Blog Entries

The Education & Research Services team at UAMS (University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences) has put together a resource guide with information about Coronavirus Disease 19 (2019-nCoV). The pages provide authoritative, up-to-date information for clinicians, laboratories, researchers and the public. 

Included in the resource guide is the Coronavirus COVID-19 Global Cases by Johns Hopkins CSSE, an interactive web-based dashboard hosted by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) at Johns Hopkins University, to visualize and track reported cases of 201...

February is Black History Month, an annual celebration of achievements by African Americans and a time for recognizing the central role they played in U.S. history. Since 1976, every U.S. president has officially designated the month of February as Black History Month. We hope you will join us in celebrating Black History and Heritage this month and all year long at the Fort Smith Public Library.  The library is offering several programs spotlighting Black History this month, and also has many resources that may be of interest to you.

The Miller Branch Library will hold their...

Fort Smith Public Library is excited to host children’s author Jan Brett on Friday, December 6 at 5 pm.  Jan Brett is the New York Times #1 bestselling artist/author of over 35 picture books which have sold over 42 million copies combined. Her books have been chosen as “Best Children’s Books of the Year” by The New Yorker, Parents, Redbook, and others. 

This evening with the author will feature a drawing demonstration and discussion of Jan Brett’s newest book, The Tale of the Tiger Slippers. Inspired by Brett’s tiger research trip to India, it i...

As of November 1, 2019, Macmillan Publishers will no longer allow libraries to purchase more than ONE single copy of each new eBook for the first eight weeks following its release.  This will cause delays for our customers who get their eBooks via Library2Go, since the library typically buys multiple copies to satisfy user requests.  The Fort Smith Public Library will purchase the Macmillan titles when they become available, and will purchase additional copies if necessary after the eight-week embargo ends.  If you are interested in seeing a list of authors that publish ...

The Fort Smith Public Library has received a $5000 grant from the FINRA Investor Education Foundation to purchase personal finance books. The grant was received earlier this year, and new books and materials are already on the shelves at all four library locations.

The additional tools and resources will help ensure that residents have the information they need when making critical money decisions as they repair, rebuild, and clean up following flooding events from earlier this summer or in future natural disasters. The FINRA Foundation has also provided the Library with multi...

Chocolate - Chocolate - Chocolate! The Friends of the Fort Smith Library will hold a Chocolate Festival Fundraiser at the Dallas Branch Library on Sunday, September 29th, from 2:30 – 4:30 PM.  Local clubs, businesses and individuals will offer their favorite chocolate samplings to the chocoholics of Fort Smith.

Tickets to the festival are $7 for six tastes of chocolate; price includes a to-go-box. Tickets may be purchased at the event or in advance at all Fort Smith Public Library locations and on Chocolate Festival event page. 

All proceeds from the Ch...

A bottled water drive for The Day Room at Next Step Homeless Services will be held during the month of August at all Fort Smith Public Library locations.  Bottled water is essential for homeless clients, especially those unsheltered. As we continue to face much warmer weather, staying hydrated remains a daily challenge for the homeless.  Cases of individual-sized bottles (16 ounces) are desired; feel free to drop off your donations at any Fort Smith Public Library Location.  For library locations or more information on this or any of the Fort Smith Public Library’s services, ...

Author Anita Paddock will appear at the Miller Branch Library (8701 South 28th Street) on Monday, July 22, from 2 - 4 PM for a book signing event. Author of the popular true crime novels Blind Rage and Closing Time, Anita’s brand-new true crime release is Cold Blooded, the true story of the murder of four people in the Arkansas River Bottoms. 

On a cold January morning in 1981, a knock on an apartment door began what would become one of the bloodiest crime sprees in Arkansas history.  In the coming days the bodies of newlyweds Larry and Jawana Price, businessman Holly Ge...

Did you know that the Library is now on Instagram?  Follow us at fortsmithlibrary to see the latest book suggestions, library news, event information, and more library fun! 

#thelibraryisopen

It is officially summer! School is out, Parrot Island is open, and the Teen Summer Lottery has begun. The Teen Summer Lottery is our version of a summer reading program for people between the ages of 13 and 18. If you are 12 years old, you get to choose between participating in the Children's Summer Reading Program or the Teen Summer Lottery.

You may sign up at any library location at any time during the Lottery, which runs from June 1-July 31. It is best to sign up at the location where you will pick up your prizes. 

The rules ...

Join us for an evening with Athlete, Author, and National Geographic Adventurer of the Year Jennifer Pharr Davis on Tuesday, June 11, at 7 PM at the Main Library (3201 Rogers Avenue, Fort Smith).  Jennifer Pharr Davis is a lover of long journeys and good stories.  She is an author, speaker, record setter, and 2012 National Geographic Adventurer of the Year who has covered more than 14,000 miles of long-distance trails on six different continents.

In 2011, she set the overall fasted known time on the 2,181-mile Appala...

Have you ever tried to pick up one of the letters on the sidewalk in front of the Main Library?  You are not alone!  Many of our library visitors, both young and old, attempt to pick them up when they spy them on the ground.  The bronze letters spell out the title of the sculpture in the fountain "T-R-A-N-S-E-N-D-U-R-A-N-C-E" beginning with the "T" at the fountain and ending with the "E" in front of the building.  The sculptor, Douglass Warnock, entitled his work Transendurance, a compound word inspired by the two qualities he thought best exemplified the strugg...

Celebrate National Library Week with YOUR library April 7 – 13, 2019!  “Libraries = Strong Communities” is this year’s theme, and the Fort Smith Public Library is the “Community Front Porch.” We hope you’ll stop by and see us this week to check out a book or movie, use a computer, read a magazine, participate in storytime, join us for The Book Lover’s Club, use one of our meeting rooms, or just say hello to your friends behind the desk.

First sponsored in 1958, National Library Week is a national observance sponsored by the American Library Association (ALA) and libraries acr...