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A.K. Smiley Public Library Blog

Serving the City of Redlands, California since 1894

News + Events

Redlands celebrates Adult Literacy Day with adult learner-authors

October 5, 2025 By Diane Shimota

Adult Learner Authors at the Celebration of Authors, September 28, 2025

On September 16, the Redlands City Council approved a proclamation declaring September 28, 2025 “Adult Literacy Day in the City of Redlands.” Mayor Mario Saucedo presented the proclamation to Bill Hatfield, Library Board President, Don McCue, Director of A.K. Smiley Public Library, Diane Shimota, Adult Literacy Program Coordinator, Katerina Biryukova, Adult Learner Leader, and Katherine Gifford, her tutor. Through this proclamation, the Council affirmed its commitment to educational equity and encouraged Redlands residents to promote literacy efforts and education throughout our community. Since 2010, the Redlands Adult Literacy Program has been providing free, confidential, one-to-one tutoring tailored to the specific needs of adult literacy learners. This past fiscal year, the program was able to serve 92 hardworking adult learners with the support of over 100 dedicated volunteers.

This month also marked the publication of the Redlands Adult Literacy Program’s eighth volume of the literacy anthology, Our Stories, A Collection of Writings. Each year, adult learners are encouraged to capture in writing their personal stories. Their contributions reflect a wide range of reading and writing levels. For some authors, the first step was simply dictating their stories to tutors and then working through the writing process with their tutors’ help. Other learners spent months rewriting multiple drafts until they were satisfied and ready to submit their work for publication. Regardless of their literacy level, these adult learner-authors work hard to develop important literacy skills that will help them to better communicate in the workplace, with their families, and in the community.

To honor “Adult Literacy Day,” the Redlands Adult Literacy Program invited the community to celebrate with adult learner-authors, who read the works they had contributed to the adult literacy anthology. This Celebration of Authors has become a much-anticipated annual event. This year, 26 adult learner-authors read their stories to an overflow crowd of tutors, learners, families, friends, and community members. As each author finished reading their work, the audience could feel the learner’s pride, confidence, and relief as they completed this challenging goal.

Audience members shared how inspiring it was to hear adult learners read their own writing. One tutor said, “The stories gave me a reason to feel hope.” Another shared, “The readings demonstrated the importance of A.K. Smiley Public Library to our community and the life changing impact that improved literacy has on adult learners, their families, and the community of Redlands.” Renee Kennedy, Family Literacy Lead, observed, “The multigenerational impact of literacy is evidenced in the Budding Blossom chapter of the anthology where the children of adult learners wrote stories of their own for publication.” Some of these children stood proudly with their parents when a group photo of authors was taken.

To read this compilation of inspiring writings, visit A.K. Smiley Public Library. Copies of Our Stories, A Collection of Writings, Volume 8 are now available for checkout.

If you know of an adult who wants help with reading and writing, please encourage them to take the first step in changing their life by contacting Diane Shimota, Adult Literacy Coordinator, at (909) 798-7565 ext. 4110 or email literacy@akspl.org. All inquiries are treated confidentially. The Redlands Adult Literacy Program welcomes new volunteers. If you are interested in learning more about volunteering with the Redlands Adult Literacy Program, please contact Diane Shimota.

Filed Under: News + Events

Meet Smiley Library’s Youth Services staff!

September 28, 2025 By Pamela Martinez

In this week’s article I am happy to introduce you to all of our staff members in the Youth Services Department. With a staff of five, the Senior Librarian is Miss Pamela. She has been the librarian here since 2009. Prior to that position, she was a Library Specialist here at Smiley Library from 2000 – 2006. Miss Pamela hosts a weekly Preschool Story Time each Tuesday morning, as well as a weekly Pajama Story Time on Wednesday evenings. Miss Pamela enjoys reading, keeping up with all of the book requests made by young readers and planning great programs for our young Readers! She belongs to a few committees and enjoys outreach events to share her knowledge of our beautiful library and all we have to offer.

Our other librarian on staff is Miss Kristina. She joined the Youth Services Department in 2019. Miss Kristina enjoys leading weekly Baby Story Times back-to-back on Thursday mornings. She is also in charge of all things Teen! Teen Underground is where it’s at for her! She enjoys planning teen programs that draw the teens into the library as well as checking out and reading more books! Miss Kristina works with the teens at school sites as well. Be on the lookout for her at your next school function! Miss Kristina thrives on the challenge of finding the perfect book for our readers…be sure to ask her for help while you’re visiting the library!

You may also be familiar with our Library Specialist, Miss Emily. She joined our crew just over a year ago. Miss Emily is now hosting a weekly Toddler Story Time on Thursday mornings, right after Baby Story Time. Miss Emily loves helping kids find the book they’re searching for and helping to suggest books they would enjoy reading. She also has a special knack for making folks feel welcome when they visit the Youth Services department. She is so creative and creates the most fun monthly calendars and brochures.

