A.K. Smiley Public Library Blog

Serving the City of Redlands, California since 1894

News + Events

It’s time to ‘Fall back’ and vote!

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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!

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

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Non-Fiction and Biographies

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.]

Smiley Library will close June 19th in observance of Juneteenth

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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
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★ Juneteenth / Garrett, Van G. (YRR)
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★ What is Juneteenth? / Jewel, Kirsti (YRR)
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★ Juneteenth for Mazie / Cooper, Floyd (eBook)
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Celebrate Earth Day every day — by learning — a reading list for all ages; Redlands events, April 20th

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Search Smiley Library’s comprehensive reading list below for adults, young adults, and children providing access to learning more about why we need Earth Day, and how to enjoy it…

The theme for World Earth Day 2024 is Planet vs. Plastics. The theme aims to bring attention to the serious issue of plastic pollution and how it harms nature. For Earth Day 2024, EARTHDAY.ORG aims to end plastic for planetary health and demands a 60 per cent reduction in the production of all plastics by 2040.

Celebrate Earth Day in Redlands, Saturday, April 20th

♥ Participate in your choice of a variety (dozens!) of hands-on events around town sponsored by ANCA (Accelerate Neighborhood Climate Action) and many other Redlands environmental organizations. Refer to www.redlandsearthday.org/ for more information, and to register.

♥ Learn more about why so many have been observing Earth Day since 1970; take a look at “A Brief History of Earth Day,” a short, enlightening PowerPoint presentation by ANCA member Andy Green.

Enjoy the Great Outdoors in a state park in honor of Earth Day ~

Visit participating California state parks for free with your library card by checking out a vehicle’s day-use state park pass!

♥  California State Library Parks Pass / California State Library, Parks Pass Program, 2022

Follow any of these links to our catalog to read more about it, and to place on hold.

READING LIST OF BOOKS FOR ADULTS:

Plastics & Recycling

New Book Collection

National Parks, State Parks, and other wilderness areas

Activists, Innovators, & Inspiration

Animals & Plants

Climate Change, Global Warming, and the effects on our environment

Environmental Toxins

Hope

Mitigation, Preparation

Pollinators: why birds, bats, butterflies, moths, flies, beetles, wasps, small mammals, and most importantly, bees are vital to our environment

The Science: let’s figure this out

Trees & Forests

MAGAZINES

YOUNG ADULT

Fiction

Nonfiction

Graphic Novels

CHILDREN

Picture Books

Chapter Books

Mysteries

Graphic Novels

Nonfiction

Easy Readers

Spanish

What’s Old: celebrating a century of service at the Circulation Desk 

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In the heart of A.K. Smiley Library, a silent centenarian has quietly celebrated a milestone – the circulation desk, installed in 1923, recently turned one hundred years old. This robust piece of furniture has been a steadfast witness to a century’s worth of California history, from the Roaring Twenties to the digital age.

While modern circulation records don’t go back to the beginning, Smiley currently circulates an average of 239,217 books per year, meaning potentially tens of millions of books have passed over the circulation desk since its installation. Beyond the sheer volume of books it’s seen, the circulation desk has also observed numerous transformative moments in Redlands over the years.

Before the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, Redlands as a community was largely against entering World War II, with many residents being part of the America First organization led by Charles Lindbergh. After Pearl Harbor however, the community changed its perspective, leading to voluntary efforts like victory gardens, Red Cross drives, and repurposing local buildings for military housing. The Library was no exception to the wartime effort, and in 1944, head librarian Mabel Inness led a Victory Book Drive which collected 1,778 books for men in the service camps.

Plaque on the circulation desk: “Presented by Eldridge M. Lyon 1923.” A philanthropist who was an outstanding resident and friend of Redlands, Mr. Lyons had been a trustee of Smiley Library for many years who had a keen interest in the “university of the people.”

The desk has been present through many major architectural changes at the Library itself, including the additions in 1926, 1930, and 1990. It was here when the Library was painted off-white in 1939, and it was here when the iconic brick-red color was redone in 2002. After the 1933 Long Beach earthquake when the Library Tower was removed, the circulation desk remained and was there when the Tower was rebuilt in 1999.

Beyond the walls of the Library, the desk has witnessed cultural shifts, technological advancements, and societal changes. In the era where radio dramas once captivated living rooms, the circulation desk was a community hub to share the magic of storytelling. As television claimed its place in the household, the circulation desk anchored readers in a world of books amidst the glow of screens. In the digital age, the desk seamlessly transitioned to becoming a metaphorical gateway to a vast expanse of information. From the advent of radio to the rise of the internet, our circulation desk has endured as a permanent fixture in the community of Redlands’ pursuit of knowledge.

Approach the desk not just to check out a book or movie but as a participant in a tradition spanning generations. Simply by borrowing from the Library, we contribute to a legacy of resilience, adaptability, and community spirit that A.K. Smiley proudly carries forward into the next century. The next time you bring a book to the circulation desk, remember – you’re not just returning a book, you’re engaging with a piece of living history, a century-old companion in our collective journey of reading and learning.