Smyrna Public Library
Encyclopedia
The Smyrna Public Library is the only independent, city-operated library
in the state of Georgia
. It is located at 100 Village Green Circle in downtown
Smyrna, Georgia
. It is the only public library
in the county which has not joined the Cobb County Public Library System
.
The Smyrna Women's Club and the Smyrna Men's Club provided the original financing and co-sponsored the first library, which officially opened on September 15, 1936 with little more than 600 books. Most of the books were collected by young boys pulling their wagon
s from door to door asking for books. Some of these books remain part of the library collection and are on display.
A single bookshelf in the Woman's Club located at the corner of Atlanta Road (old U.S. 41 and Georgia 3) and Powder Springs Street (old Georgia 5) was the home of Smyrna's first library collection. By 1938, 1400 hundred volumes were housed in their club
house, and in 1939 the Men's Club added a room to the Women's Clubhouse to accommodate the growing collection. This "new" library was located in the back of the Women's Club House. A part-time librarian
administered the collection, and ongoing funding was a joint venture
of local citizens' support, the city of Smyrna, and the U.S. federal government.
The city council
secured Works Projects Administration funds to help finance the project. The monthly income was 30 dollars: 20 from the WPA and five dollars from each of the clubs. This contract was renewed each year until the WPA was abolished in the 1940s.
At that time the city of Smyrna, with help from the state and county boards of education continued to finance the library. The library was governed by a seven-member board of directors
, and it continued to grow and have a prominent role in the community. In 1961 the city assumed full responsibility for funding the library and built a new library facility located on King Street.
By 1986, the library was seriously overcrowded and the mayor
and the city council
recognized the need for a new facility. A new library was recognized as an integral part of the first phase of the city's downtown revitalization program. In 1991, the city opened a new 28000 square feet (2,601.3 m²) facility. This nationally recognized building is based on the colonial Virginia
capitol in Williamsburg
. It features an open floorplan with large windows that provides a warm inviting atmosphere to 250,000 annual visitors.
An educational and cultural resource for the residents, the library offers a wide variety of services to the community. The library collection has grown to over 130,000 items in a wide variety of formats. Books, audio book
s, DVD
s, videotape
s, music
CDs, and government documents can all be checked-out by cardholders. There is free Internet
access, and the library is a Wi-Fi
hotspot
.
The library's reference collection has grown to over 8,000 volumes with special collections on military and genealogy. Access is also provided to over 200 computer database
s through online subscriptions or on CD-ROM
. The children's department presents more than 40 programs a month and was the recipient of the 2005 Georgia Library Association Eason Associates Program Award.
The Friends of the Smyrna Library is one of the largest "Friends" groups in Georgia. They raise money for library activities and sponsor monthly adult speaker programs, a book discussion group, art exhibits, an annual dinner theatre and the Murder Goes South Mystery Festival.
Library
In a traditional sense, a library is a large collection of books, and can refer to the place in which the collection is housed. Today, the term can refer to any collection, including digital sources, resources, and services...
in the state of Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
. It is located at 100 Village Green Circle in downtown
Downtown
Downtown is a term primarily used in North America by English speakers to refer to a city's core or central business district ....
Smyrna, Georgia
Smyrna, Georgia
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 40,999 people, 18,372 households, and 9,498 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,949.9 people per square mile . There were 19,633 housing units at an average density of 1,412.6 per square mile...
. It is the only public library
Public library
A public library is a library that is accessible by the public and is generally funded from public sources and operated by civil servants. There are five fundamental characteristics shared by public libraries...
in the county which has not joined the Cobb County Public Library System
Cobb County Public Library System
The Cobb County Public Library System is the system of 17 public libraries in Cobb County, Georgia, USA — excluding its second-largest city of Smyrna, which runs its own Smyrna Public Library...
.
The Smyrna Women's Club and the Smyrna Men's Club provided the original financing and co-sponsored the first library, which officially opened on September 15, 1936 with little more than 600 books. Most of the books were collected by young boys pulling their wagon
Toy wagon
A toy wagon has the same structure as the traditional, larger wagon, but is much smaller and has an open top. An average wagon is able to seat one child, and is generally propelled by human power through a handle at the front. Some famous brands are Radio Flyer, Red Rider, Northern Tool and...
s from door to door asking for books. Some of these books remain part of the library collection and are on display.