Miss Dawn is our Library Clerk. You’ve probably met her as you’ve strolled through the Young Readers’ Room! You can find her amazing smile behind the Young Readers’ Room desk, ready and available to help! Miss Dawn loves to read and enjoys helping young readers’ hunt down their favorite stories. Miss Dawn helps to process the new books and helps to mend the books that may get torn or need a bit of mending.

The newest member of our crew is our new page, Miss Bela. She joined the Youth Services Crew last month. Bela is excited to start her new position as Library Page and is already underway getting the shelves looking in an orderly fashion. Miss Bela is happy to help anyone who may be looking for that special book, or offering a recommendation if asked.

We also have an amazing volunteer base in Youth Services as well. We depend on these folks as they donate their time on a weekly basis to come in and help out any way they can. Thank you to each of our volunteers!

The theme of this week’s article, if you didn’t notice quite yet, is that we are here to help! Our Youth Services Crew is excited to arrive to work each and every day ready to see what comes our way! From questions, to book recommendations, to programs, the Youth Services Crew aims to please!

Stop by to say hello and allow us to help you find the book/s you’re looking for!

~ Pamela Martinez, Senior Librarian, Youth Services

Filed Under: News + Events

It’s time to ‘Fall back’ and vote!

November 2, 2024 By Teresa Letizia

Friendly reminders: Whether you love it or hate it, Daylight Saving Time ends Sunday, November 3, at 2 a.m.

And, whether you love it or hate it, American citizens are being called to vote by this Tuesday, November 5, at 8 p.m.

GOOD NEWS! You may REGISTER TO VOTE up through Election Day — in person at your county elections office, polling place, or vote center, where you will be provided a provisional ballot. ‘Provisional’ just means that the counting of your ballot will be on hold until your registration application is verified.

You do need to register to vote in person at at any Voting Location. If you go to your assigned location, then your ballot will be sure to include all the contests on which you’re allowed to vote. Go to the Secretary of State website to find your polling place. Find the Official Voter Information Guide from the California Secretary of State online at voterguide.sos.ca.gov.

You have four ways to cast a voted ballot this election. By 8 p.m. Tuesday, November 5, voted ballots must be postmarked or dropped off in one of these ways: Vote-by-Mail; a Mail Ballot Drop-Box Location; an Early Vote Site; or a Polling Place.

If you are in line at a voting location by 8 p.m. on Election Day you have the right to vote.

In addition to voting by mail or at a mail ballot drop-box location, the San Bernardino County Registrar of Voters office will be open for early voting on weekdays beginning Monday, October 7, through Tuesday, November 5 (and Saturday, November 2). Polling places will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Election Day, Tuesday, November 5.

Visit the San Bernardino County Registrar of Voters’ website, elections.sbcounty.gov, or the California Secretary of State’s website, sos.ca.gov, for more information (you can do this on a Library computer at no charge), or call us at the Library, 909-798-7565, or visit us for help with this process and/or with research.

Remember: our library — and any library — is a piece in the democracy puzzle. We are here to be of service to you with balanced information. We offer you a non-partisan, non-judgemental, and confidential space.

Thank you for voting!

Filed Under: News + Events

Ahh, Paris in summertime… the 2024 Olympic games are near! Dive into our themed list of books, DVDs

