Murder Goes South - January 24th

Just a reminder - The Seventh Annual Murder Goes South Festival is just two weeks away on Saturday the 24th. There's a great lineup of Southern mystery writers and your $25.00 admission includes a boxed lunch from the New York Deli.

In mysteries background information is critical. Here's a little background information about the authors that will be at the Festival.

Dr. Bill Bass is a world-reknowed forensic anthropologist, who founded the University of Tennessee's Anthropology Research Facility, the "Body Farm", a quarter of a century ago.

Rita Herron has written over thirty books, including her Maggie Award winning book, Her Eyewitness.

Robert Lamb teaches at the University of South Carolina and has just released a new book, Atlanta Blues.

William Rawlings, Jr. is a lifelong resident of Sandersville, Georgia where he practices medicine, runs a travel agency, grow pines, restores antique buildings and keeps busy writing.

John Thompson was an investment banker in New York. Currently he is the Chair of the Charleston Education Network. His first novel is The Armageddon Conspiracy.

Jaclyn Weldon White was born in the South and is the author of six books including Distant Hearts, The Empty Nursery, and Whisper to the Black Candle.

Registration forms are available at the Smyrna Library. Stop by and pick one up today.

Holiday Hours

Just a reminder - The Smyrna Library will close at noon on December 24th and won't reopen until Saturday, December 26th. We will also be closed on New Year's Day.

The Library has lots of new holiday movies and books. Come check them out. They're a great way to relax while the turkey's cooking.

Happy Holidays!!!

Happy Holidays

Do you need one more thing to make your holiday decorations perfect? Well, the Friends of the Library are holding a silent auction of six gorgeous wreaths. You better hurry though. The auction ends Saturday the 13th at 6:00 p.m.

NY Times Bestseller List

Every time I use the Library's new catalog, the wide variety of features amazes me. One of the coolest is the "Hot Titles" button.

Library users are always asking staff about books on the New York Times bestseller list. i.e. What's on the list? What's it about? - and most importantly - Does the library have it? The answer to those questions are no more than three clicks away.

If you log on to the Smyrna Library website and go to the catalog, you'll see a menu bar accross the top. Click on "Hot Titles" and a list of links will appear. These include award winning books, Oprah's selections, Publisher's Weekly and the New York Times Best seller lists.

Click on a list and you'll see bookcovers, reviews and plot summaries for the books. Click on a book cover and the catalog will search for a copy and if it's in. If the book is checked out you can reserve it online.

As my daughter says "Cool Beans." Check it out today.

2008 Election Information

This is going to be an important election for the United States and every citizen needs to be informed about the issues and the candidates.

Project Vote Smart (PVS) is a bipartisan project that provides biographical information, voting records, and issue positions of national, state and local candidates. In addition it has records on interest group ratings, copies of public statements and campaign finance records. It's your one-stop source for election information.

The Library has added a link to PVS in its database section. (Strategically placed in the middle.) Just going to the site is an interesting experience. You can see how elected officials vote in different states and develop a clear understanding of the major issues between the parties.

Check it out and exercise your most important right. Vote! If you don't, someone else will make the decision for you.

We've got all the new ones!

We've got Oprah's newest Book Club pick, The Story of Edgar Sawtelle! We've got Bill O'Reilly's bio as only he can tell it! And we've got another Stone Barrington adventure by Stuart Woods!Just three of the new choices you can pick up today at your Smyrna library.
Reserve them online with your library card number and personal PIN number.

Ruth

Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy

Have you ever wondered about the great questions of life like: What is existence? Is it ever moral not to tell the truth?

Philosophers have been trying to answer those questions for over two thousand years and they want to share their ideas with you. The Smyrna Library has added access to the Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy on its database page.

Read what Socrates and Plato thought about good government. Review Descartes arguments proving individual existence and other philosophers saying not so fast. The Encyclopedia provides concise articles on all the major issues written by internationally recognized authorities.

If you read one article a day for a month and you'll be thinking like a philosopher for the rest of your life.