A single bookshelf in the Woman's Club located at the corner of Atlanta Road (old U.S. 41 and Georgia 3) and Powder Springs Street (old Georgia 5) was the home of Smyrna's first library collection. By 1938, 1400 hundred volumes were housed in their club
Club
A club is an association of two or more people united by a common interest or goal. A service club, for example, exists for voluntary or charitable activities; there are clubs devoted to hobbies and sports, social activities clubs, political and religious clubs, and so forth.- History...
house, and in 1939 the Men's Club added a room to the Women's Clubhouse to accommodate the growing collection. This "new" library was located in the back of the Women's Club House. A part-time librarian
Librarian
A librarian is an information professional trained in library and information science, which is the organization and management of information services or materials for those with information needs...
administered the collection, and ongoing funding was a joint venture
Joint venture
A joint venture is a business agreement in which parties agree to develop, for a finite time, a new entity and new assets by contributing equity. They exercise control over the enterprise and consequently share revenues, expenses and assets...
of local citizens' support, the city of Smyrna, and the U.S. federal government.
The city council
City council
A city council or town council is the legislative body that governs a city, town, municipality or local government area.-Australia & NZ:Because of the differences in legislation between the States, the exact definition of a City Council varies...
secured Works Projects Administration funds to help finance the project. The monthly income was 30 dollars: 20 from the WPA and five dollars from each of the clubs. This contract was renewed each year until the WPA was abolished in the 1940s.
At that time the city of Smyrna, with help from the state and county boards of education continued to finance the library. The library was governed by a seven-member board of directors
Board of directors
A board of directors is a body of elected or appointed members who jointly oversee the activities of a company or organization. Other names include board of governors, board of managers, board of regents, board of trustees, and board of visitors...
, and it continued to grow and have a prominent role in the community. In 1961 the city assumed full responsibility for funding the library and built a new library facility located on King Street.
By 1986, the library was seriously overcrowded and the mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
and the city council
City council
A city council or town council is the legislative body that governs a city, town, municipality or local government area.-Australia & NZ:Because of the differences in legislation between the States, the exact definition of a City Council varies...
recognized the need for a new facility. A new library was recognized as an integral part of the first phase of the city's downtown revitalization program. In 1991, the city opened a new 28000 square feet (2,601.3 m²) facility. This nationally recognized building is based on the colonial Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
capitol in Williamsburg
Williamsburg, Virginia
Williamsburg is an independent city located on the Virginia Peninsula in the Hampton Roads metropolitan area of Virginia, USA. As of the 2010 Census, the city had an estimated population of 14,068. It is bordered by James City County and York County, and is an independent city...
. It features an open floorplan with large windows that provides a warm inviting atmosphere to 250,000 annual visitors.
An educational and cultural resource for the residents, the library offers a wide variety of services to the community. The library collection has grown to over 130,000 items in a wide variety of formats. Books, audio book
Audio book
An audiobook or audio book is a recording of a text being read. It is not necessarily an exact audio version of a book or magazine.Spoken audio has been available in schools and public libraries and to a lesser extent in music shops since the 1930s. Many spoken word albums were made prior to the...
s, DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
s, videotape
Videotape
A videotape is a recording of images and sounds on to magnetic tape as opposed to film stock or random access digital media. Videotapes are also used for storing scientific or medical data, such as the data produced by an electrocardiogram...
s, music
Music
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
CDs, and government documents can all be checked-out by cardholders. There is free Internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
access, and the library is a Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi or Wifi, is a mechanism for wirelessly connecting electronic devices. A device enabled with Wi-Fi, such as a personal computer, video game console, smartphone, or digital audio player, can connect to the Internet via a wireless network access point. An access point has a range of about 20...
hotspot
Hotspot (Wi-Fi)
A hotspot is a site that offers Internet access over a wireless local area network through the use of a router connected to a link to an Internet service provider...
.
The library's reference collection has grown to over 8,000 volumes with special collections on military and genealogy. Access is also provided to over 200 computer database
Database
A database is an organized collection of data for one or more purposes, usually in digital form. The data are typically organized to model relevant aspects of reality , in a way that supports processes requiring this information...
s through online subscriptions or on CD-ROM
CD-ROM
A CD-ROM is a pre-pressed compact disc that contains data accessible to, but not writable by, a computer for data storage and music playback. The 1985 “Yellow Book” standard developed by Sony and Philips adapted the format to hold any form of binary data....
. The children's department presents more than 40 programs a month and was the recipient of the 2005 Georgia Library Association Eason Associates Program Award.
The Friends of the Smyrna Library is one of the largest "Friends" groups in Georgia. They raise money for library activities and sponsor monthly adult speaker programs, a book discussion group, art exhibits, an annual dinner theatre and the Murder Goes South Mystery Festival.