A.K. Smiley Public Library

Serving the City of Redlands, California since 1894

Established in 1894, A.K. Smiley Public Library has served generations of patrons in the City of Redlands and beyond. The only “admission fee” is curiosity. Lifelong learning is at the center of activity in the beautiful, historic building and attractive grounds!

COVID-19

Accepting Donations starting Monday April 18

AKSPL Donation Policy

A.K. Smiley Public Library accepts donations

of gently used books, DVDs and CDs

 

Thank you for your support and patience during these challenging times. In an effort to keep everyone safe, the following rules will be implemented:

  • Donation drop-off hours will be Monday through Friday from 9am to 4pm, with the exception of when the library is closed for holidays.
  • Please limit donations to 4 bags/boxes per day. If you have more than 4 bags/boxes please call Smiley Library (909) 798-7565 to see if special accommodations can be arranged.
  • Because of COVID-19 staff will not be able to assist with unloading donations.
  • Please wear a mask, ring the doorbell at the library’s delivery door located on Eureka Street and a cart will be provided.
  • Smaller donations may be placed in the donation bin located outside the Assembly Room door on the south side of the library.

Please see our donation map for the delivery entrance and donation bin locations.

Resilient Redlands Webinar Series

A.K. Smiley Public Library

A.K. Smiley Public Library’s “Resilient Redlands” webinar series focused on topics related to Redlands history and the collections of the Lincoln Memorial Shrine. Webinars were led by Smiley Library staff with a few special guests.

Past Webinars

2020

April 25 – “Intro to Redlands History”

May 2 – “From the Shrine’s Collections: Emancipation and Lincoln’s Letter to James Conkling”

May 9 – “The Great Crusade: Reflections on the 75th Anniversary of the End of World War II in Europe”

May 16 – “All Aboard for Redlands: How the Railroad Shaped Our Town”

May 23 – “From the Shrine’s Collections: The U.S. Sanitary Commission”

May 30 – “Redlands History in Motion: The Home Movie Preservation Project”

June 6 – “Reflections on D-Day and the Normandy Campaign”

June 13 – “From the Shrine’s Collections: Colonel Chapin and the 21st Connecticut Infantry”

June 27– “California Sunshine: Citrus Label Art of the Redlands District”

July 11 – “Grant’s First Great Victory: The Campaign for Forts Henry & Donelson”

July 25 – “Let’s Take a Walk Around the Block: A Brief Survey of Architecture in Redlands”

August 8 – “Hiroshima-Nagasaki: Reflections on the 75th Anniversary”

September 12 –“Booze, Brews, and Views: Redlands’s Uneasy Relationship with Spiritous Beverage”

September 26 – “Warriors & Patriots: Women of the Civil War”

October 10 – “Pure Gold Archives”

October 24 – “The Smiley Library Children’s Room Centennial: The Couple Behind the Gift”

November 14 – “Redlands and the Influenza Pandemic, 1918-1919”

December 12 –“The Smileys and Christmases Past”

2021

January 9 –“The Civil War in Southern California”

January 23 – “Redlands: The Town That Philanthropy Built”

February 6 – “African American literature” by Professor Charles Williams of Chaffey College

February 13 – “Lincoln’s Greatest Decision: Emancipation and the Use of Black Troops” with Smiley Library Director Don McCue

February 20 – “Black Voice News and the History of the Black Press” by Dr. Paulette Brown-Hinds

February 27 – “Hidden in Plain Sight: African Americans in the Library’s Historic Collections” with Archivist Dr. Nathan Gonzales

March 13 – “Women of Redlands in World War I”

March 27 – “The Indomitable Florence Billings of Redlands”

April 10 – “Water in Thirsty Land”

April 24 – “Redlands: A Heritage of Greenery”

May 9 – “The of Life Elmer Ellsworth of the 1st Fire Zouaves”

May 22 – “Midcentury Redlands”

Watch previous webinars on Smiley Library’s Facebook page and the Special Collections YouTube channel.

These programs were made possible by a generous grant from The Kara Foundation.

Community Steps Up for Smiley Library

Demonstrating how important A.K. Smiley Public Library is to Redlands, dozens of members of the community pledged their own financial resources to save the Library from the most severe budget cuts in its 126-year history, raising $193,000 in two weeks.

“What an amazing testament to the people of our community who, rather than see drastic cuts in our Library’s hours and services, dug into their own pockets to keep it open” remarked Library Trustee Rosa Gomez. The gifts from the community, in concert with the entirety of the Library’s $126,000 reserve fund, make up the 2020 COVID-19 Emergency Fund needed to avoid many of the projected layoffs, if only for one year. “Fortunately the Library Board was able to cobble together additional reserve funds to contribute, but the challenge when you use one-time funds for recurring needs is that once they’re spent, they’re spent. We won’t be able to do this again next year,” Gomez continued.

“The Library hadn’t completely recovered from the cuts of the Great Recession, so the sudden 20% reduction from the City meant the loss of 16 positions and the elimination of 21 hours of service to the public,” commented Library Director Don McCue. “While this doesn’t fix everything for the upcoming year, it is a great help, allowing the Library to be open 48 hours a week instead of only thirty-five.”

“We’re confident that, as the City budget picture hopefully improves, the City Council will reaffirm its commitment to the Library by resuming the funding needed to preserve these important programs,” said Bill Hatfield, President of the Library’s Board of Trustees. “The Library is part of the soul of this community. When Albert Smiley gave the Library and park to the City of Redlands in 1898, it was with the expectation that it would be ‘faithfully and liberally sustained’ by the City. We, with the City Council, must continue to honor his vision and gift.”

Resilient Redlands: COVID-19 and Our Town

Photo by Steven Robles
Submitted to “Resilient Redlands: COVID-19 and Our Town”

As we navigate through these challenging times, we are reminded that we are living through an historic moment that will be analyzed by generations to come. The resilient spirit of the Redlands community has been apparent through acts of selflessness and generosity exhibited by people throughout the pandemic.

A.K. Smiley Public Library is embarking on a new project to document life in Redlands during the outbreak. Led by the Library’s Division of Special Collections, “Resilient Redlands: COVID-19 and Our Town” invites the Redlands community to share their experiences through photographs, stories, poetry, works of art, or anything that can be shared electronically that documents life during COVID-19. Your submissions will become part of the Library’s COVID-19 remembrance collection.

Share your experiences through the new “Resilient Redlands” portal that allows you to upload photographs, documents, and answer a few questions about adjusting to life in this time of uncertainty. If email is your preference, please send these items to the Heritage Room at heritage@akspl.org. To learn more or participate in this community effort, click here. In-person donations can be accepted by appointment only.

If you have any questions, please contact the Heritage Room at heritage@akspl.org or (909)798-7632.