Blog Entries

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?

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 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...

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...

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...

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 ...

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...

STEAM Team is a monthly program for children ages 8-12 who have an interest in science, technology, engineering, arts, and math. The STEAM Team, led by Youth Services Assistant Leah Wineland, meets the first Monday of each month from 3:30 - 6 PM at the Main Library.  It’s a drop-in event that gives participants a chance to build fun stuff, be active, make art, and even make a mess!

On October 7, the STEAM Team will learn about the anatomy of the human hand.  STEAMers will create their own model of a skeleton hand which can be manipulated to discover h...

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...

The Dallas Street Branch Library is currently hosting a mini book sale. Books for sale are mostly fiction items. Hardbacks, larger (trade) paperbacks, and small mass market paperbacks are available. Beginning today (Monday, August 12th) through Saturday, August 17th, book prices have been reduced to the following prices:

• Hardbacks $1.00 each

• Large (trade) paperbacks $0.50 each

• Small Mass Market Paperbacks $0.25 each

Be sure to stop by the branch and check them out!