Come Receive “Blessings from Books” at the Mary Smith Memorial Library

The mission of the Mary Smith Memorial Library is to provide resources for members to develop a deeper Christian faith through reading and studying. It has materials for all ages and includes nonfiction and fiction publications.

The Mary Smith Memorial Library offers a wide variety of resources to strengthen the faith journey of our congregation members. A Book List with all titles listed alphabetically or by author is kept on the round table in the library for our patron’s use. We are adding new books on a regular basis, so please come by often and see what’s new! The top shelves of the book carts in the middle of the library have our brand new books displayed for both children and adult readers. Here are some of the highlights of the collection:

• The adult non-fiction area on the right side includes the reference section offering The New Interpreter’s Bible Commentaries Volumes 1 - 12; Barclay Commentaries; The Storytellers’ Companion to the Bible ; Illustrated Family Encyclopedia of The Living Bible; various Bible Dictionaries, Atlases, and Bibles.
• The Efird Bible Study Series, a popular Bible study resource, is available on DVD for check-out.
• Other non-fiction categories include: Biographies, John Wesley, Devotional Helps, Parenting. Aging, Art & Music, Illness, Spiritual Enrichment, and Other Religions
• The Adult Fiction area includes popular authors: Philip Gulley, Alexander McCall Smith; Lynne Hinton; Beverly Lewis, Karen Kingsbury, Nicholas Sparks and Richard Paul Evans and many more of your favorites.
• The Children and Junior Sections are on the left upon entering the library with Easy Readers, Board Books, Picture Books and First Chapter Books in the first 2 bookshelves.
• Next is Junior Fiction with popular authors, Judy Blume, Andrew Clements, Roald Dahl, and Deborah Wiles.
• Children’s non-fiction books are in the last bookcase which include everything from Noah’s Ark to dinosaurs to devotional helps!
• Veggie Tales and Chadder Adventure DVDs & VHS tapes (and many others!) are available for check out from the cart.

All books and other resources taken from the library should be properly checked out, even if you are only borrowing for an hour. Please follow the check out procedures posted on the library desk.

Reference books with a yellow “R” sticker on the spine must be used in the library. The only exception is they can be used during the Sunday School hour, Bible Study Class, etc., as long as it is within the church building. If needed, you may make copies of reference material by using the copier in the church office.

Books and resources must be returned within three weeks. Please return on time so others may enjoy them, too!

If your book or resource is overdue, you will receive a postcard friendly reminder. Later, you may receive a phone call.

No food or drinks are allowed in the library at anytime.

Give a gift of learning and enjoyment. A good book placed in the church library is a wonderful way to celebrate a birthday, wedding anniversary, new baby or the memory of a loved one! Maybe you just want to place a book in honor of someone just because they are special to you! A library staff person is available on Sunday mornings to assist you with your donation. A special commemorative bookplate will be placed in the book or resource. Pick up the pamphlet, Honor and Memorial Book Program, in the library for complete details.

The Sunday School classes for children, ages 4 to 5 are accompanied by their teachers to the library for story time from 10:15 to 10:30 on the second Sunday of each month. Our volunteer reader also shares books with the younger children, ages 2 to 3, in their classroom from 10:30 to 10:45. These times and locations may change depending on special events on some Sunday mornings. A list of books read to the children is posted on the bulletin board for the parents’ reference in case they would like to check out that book to read aloud to their child again. Reading with a child is one of the most important 20 minutes of your day!

Each summer we challenge our young readers (ages 3 to rising 6th graders) to nurture their Christian growth by sponsoring the Highland Summer Reading Program. Participants must read (or have read to them) a certain number of books, depending on their age, within eight weeks. Upon completion, each reader is recognized with a new book added to our library in their honor. Details about this reading incentive program are available in late May.

Christian Library International (CLI) is a non-denominational ministry which collects and distributes Christian books, Bibles and materials to over 900 U.S. prisons and missions in 45 countries. Our library staff periodically “weeds” out duplicated copies of books or outdated editions of our library collection. We send these on to CLI for their prison ministry. Also, after our Used Book Sale, we send Christian-themed materials to CLI.

The Library sponsors a Used Book Sale once a year to raise funds for new library resources, usually in the spring time. We will accept your donations of all types of books - adult and children, current and classic editions, DVD‘s, books on CD. Please consider content when donating. We do not accept old computer manuals, textbooks or old encyclopedias. Collection time will be announced.

Our library is named in memory of Mary Smith, former Director of Christian Education at Highland. Mary was instrumental in starting our library and served on the library committee for many years.

Please contact us with questions or suggestions for new books:
Kay Miller – Chairperson; Earleen Barnes, Jane Gray, Laura Horn, Lynda Mottershead, Billie Poole, Kay Stocum, Debbie Sykes .