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 library has two donated magazine subscriptions: Biblical Archaeology Review and Christian History.
• 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 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.

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.

The Highland Book Club meets once a month in the Church Parlor to discuss a book which has been selected by the group. New members are welcome! They meet at four o’clock on a Thursday usually, but the meeting day and time can vary according to members’ schedules. To verify meeting time or any other information, please contact Ann Lawson at 848-7112.

The United Methodist Women’s Reading Program is housed in the library. Upon entering the library, their bookshelf is located in the right-hand corner near the desk. They have their own checking out system in a white notebook. This program is not maintained by the library staff.

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.

Used Book Sale – The Library Committee is planning a book sale this spring. We are now accepting good used books, DVD’s and CD’s. We cannot take old textbooks, old encyclopedias, or computer manuals. There is a collection box in the library for your donations. Start cleaning out your bookshelves, now! All proceeds will go toward future media purchases for the library.

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:
Billie Poole, Chairperson, 781-1261; Jane Gray, Kay Miller, Lynda Mottershead, Lori Epstein-Nelson, John Shutt or Debbie Sykes.