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!

Coronavirus (COVID-19)

March 16, 2020

The Library Board and Library staff, in consultation with City of Redlands officials, have been closely following developments associated with the COVID-19 virus.  This afternoon Redlands City Manager Charlie Duggan declared a state of emergency in our community, www.cityofredlands.org. Part of that declaration includes direction that the A.K. Smiley Public Library and the Lincoln Memorial Shrine should close immediately until April 30.  Although this is a difficult decision, the Library Board and I fully support the city manager’s decision.  The health and safety of our patrons and staff needs to be our primary consideration during this challenging time.

Late fees will be waived for any material that is due between now and April 30. Nonetheless, if you are able to travel to the library, we request that you continue to drop off all library material (including DVDs) in our book drop. We are working on establishing an appointment only method of distributing books and DVDs to our patrons who are able to come to the library. Please check our website or Facebook in the coming days for information on this potential option.

For those who are unable to visit the library in person, we would like to remind you again about the library’s electronic resources which are available 24/7 from home to all library cardholders. Patrons can download eBooks or audiobooks available from Overdrive on your home computer, tablet or phone.  If you have young children at home, BookFlix is a valuable tool.  This is an online resource that pairs classic video storybooks with related non-fiction eBooks to encourage a love of reading and learning for grades PreK – 3. For those looking for a magazine to read without leaving home, check out Flipster, a digital magazine service with 18 titles for adults and children. Finally check our eLibrary tab for other electronic databases, including access to the digital version of the New York Times. The library’s website has full details, www.akspl.org.

Thank you for your support of AK Smiley Public Library. We regret the inconvenience caused by the necessity to temporarily close. Together we will get through this crisis and look forward to the day when we can fully restore our services.

Sincerely.

 

Don McCue
Library Director

Previous Messages about the Coronavirus (COVID-19)

March 13, 2020

The Library Board and Library staff, in consultation with City of Redlands officials, have been closely following developments associated with the COVID-19 virus. The Governor of California, through the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) advised that all large gatherings of 250 or more people should be postponed or canceled. Smaller gatherings held in venues that do not allow social distancing of 6 feet per person should also be postponed or canceled.  The CDPH guidelines can be found at the CDPH website. In order to provide as safe and healthy environment as possible for our patrons the following steps are being implemented immediately:

  1. Effective through March 31, all scheduled meetings and events in the Library’s Assembly Room, Lincoln Shrine museum, and Contemporary Club facility are postponed, this includes the Young Readers Room story time programming. This policy will be reviewed as events warrant. We regret any inconvenience that is caused by this necessary decision.
  2. The Library and Lincoln Shrine will remain open normal hours. In collaboration with the City of Redlands Facilities and Community Service Department, both facilities will be undergoing elevated cleaning and sanitizing.
  3. In order to comply with the CDPH recommendations regarding social distancing, approximately one third of our public access computer terminals will be taken off-line and one third of our chairs at tables throughout the building will be put into storage. This policy will also be reviewed as events warrant.

For those who are unable or choose not to visit the library in person, we would like to remind you about the library’s electronic resources which are available 24/7 from home to all library cardholders. You can download ebooks or audiobooks available from Overdrive on your home computer, tablet or phone.  If you have young children at home, you might find BookFlix to be a valuable tool.  This is an online resource that pairs classic video storybooks with related non-fiction eBooks to encourage a love of reading and learning for grades PreK – 3. Finally, if you’re looking for a magazine to read without leaving home, check out Flipster, a digital magazine service with 18 titles for adults and children. The library’s website has full details, www.akspl.org.

Thank you for your patience and understanding as we strive to continue as many of our services as possible while at the same time protecting the safety and health of our community.

Sincerely

Don McCue

Library Director