Find out what's happening: library blog

December 28, 2022 Many times we look at paintings and think, I could never do that . We believe that we don't have the talent, or the time or the schooling to do it. I'm proud to say that today we had some very brave kids who took one look, and said "I can do that." And with just a little instruction they did! Each piece came out a little different, but that is where their own unique creativity has shown through. Here are the wonderful finished pieces with its artist. To see

Today, December 27th, we had a full house of artists join us for free paint. All we did was put out paper, brushes and paint and kids could create to their hearts content. They just let their imaginations flow. Take a look at the artists who decided to share their work with us. It all looks wonderful! Click the images to enlarge.

We had some very excited boys and girls at the library on December 20 to meet the Snow Queen. The program was packed with kids all excited to hear more stories of the Snow Queen and her family's adventures. There was even time for singing, and the kids voices were fantastic to hear as they all sang along to both songs! A wonderful thing to hear. Of course everyone who wanted got a chance to have an individual chat and a picture with the Snow Queen. A fun time was had by all.

We've seen the most species on week 5 than we have seen yet this year, with 15 different species. The Carolina Wren has made it's first visit this week. There has been a lot of competition at the feeder, especially with the large number of House Sparrows, and the number of European Starlings has been growing. The feeders had to be filled more often and just like always the Black-Capped Chickadee was the first to arrive. It's also been a cold couple of weeks and the birds hav

Northern Cardinal The Northern Cardinal is the most recognizable male bird with it's bright red plumage it has year round. The females are a much drabber color, though they have the black mask and bright orange beak. It has also been designated as "the best holiday season bird" by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife, according to their Facebook post on December 9th. They are also a popular feeder bird, with a flexible diet composed mostly of seeds, insects and berries. Though mostly

Wednesday, the 7th of December, the library had a very special visitor, Santa Claus. He came to talk to the kids about what they wanted for Christmas and to let them know if they made the naughty or nice list. I'm pleased to report that all the kids who visited did make the nice list. Of course, Miss Renee knew that already! Santa even had time to play a little magic ball and catch with the kids and even answered 2 boys lengthy list of questions. Although we did catch Santa t

A quick glance at the behind the scenes of some of the things we, librarians do. One of the things we get asked a lot about is how a book becomes a library book. Especially when people are eager to take out a book. The process of a regular book becoming a library book takes time, and it depends on the route a book takes. The simpler the route, the faster the book gets to the shelf. Take a look at our infomap to get an idea of how a book becomes a library book. We also have a

Black-capped Chickadee One of the most recognizable birds we get to our feeders is the black-capped chickadee. A small round bird with the black "cap" on its head is known as the cute bird for being so small and compact but is also know for its curiosity. Chickadees will investigate and explore EVETYTHING in its terriotory, including people. (See picture below, Miss Renee was able to get up real close to this chickadee on the feeder). In fact chickadees are so curios and bra

No matter what holiday you celebrate - there are books for everyone!

Looking for something to do to earn commuity services hours? Have you looked at the library? We're slowing starting to build up our volunteer opportunities here at the library, for those looking for community service hours for school, scouts, church, etc. PLEASE NOTE: we do not offer volunteer opportunities for court appointed community service! If you are interested in volunteering, we offer the following programs: If you are interested in volunteering for any of these prog

Born on a plantation in Charles City, Virginia, Pheby Brown was promised her freedom on her eighteenth birthday. However, when her birthday finally comes around, instead of the idyllic life she was hoping for with her true love, she finds herself thrust into the bowels of slavery at the infamous Devil’s Half-Acre, a jail where slaves are broken, tortured, and sold every day. Forced to become the mistress of the brutal man who owns the jail, Pheby faces the ultimate sacrifice

Do you live in North Smithfield? Do you love your library? Consider becoming a library trustee! The Library Board of Trustees oversee the operation of the library, advocate for funding and make sure the library is meeting the needs of the community. We are seeking candidates who have shown an interest in libraries and who can bring leadership and expertise to its membership. It's just one evening a month (4th Tuesday), a total of nine meetings. You are welcome to attend a m

We've seen some new birds at our feeders these last 2 weeks, and some long time visitors that have come back into the area. The dark-eyed junco and the carolina wren have rediscovered the feeders. An eastern bluebird has been seen occassionally at the feeders, for which everyone is excited to see that bright blue color. Though don't expect to see them whenever you visit, they're come to the feeder rarely. Our house sparrow population has exploded and we're pleased to see we'v

Recommended by Eva M. The Cousins by Karen M. McManus is a page-turning mystery novel that will have you hooked until the very end. Three cousins who have never met each other before are invited to their wealthy grandmother's island resort to work there for the summer. But while they are there they learn many dark secrets about their family's past. The characters were very well described and the author's writing really paints a picture in the reader's head. I highly recommend

November 7th and 8th: 12 Species, 30 individuals: black-capped chickadee 5 house finch 3 tufted titmouse 2 american crow 1 blue jay 2 house sparrow 7 downy woodpecker 1 northern cardinal 1 white throated sparrow 2 american goldfinch 2 european starling 3 song sparrow 1 November 14th and 15th: 12 species, 39 individuals: black-capped chickadee 4 downy woodpecker 1 mourning dove 2 song sparrow 2 white throated sparrow 6 house sparrow 10 blue jay 1 american goldfinch 1 european

Recommended by Eva M. Realm Breaker is about a group of unexpected citizens from all over the world who have to join together to stop the evil force from taking over the realm. Victoria Aveyard has a very distinct, descriptive writing style and although her writing is able to paint a vivid picture in the reader's mind, it can be a little slow at certain points. I found that there were parts of this book where I didn't feel like reading and had to put the book aside for a whil

Here at the library, we're thankful for patron like you who keep visiting our library and checking out great books! And of course PIE! So this season tell us what or who you are thankful for in the comments below.

Aging and reclusive Hollywood movie icon Evelyn Hugo is finally ready to tell the truth about her glamorous and scandalous life. But when she chooses unknown magazine reporter Monique Grant for the job, no one in the journalism community is more astounded than Monique herself... Regardless of why Evelyn has chosen her to write her biography, Monique is determined to use this opportunity to jumpstart her career. Summoned to Evelyn's Upper East Side apartment, Monique listens a

Thursday, October 27 @ 6pm we had our Halloween event, Circus Dynamics visited and gave an absolutely fantastic show. As one mom told us "Just wanted to send a little note with how much we enjoyed Circus Dynamics last night! They were really good and very entertaining. " If you missed this event, don't worry we'll share a few pictures here and make sure you keep an eye on our calendar for more fun and exciting events! Audience participation, juggling scarves, knives and balls