July 7, 2024 By Teresa Letizia

Non-Fiction and Biographies

  • Far beyond gold : running from fear to faith / McLaughlin-Levrone, Sydney, 2024.
  • The other Olympians : fascism, queerness, and the making of modern sports / Waters, Michael, 2024.
  • The race to be myself : a memoir / Semenya, Caster, 2023.
  • The longest race : inside the secret world of abuse, doping, and deception on Nike’s elite running team / Goucher, Kara, 2023.
  • Coming up for air / Daley, Tom, 2022. [Divers — England — Biography. Olympic athletes — England — Biography.]
  • Bravey : chasing dreams, befriending pain, and other big ideas / Pappas, Alexi, 2021. [Women runners — United States — Biography. Women Olympic athletes — Greece — Biography.]
  • Olympic pride, American prejudice : the untold story of 18 African Americans who defied Jim Crow and Adolf Hitler to compete in the 1936 Berlin Olympics / Draper, Deborah Riley, 2020.
  • Brave enough : my story / Diggins, Jessie, 2020. [Cross-country skiing — United States. Olympic athletes — United States — Biography.]
  • The making of a miracle : the untold story of the captain of the 1980 gold medal-winning US Olympic hockey team / Eruzione, Mike, 2020
  • The sixth man : a memoir / Iguodala, Andre, 2019. [Basketball players — United States — Biography. Olympic athletes — United States — Biography.]
  • Tigerbelle : the Wyomia Tyus story / Tyus, Wyomia, 2018. [Women track and field athletes — United States — Biography.]
  • Berlin 1936 : sixteen days in August / Hilmes, Oliver, 2018. [Olympics — Political aspects — Germany. National socialism and sports.]
  • Godspeed : a memoir / Legler, Casey, 2018. [Olympic Games (26th : 1996 : Atlanta, Ga.).  Women swimmers — United States — Biography.]
  • Butterfly : from refugee to Olympian, my story of rescue, hope, and triumph / Mardini, Yusra, 2018. [Olympic Games (31st : 2016 : Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) — History. Women swimmers — Syria — Biography.]
  • Fire on the track : Betty Robinson and the triumph of the early Olympic women /  Montillo, Roseanne, 2017. [Women runners — United States — Biography.]
  • The games : a global history of the Olympics / Goldblatt, David, 2016
  • For the glory : Eric Liddell’s journey from Olympic champion to modern martyr / Hamilton, Duncan, 2016. [Runners (Sports) — Scotland — Biography. Missionaries — Scotland — Biography. Missionaries — China — Biography.]
  • Courage to soar : a body in motion, a life in balance  / Biles, Simone, 2016. [Gymnasts — United States — Biography.]
  • The boys in the boat : the true story of an American team’s epic journey to win gold at the 1936 Olympics  / Brown, Daniel James, 2013. [University of Washington — Rowing — History. Olympic Games (11th : 1936 : Berlin, Germany). Rowing — United States — History. Rowers — United States — Biography.]
  • The three-year swim club : the untold story of Maui’s sugar ditch kids and their quest for Olympic glory / Checkoway, Julie, 2015. [Swimmers — Hawaii — Biography. Japanese Americans — Hawaii — Biography.]
  • Speed kings : the 1932 Winter Olympics and the fastest men in the world / Bull, Andy, 2015. [Olympic Winter Games (3rd : 1932 : Lake Placid, N.Y.). Bobsledding — United States — History — 20th century.]
  • Unbroken : an Olympian’s journey from airman to castaway to captive / Hillenbrand, Laura, 2014. [Long-distance runners — United States — Biography — Juvenile literature. Olympic athletes — United States — Biography — Juvenile literature.]
  • Foxcatcher : the true story of my brother’s murder, John du Pont’s madness, and the quest for Olympic gold / Schultz, Mark, 2014. [Schultz, Mark, Schultz, David L., Du Pont, John E. (John Eleuthère). Olympic athletes — United States — Biography. Murder — United States — Case studies. Wrestlers — United States — Biography.]
  • My Greek drama : life, love, and one woman’s Olympic effort to bring glory to her country /  Angelopoulos, Gianna, 2013. [Olympic games (28th : 2004 : Athens, Greece) — Management. Topical Subject(s): Businesswomen — Greece — Biography. Olympics — Planning.]
  • Grace, gold, & glory : my leap of faith / Douglas, Gabby, 2012. [Women gymnasts — United States — Biography. Women Olympic athletes — United States — Biography. Christian biography.]
  • Dream team : how Michael, Magic, Larry, Charles, and the greatest team of all time conquered the world and changed the game of basketball forever / McCallum, Jack, 2012. [Olympic Games (25th : 1992 : Barcelona, Spain) — History.]
  • Michael Phelps : the world’s greatest Olympian / Triumph Books (Firm), 2008. [Swimmers — United States — Biography. Swimmers — United States.]
  • A skating life / Hamill, Dorothy, 2007. [Figure skaters — United States — Biography.]
  • Nazi games : the Olympics of 1936 / Large, David Clay, 2007
  • Triumph : the untold story of Jesse Owens and Hitler’s Olympics / Schaap, Jeremy, 2007. [Olympic Games (11th : 1936 : Berlin, Germany).  Track and field athletes — United States — Biography. African American athletes — Biography. National socialism — Philosophy. Racism — Germany — History — 20th century.]
  • Berlin Games : how the Nazis stole the Olympic dream / Walters, Guy, 2006. [Olympic Games (11th : 1936 : Berlin, Germany). Olympics — Political aspects — Germany — History — 1933-1945.]
  • The boys of winter : the untold story of a coach, a dream, and the 1980 U.S. Olympic hockey team / Coffey, Wayne R., 2005. [Olympic Winter Games (13th : 1980 : Lake Placid, N.Y.)]
  • Reflections in the ice : inside the heart and mind of an Olympic champion /  Parra, Derek, 2004. [Olympic Winter Games (19th : 2002 : Salt Lake City, Utah). Speed skaters — United States — Biography. Mexican American athletes — Biography.]
  • The Olympics : Athens to Athens 1896-2004 / Rendell, Matt, 2004. [Olympics – History]
  • Figure skating now : Olympic and world stars / Milton, Steve, 2003
  • By the sword : a history of gladiators, musketeers, samurai, swashbucklers, and Olympic champions / Cohen, Richard, 2002. [Fencing — History.]
  • Gold in the water : the true story of ordinary men and their extraordinary dream of Olympic glory / Mullen, P. H., 2001. [Olympic Games (27th : 2000 : Sydney, N.S.W.) Swimmers — United States — Biography.]
  • The long program : skating toward life’s victories / Fleming, Peggy, 1999. [Skaters — Biography. Winter Olympics.]
  • Breaking the surface / Louganis, Greg, 1994. [Divers — United States — Biography. Gay men — United States — Biography.]

