Blog Entries

The safety of our library customers, staff, and community is our top priority.  To support efforts to contain the spread of COVID-19, all four locations of the Fort Smith Public Library will close at the end of the day Monday, March 16, and remain closed until further notice.  Please check our Facebook page or the library website for updates.

Due dates for all materials currently checked out will be extended, and no overdue charges will accrue while the library is closed.  Library staff will be available by phone and email to assist with family history and general r...

April 4-11, 2020 is Money Smart Week!  Eight years ago, the American Library Association and the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago teamed up to create Money Smart Week – a national public education program that promotes financial literacy.   Last year, libraries in all 50 states participated by providing information and programming designed to help people learn how best to save, spend, and invest.  Financial education is important at every age.

There are several programs being offered at the Fort Smith Public Library during Money Smart Week, that a...

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...

Ordering books for kids and teens is a constant responsibility of the Youth Services Librarian. Have you ever wondered how new books get ready to be checked out?  The first step is to decide which new books to order.  The budget for children's and teen books is funded through the Fort Smith Public Library Endowment Trust, and there are many, many more books available to buy than what the budget allows. Some new books are an immediate “Yes!”  For example, the latest Dog Man book or the newest Diary of a Wimpy Ki...

Exciting news! We have added several popular titles to our Young Adult collection. These include The Fault in Our Stars, The Harry Potter series, The Hate U Give, and many more. The exciting part? ¡Estos libros estan en español! Here at the library, we proudly offer Spanish editions of all genres for both niños y adultos. We recently discovered that our YA Spanish section needed some revamping, and we got right on it. There are now romantic novels, action-packed thrillers, coming-of-age stories, and age-old classics, all for our Spanish-speaking teens. We hope our customers enjoy ...

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...

There are numerous organizations that offer children the opportunity to read to a therapy dog in schools, libraries, and other settings.  The Miller Branch of the Fort Smith Public Library is excited to welcome Gunner the Therapy Dog on Friday, January 31 from 3:30-4:30 PM.  Gunner will be accompanied by his handler Susan Kelly, and he loves being read to!  School age children are encouraged to come and read a story him.  We hope you'll join us!

A dog’s role as “man’s best friend” has evolved throughout the years.  They have been herders, hunters, rescuers...

The Year of the Rat begins January 25th!  Make plans to celebrate Chinese New Year by joining Ms. Robin and special guest Hui Wang Apple for a fun Saturday storytime on January 25 at 10:30 am.  The storytime will be followed by crafts and special displays.  Bring the family and join the celebration!

A native of China, Hui Wang Apple has lived in Fort Smith area since 1999. She works as a private Math/ Language tutor.  She is also a Certified Public Accountant.  Hui is a member of First United Methodist Church. She is also enjoys vol...

Looking for a present for someone, or maybe for yourself?  Check out our selection of books available in the Friends of the Library store.  If you can't find what you are looking for in the store, check out the list of titles remaining from the Rare & Vintage book sale.  Please email friends@fortsmithlibrary.org to inquire about a book on the list.  

The Friends of the Library are people like you who believe in and support the Fort Smith Public Library as a valuable community resource. The Friends is a not-for-profit organization that raises funds...

Need a book to escape with this Christmas?  Or do you need a book to add to your New Year's reading list?  Check out these best books of 2019 lists.  

BookBub Best Romance Books of 2019

Buzz Feed

Good Housekeeping

Goodreads Choice Awards 

The New York Times

The New Yorker

NPR's Favorite Books of 2019

People

Time 

Town & Country

If you are interested in reading a book on one of the lists that the library does not have and would like for us to tr...

Teens! The year is coming to an end, and we have had so much fun at Teen Lounge. For those who don’t know, Teen Lounge is a monthly after-school program where teens in grades 7-12 can come hang out, enjoy a snack, and participate in a craft or other activities.

Some highlights from this past year include special-effects makeup workshops, a fandom party, cupcake wars, and DIY locker magnets. In the year to come, our goal is to continue providing you with a safe, inclusive space to be yourself and have fun.  Without fully disclosing future events, let’s just say there’s a lot i...

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 ...

It's taken a little while for our Fall weather to get here, but now that it is, our Fall menu is here too!  Stop by to enjoy one of our daily sandwich specials; we offer new specials every quarter.  Current offerings for Fall include:

Monday – Triple Cheese Ham Melt

Tuesday – Chicken Quesadilla Wrap

Wednesday – B.F.L. (Breakfast for Lunch)

Thursday – Ranch Chicken Salad

Friday – Quarter Pound Chili Dog

All sandwich specials are $6.50 and include your choice of chips, pickle, cookie, or an app...

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...