A.K. Smiley Public Library Blog

Serving the City of Redlands, California since 1894

DID YOU KNOW? Carla Hayden is our current and 14th Librarian of Congress, becoming the first woman and the first African American to lead our national library.

"We are not makers of history; we are made by history." - Martin Luther King, Jr.

“…in the segregated South, with so many doors closed without explanation to me, libraries and books said, ‘Here I am -- read me.’” – Maya Angelou

Library Staff

Commemorating Earth Day: a reading list for children and adults

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BOOKS:

Silent spring / Carson, Rachel. Published 1962.

A climate of crisis : America in the age of environmentalism / Allitt, Patrick. 2014.

As the world burns : the new generation of activists and the landmark legal fight against climate change / Van der Voo, Lee. 2020.

Wild at heart : America’s turbulent relationship with nature, from exploitation to redemption / Outwater, Alice. 2019.

Natural rivals : John Muir, Gifford Pinchot, and the creation of America’s public lands / Clayton, John. 2019.

Stronghold : one man’s quest to save the world’s wild salmon / Malarkey, Tucker. 2019.

Visionary women : how Rachel Carson, Jane Jacobs, Jane Goodall, and Alice Waters changed our world / Barnet, Andrea. 2018.

The wizard and the prophet : two remarkable scientists and their dueling visions to shape tomorrow’s world / Mann, Charles C. 2018.

Engineering Eden : the true story of a violent death, a trial, and the fight over controlling nature / Smith, Jordan Fisher. 2016.

Rachel Carson and her sisters : extraordinary women who have shaped America’s environment / Musil, Robert K. 2014.

On a farther shore : the life and legacy of Rachel Carson / Souder, William. 2012.

A force for nature : the story of NRDC and the fight to save our planet / Adams, John H. (John Hamilton). 2010.

Fraser’s penguins : a journey to the future in Antarctica / Montaigne, Fen. 2010.

The man from Clear Lake : Earth Day founder Gaylord Nelson / Christofferson, Bill. 2004.

An inconvenient truth : the planetary emergency of global warming and what we can do about it / Gore, Al. 2006.

Getting to green : saving nature : a bipartisan solution / Rich, Frederic C. 2016.

Urban homesteading : heirloom skills for sustainable living / Kaplan, Rachel. 2011.

Living without plastic : more than 100 easy swaps for home, travel, dining, holidays, and beyond / Allen, Brigette. 2020.

The (almost) zero waste guide : 100+ tips for reducing your waste without changing your life / Mannarino, Melanie. 2020.

Climate-wise landscaping : practical actions for a sustainable future / Reed, Sue. 2018.

Sustainability made simple : small changes for big impact / Byrd, Rosaly. 2017.

Being the change : live well and spark a climate revolution / Kalmus, Peter. 2017.

The uninhabitable earth : life after warming / Wallace-Wells, David. 2019.

Climate of hope : how cities, businesses, and citizens can save the planet / Bloomberg, Michael. 2017.

The atlas of climate change : mapping the world’s greatest challenge / Dow, Kirstin. 2011.

How to avoid a climate disaster : the solutions we have and the breakthroughs we need / Gates, Bill. 2021.

No one is too small to make a difference / Thunberg, Greta. 2019.

How to prepare for climate change : a practical guide to surviving the chaos / Pogue, David. 2021.

Unstoppable : harnessing science to change the world / Nye, Bill. 2015.

The genius of Earth Day : how a 1970 teach-in unexpectedly made the first green generation / Rome, Adam. 2013.

Nature’s allies : eight conservationists who changed our world / Nielsen, Larry A. 2017.

Extreme conservation : life at the edges of the world /Berger, Joel. 2018.

MAGAZINES:

Audubon / National Audubon Society, <1953-current>

Environment / Helen Dwight Reid Educational Foundation, <1993-current>

The Mother earth news / The Mother Earth News, Inc., <1973-current>

National Geographic / National Geographic Society (U.S.), <1905-current>

Natural history / American Museum of Natural History, <1921-current>

Sierra [serial (magazine)] : the Sierra Club bulletin / Sierra Club, <1985-current>

 

YOUNG ADULT

Fiction

My Chemical Mountain – Vacco, Corina (YA VAC)

The Crazy Things Girls Do for Love – Sheldon, Dyan (YA SHE)

Salvage – Duncan, Alexandra (YA DUN)

Nonfiction

An Inconvenient Truth: The Crisis of Global Warming – Gore, Al 363.738 G66in

Where Have All the Bees Gone? Pollinators in Crisis – Hirsch, Rebecca E. 595.79 H615w

Graphic Novels

How to Fake a Moon Landing: Exposing the Myths of Science Denial – Cunningham, Daryl 001.9 C917h

