teen choice" list, where teens nominate and choose their favorite books of the previous year.  Members of teen book groups in fifteen school and public libraries around the country help nominate the titles to be voted on.  The nominations are posted on the Thursday of National Library Week, and teens across the country vote on their favorite titles each year. Readers ages twelve to eighteen vote online between August 15 - October 15 on the Teens' Top Ten  si...

 

¡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...

 

There are many wonderful awards that books can earn, but one that is particulary special is the one that is voted on by the children of each state.  For younger children, Oklahoma has the Sequoyah Book Award, Wyoming has the Buckaroo Book Award, Arizona has the Grand Canyon Reader Award and Arkansas has the Arkansas Diamond Primary Book Award.  (You can find a complete list of the state awards here.)  

 

Who Votes?

Arkansas students in 4th, 5th, and 6th grade have been casting their vote for the Charlie May...

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...

Library Visits

The Main Library is open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.  The Miller Branch Library and the Windsor Drive Branch Library are open Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.  No appointment is required.

Social distancing is observed.  Children under 16 must be accompanied by an adult at all times.

Dewey’s Café is currently open for drinks only.  Meeting rooms are not available.  

Please do not enter the library if you have a cough or fever or have tested positive for COVID-19 within the l...

We have some great virtual programs for kids and teens this summer.  Here are a few of our featured online events ... for more virtual programming of all kinds, please checkout our events calendar, Facebook page, and YouTube Channel. 

Animalogy: A Day in the Life of Animalogy Animals!

Wednesday, June 3, 2 PM, Facebook LIVE - Available for viewing on the library's Facebook page through August 31

Imagine your story through the eyes of live animals!  Join our friends from Animaloyg/NHECM for a Facebook Live event.  You will spend a "day in...

Hey guys! Miss Leah here. Hopefully, all of you are doing well and hanging in there these days. I really miss hosting Teen Lounge every month and getting to see all of you. I look forward to the day that life can return back to normal! I bet you do, too. Until then, there are still plenty of ways for you to get involved with us at the Fort Smith Public Library. In fact, it’s time for our Summer Reading Program!

The theme this year is Imagine Your Story. In light of current events, the summer reading program and all other programming will be online this summer. Piece of cake for yo...

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...

This is an interesting time, isn’t it? With the COVID-19 issue being so prevalent in the world, safety is the first priority. With that said, it’s also important to maintain some degree of normalcy.  To all the teens out there, here are some ideas to host your own virtual Teen Lounge while maintaining your social distance:

First things first, you’ll need snacks. That goes without saying.

Next, come up with something you all can do “together” via FaceTime, Skype, Zoom, etc. It could be anything- get creative! Many crafts can be made out of stuff you already have at h...