• Skip to main content
  • Home
  • About AKSPL
    • 360 Virtual Tour
    • Agendas – Minutes
    • Careers
    • Hours
    • The Library
  • eLibrary
    • eAudiobooks
    • eBooks
    • eDatabases
  • News + Events
    • Calendar
    • Facebook
    • Holiday Closures
    • Instagram
    • Smiley Blog
  • Services
    • Adult Literacy
    • Borrow and Renew Items
    • Conversation Corner
    • Fees and Fines
    • Heritage Room
    • Library Cards
    • Lincoln Memorial Shrine
    • Public Computers and Wi-Fi
    • Smiley Heritage Tours
    • Teens
      • Teen Underground Book Reviews
    • Young Readers’ Room
  • Support AKSPL
    • Endowment Fund
    • Friends of the Library
    • Kirke Hart Field Society
  • My Account / Search our Catalog

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!

News + Events

Patron Saints’ Day

At A.K. Smiley Public Library, March 17 means more than St. Patrick’s Day- it’s Patron Saints’ Day, the birthday of Redlands’s best-known benefactors, Albert and Alfred Smiley!

Born in Maine in 1828, identical twins Albert and Alfred were successful educators before embarking upon careers as resort owners in New York state in the decades that followed the Civil War. Discovering Redlands in 1889, the pair went on to create a public botanical oasis known as Canyon Crest Park in the hills southwest of Redlands and were involved in many philanthropic projects in the city. Their immeasurable impact is best exemplified by A.K. Smiley Public Library, which is named for Albert, but would not have been possible without the contributions of both brothers.

Now, on their 195th birthday, Director Emeritus Larry Burgess and Archivist Nathan Gonzales honor the Smileys and their gifts to the city with a special Patron Saints’ Day presentation on Friday, March 17 at 2pm in the Contemporary Club or on Zoom.

This event is free and open to the public. The Contemporary Club is located at 173 S. Eureka Street. If you have any questions, please contact the Heritage Room at (909)798-7632.

Honor César Chávez and Dolores Huerta

Join Common Vision Coalition, A.K. Smiley Public Library, and A People’s History of the Inland Empire on Saturday, April 1st at 10am for a commemoration of the work of César Chávez and Dolores Huerta at the Redlands Senior Center.

A celebration of Chávez and Huerta’s dedication to the rights of farm workers, the program will include presentations from local historians and an opportunity for community participation. Audrey Maier, a representative from A People’s History of the Inland Empire, will share her research on local citrus labor organizing during the 1930s. Smiley Library Special Collections Manager Maria Carrillo Colato will discuss Chávez and Huerta’s work, while Archivist Nathan Gonzales will focus on their influence on local citrus workers.

Community members are encouraged to bring photos and share their family history for the ongoing project to document the history of North Redlands. Time will be set aside for personal storytelling.

The event is free and open to the public. The Redlands Senior Center is located at 111 W. Lugonia St. in Redlands. A continental breakfast will be provided while supplies last. For more information, contact Maria Whitaker Saucedo of the Common Vision Coalition at (951) 533-4438 or via email at redcvc2010@gmail.com.

K-Pop Polco Party March 22

 

K-Pop Polco Party Part 2 at A.K. Smiley Public Library!

Ages 10+
K-Pop lovers…unite, again! We had so much fun at our Fall K-Pop event, we wanted to press repeat!
 
Join us for an hour of K-Pop crafting with photo cards and stickers (that we’ll provide!), making buttons with our button maker (feel free to bring your own bias!), listening to tunes, munching snacks, and talking with friends about our mutual appreciation for Korean music, shows, and culture. If you missed this event last time, now is your chance…registration is required and space is limited, so don’t delay, register today!
K-Pop Polco Party Part 2!
Wednesday, 3/22
4-5:00pm
The Contemporary Club at A.K. Smiley Public Library
173 S. Eureka St., Redlands
Ages 10+ welcome! You too, adults!
Registration required.
FREE!
* If you’re wondering what in the world “polco” is, it’s a combination of the word “Polaroid” and “deco,” and basically refers to decorating Polaroid size photos of K-Pop stars with stickers. Think of it like the K-Pop version of scrapbooking!
 
Please follow this link to register: https://forms.gle/BMr44j1wx4NSzpi38

Celebrate Women’s History Month

In celebration of Women’s History Month, A.K. Smiley Public Library welcomes historian Ann Deegan on Saturday, March 11th at 2pm in the Assembly Room or on Zoom (Passcode: 758185).

Dr. Deegan’s program, “Head to Toe and Skin Out: Women’s Dress Through Photography During the American Civil War”, will analyze original Civil War-era photographs and fashion illustrations to reveal what influenced dress ranging from economics and war, to technology and fashion trendsetters. She will delve into why clothing of that era looks so different from today and what influenced women to wear strange and uncomfortable items such as hoop skirts.

In addition to a career in academia and museums, Dr. Deegan’s numerous publications in professional and public journals include co-authoring the books Early Redlands and Redlands in World War I.

This program is free and open to the public. Registration is requested, but not required. For access on Zoom, use passcode 758785. Contact the Heritage Room at (909) 798-7632 for additional information.

Books to Go

Welcome to A.K. Smiley Public Library’s Books to Go service.  Library cardholder can request books, CDs, DVDs or magazines from the Library’s catalog either online (www.akspl.org), via email circ@akspl.org, or with a phone call (909) 798-7565. Staff will pull the material, bag it up, and contact the cardholder to make an appointment to pick up the material from a table which will be set up in front of the Vine Street entrance to the Library.

You will need a valid AKSPL library card. Make sure your phone number and email address are current in our system.  Please note that some formats are not available for the Books to Go program.

Online Procedure:        

  • Go to our website, www.akspl.org.
  • Click on My Account / Search our Catalog.
  • Click on Log In.
  • Enter Library Card # and PIN (usually last four digits of phone number).
  • Search our Catalog, click on desired title. Please note that some formats are not available for   the Books to Go program.
  • Click on Place Hold. (Disregard 75 cent charge for placing hold)
  • Click on Place Hold(s).
  • Click on Ok.
  • Repeat steps for each additional desired item.

 

Email Procedure:

  • Search our Catalog online at www.akspl.org.
  • Email your desired titles to circ@akspl.org.
  • Please include your library card number, first name, last name, and phone number in your email.

 

Phone Procedure:

  • Search our Catalog online at www.akspl.org.
  • Call (909) 798-7565 and tell library staff which title(s) you desire.

 

A member of our staff will attempt to fulfill your selections and contact you to setup an appointment to pick up your requested materials.  Pick-up appointments are available during the following hours:

  • Mon – Thurs: 10am –5:30pm
  • Fri – Sat: 10am – 4:30pm
  • Sunday: 1:00 – 4:15pm

 

  • « Go to Previous Page
  • Go to page 1
  • Go to page 2
  • Go to page 3
  • Go to page 4
  • Interim pages omitted …
  • Go to page 16
  • Go to Next Page »

Copyright © 2023 · A.K. Smiley Public Library, All Rights Reserved