 

KIDS

Picture Books

Be a Tree – Gianferrari, Maria (JE GIA)

Arthur Turns Green – Brown, Marc Tolon (JE BRO)

Biscuit’s Earth Day Celebration – Capucilli, Alyssa Satin (JE CAP)

Dear Earth…: From Your Friends in Room 5 – Dealey, Erin (JE DEA)

These Seas Count! – Formento, Alison (JE FOR)

A Small History of a Disagreement – Fuentes, Claudio (JE FUE)

We Are Water Protectors – Lindstrom, Carole (JE LIN)

Ballyhoo Bay – Sierra, Judy (JE SIE)

Miss Fox’s Class Goes Green – Spinelli, Eileen (JE SPI)

Greta and the Giants: Inspired by Greta Thunberg’s Stand to Save the World – Tucker Zoe (JEFO TUC)

Just a Dream – Van Allsburg, Chris (JEFO VAN)

Earth Day, Birthday – Wright, Maureen (JE WRI)

My Forever Dress – Ziefert, Harriet (JE ZIE)

 Chapter Books

Violet Mackerel’s Pocket Protest – Branford, Anna (J BRA)

Watch Out World, Rosy Cole is Going Green: Rosy Cole’s Bright, Though Not Exactly Popular, Ideas About Garbage, Worms, Dirt, and Other Gifts of Nature – Greenwald, Shelia (J GRE)

Scat – Hiaasen, Carl (J HIA)

Flush – Hiaasen, Carl (J HIA)

Hoot – Hiaasen, Carl (J HIA)

Save the Earth – Klein, Abby (J KLE)

Marty McGuire Digs Worms! – Messner Kate (J MES)

Mysteries

Cam Jansen and the Green School Mystery – Adler, David (J M ADL)

Earth Day Escapade – Keene, Carolyn (J M KEE)

Graphic Novels

Luz Sees the Light – Davila, Claudia 741.5 D289L

Getting to the Bottom of Global Warming – Collins, Terry 363.738 C696g

Nonfiction

How to Change Everything: The Young Human’s Guide to Protecting the Planet and Each Other – Klein, Naomi with Stefoff, Rebecca 363.738 K672h

Earth Day – Cella, Clara 394.262 C33e

Earth Day – Hooray – Murphy, Stuart 513 M597e

What a Waste – French, Jess 363.72 F888w

The Brilliant Deep: Rebuilding the World’s Coral Reefs – Messner, Kate 333.95 M564b

Caillou: Every Drop Counts – Johanson, Sarah Margaret 333.91 J599c

Sustainable Water Resources – Rooney, Anne 363.61 R674s

One Child, One Planet: Inspiration for the Young Conservationist – Llewellyn, Bridget McGovern 363.7 L77o

Our House in on Fire: Greta Thunberg’s Call to Save the Planet – Winter, Jeanette 333.7 W734o

Trash Revolution: Breaking the Waste Cycle – Fyvie, Erica 363.72 F999t

Join the No-Plastic Challenge! A First Book of Reducing Waste – Ritchie, Scot 363.72 R51j

The Plastic Problem – Salt, Rachel 363.72 Sa37p

Discover It Yourself: Pollution and Waste – 363.73 D631

Taming Plastic: Stop the Pollution – Bates, Albert 363.738 B318t

Our Environment: Everything You Need to Know – Pasquet, Jacques 577 P265o

Climate Change: The Science Behind Melting Glaciers and Warming Oceans, with Hands-On Activities – Sneideman, Joshua 551.6 Sn26c

If Bees Disappeared – Williams, Lily 595.79 W673i

Easy Readers

Earth Day – McNamara, Margaret (JER MCN)

Spanish

El Guardian del Pantano – Garrett, Ann (JSPE GAR)

Calentamiento Global – Buchanan, Shelly (JSP 363.738 B851c)

Explore the Library in celebration of Black history and culture using this extensive list of titles

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The staff of A.K. Smiley Public Library has gathered a list of our books and DVDs featuring Black history and culture themes with which to “honor, remember, and inspire.” Most of the items are new, but a few are older and may be just new-to-you. We hope you’ll take a moment to explore and possibly learn a little something you didn’t know.

Dr. Carter G. Woodson, a son of formerly enslaved parents, embarked on the establishment of February as Black History Month. He was a teacher and school administrator who in 1912 became the second African American, after W.E.B. Du Bois, to earn a PhD from Harvard University. In February 1926 he launched the precursor of the celebration with “Negro History Week,” designated for the second week in February to coincide with the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass. Dr. Woodson also founded the Association for the Study of African American Life and History. Each year the Association, which continues to support Dr. Woodson’s cause, assigns a theme to the celebration. The theme for 2021 is “The Black Family: Representation, Identity, and Diversity” — ideas to ponder as we read.