DVDs

  • I, Tonya [videorecording (Blu-ray disc and DVD)] / Gillespie, Craig, director, 2018. [Harding, Tonya-Drama. Women figure skaters — United States — Biography — Drama.]
  • Foxcatcher [videorecording (Blu-ray disc)] / Megan Ellison, film producer, 2015. [Schultz, Mark, 1960–Drama. Schultz, David L., 1996-Drama. Du Pont, John E. (John Eleuthère)-Drama. Olympic athletes — United States — Biography — Drama. Murder — United States — Case studies — Drama. Wrestlers — United States — Biography — Drama.]
  • Munich [videorecording (DVD)] / Spielberg, Steven, 2006. [Israel. Mosad le-modiʻin ṿe-tafḳidim meyuḥadim — Drama. Olympic Games (20th : 1972 : Munich, Germany) — Drama. Intelligence officers — Israel — Drama. Athletes — Violence against — Germany — Munich — Drama. Terrorism — Germany — Munich — Drama. Israelis — Violence against — Germany — Munich — Drama.]
  • A.k.a. Cassius Clay [videorecording (DVD)] / Ali, Muhammad, 2002. [African American boxers — Biography. Black Muslims — Biography. Vietnam War, 1961-1975 — Conscientious objectors — United States.]
  • Chariots of fire [videorecording (DVD)] / Hudson, Hugh, 2005, 1981. [Academy Awards: Best Picture, Screenplay, Music, Costume design. Abrahams, Harold Maurice, 1899–Drama. Liddell, Eric, 1902-1945-Drama. Olympics — Drama.]

Filed Under: News + Events

Smiley Library will close June 19th in observance of Juneteenth

June 10, 2024 By Teresa Letizia

This year, for the first time, the Library will officially observe the Juneteenth holiday — Wednesday, June 19th — with its closure.

Juneteenth commemorates the day that the last of enslaved people in the United States were informed of their right to be free. Even though the Emancipation Proclamation was made effective in 1863, it could not be implemented in places still under Confederate control. As a result, in the westernmost Confederate state of Texas, enslaved people would not be free until much later. It wasn’t until U.S. General Gordon Grainger, accompanied by 2,000 Union troops, arrived in Galveston Bay, Texas, and issued General Order #3 on June 19, 1865 that:

“The people are informed that in accordance with a Proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free. This involves an absolute equality of personal rights and rights of property, between former masters and slaves, and the connection heretofore existing between them, become that between employer and hired labor.”

Though Juneteenth has been celebrated in the ensuing years, it became a federal holiday in 2021.

Learn about “The Historical Legacy of Juneteenth” at the National Museum of African American History & Culture: https://nmaahc.si.edu/blog-post/historical-legacy-juneteenth, and check out our list of available books and e-books here, and on our display table in the Library under the portrait of Albert and Alfred Smiley.

★ On Juneteenth / Gordon-Reed, Annette
.
★ Juneteenth / Garrett, Van G. (YRR)
.
★ What is Juneteenth? / Jewel, Kirsti (YRR)
.
★ Juneteenth for Mazie / Cooper, Floyd (eBook)
.
★ Juneteenth : our day of freedom / Wyeth, Sharon Dennis (YRR)
.
★ Free at last : a Juneteenth poem / Rolle, Sojourner Kincaid (YRR)
.
★ The night before freedom : a Juneteenth story / Armand, Glenda (YRR)
.
★ African-American holidays / Winchester, Faith (YRR)
.
★ Build a house / Giddens, Rhiannon (YRR)
.
★ The strange career of William Ellis : the Texas slave who became a Mexican millionaire / Jacoby, Karl (Heritage Room)
.
★ How the Word Is Passed : A Reckoning with the History of Slavery Across America / Smith, Clint (e-Book)

Filed Under: News + Events

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