Please refer to previous blog post Celebrating Black Authors and Black Lives for additional titles. Take a look too at our extensive Catalog for older items on the subject, as well as those for children and young adults. Check them out through our Books to Go program or in person during our new public hours. Also, don’t forget our eLibrary!

And finally, for more ways in which to learn about Black history, view the Heritage Room’s Black History Month webinar series. available for viewing at the AKSPL Special Collections YouTube Channel:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCx1V0OiVDDpGORavA_W6icQ,  or on Facebook under the Video tab.

The offerings include:

  • “African American Literature” by Professor Charles Williams of Chaffey College
  • “Lincoln’s Greatest Decision: Emancipation and the Use of Black Troops” with Smiley Library Director Don McCue
  • “Black Voice News and the History of the Black Press” by Dr. Paulette Brown-Hinds
  • “Hidden in Plain Sight: African Americans in the Library’s Historic Collections” with Archivist Dr. Nathan Gonzales

Also, we encourage you to visit these sites, the Library of Congress at  https://www.africanamericanhistorymonth.gov, and the Public Broadcasting System (PBS) at https://www.pbs.org/articles/2021/02/celebrate-black-history-month-2021/.

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Autobiographies, Biographies, and Memoirs

Cookbooks

DVDs

DVD Documentaries

Fiction

Graphic Novels

History

Humor

Literature

Music

Poetry

Politics, Civil Rights, Law

Sciences, Philosophy, Journalism, Language, Mathematics, Technology, Performing Arts

Social Sciences

Sports

Friends of the Library Book Sale is Back!

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The Friends of A.K. Smiley Public Library will conduct a book sale beginning Sunday, August 30, and continuing through Wednesday, September 2. The sale will take place in the Contemporary Club located at 173 S. Eureka Street in Redlands, behind the Lincoln Memorial Shrine.

The hours and prices are:

—Sunday, August 30, from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.

$3 per item

—Monday, August 31, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

$3 per item

—Tuesday, September 1, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

$2 per item

—Wednesday, September 2, from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.

$1 per item

Silent auction items also available!

Cash, check, and credit cards will be accepted. No coins at this time.

Reminders: Social Distancing will be observed. Masks will be available; wearing a mask will be required at all times.

 

Online Workshop, “Every Voice Counts: Understanding the 2020 Census”

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A.K. Smiley Public Library has partnered with the San Bernardino Area League of Women Voters to present a free online Zoom workshop about the 2020 U.S. Census. View online the recording of the workshop, shared on the Library’s Facebook page, which took place Thursday, August 20.

The state of California has only had a 65% response rate to the 2020 Census. A census is more than a population count. It’s an opportunity to shape your community’s future. Census results determine how many seats each state gets in Congress. Results are also used to improve communities by improving schools, emergency services, social services, freeways, roads and bridges. It’s all about fair representation. Every voice counts!

Federal law keeps your census answers strictly confidential. You will not be asked about your citizenship status or political affiliation. Your answers can never be used against you in any way.

The 2020 Census is counting every person living in the United States and five U.S. territories. It takes less that 10 minutes to complete. You are able to respond online, by phone, or by mail.

Get answers to these questions and many more at the August 20th online workshop:

  • Is it safe to take part in the 2020 Census?
  • Will they ask about my immigration status?
  • Will my information be kept confidential?
  • What happens if I don’t answer the questions?
  • Is the Census politically motivated?
  • Should I list all the children in my home?
  • Will my family’s privacy be respected?

Register today by clicking here:

https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_n8orVGTqRvGkA2taVhp1iA

Celebrating Black Authors and Black Lives

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We have received inquiries about the materials we have available in our collections by Black authors and/or on the topic of race relations. In the spirit of expanding public dialogue, the staff has put together the following partial list of titles in our collections, which is in no particular order.

Click on the title and be directed to the record of the book in our online catalog. From there you may click on “Place Hold,” (at no charge) while signed into your account, in order to request the book through our Books to Go program.

On the topic of diversity among authors, please see recent blog posts, Books for Teens Explore Social Injustice, as well as Books from Diverse Authors Help to Build Compassion, Understanding, and Discover New Voices in Poetry, each of which discusses some of these titles.

Streaming video service Kanopy, located in our eLibrary, is currently featuring films about racial and social injustice. Inspiring documentaries, like “The Talk: Race in America,” “P.S. I Can’t Breathe,” and many others, can also help contribute to a more open dialogue about race relations in modern America.

Adult Fiction & Nonfiction

Children (YRR) / Young Adult (YA)