This month, local photographer Paul Meeks is displaying an assortment of wintery scenes at the Smithville Branch. Come check out his artistic vision in black and white and vivid color. You might find some of the photographs familiar as you gaze upon rural landscapes, old barns, and vintage farm equipment. All of his work is displayed in large format, so you can't miss the excellent details, like ice on a branch or a hawk in a tree.
Come and be inspired by photography so beautiful that it looks like a painting.
If you like to be inspired and if you like to look at the bright side of life, then we have the perfect section set aside for you! Come check out our new Inspirational Fiction display.
Start the new year off with a splash--of watercolor, that is! For the month of January, the Smithville United Methodist Art Class is displaying fresh work at the Smithville Branch. Come check out a wide variety of paintings created by all levels from beginner to expert. This month the group welcomes some junior members to the display. If you like natural landscapes, you're in for a treat: seascapes, country roads, and covered bridges are featured. There are also exotic animals painted in vivid oranges and yellows, old cars, some modern art, lighthouses, barns, and much more.
New Year's resolutions! Resolutions, resolutions, I really get tired of resolutions. So, we won't talk about them. Let's talk about something more interesting, reading...reading what? You say? Well, it depends on what you really enjoy reading. Did you know that the Raytown Branch has recently added many new displays where you can look for a variety of books that should interest any reader. I am on the team responsible for displaying westerns.
Quilt-lovers rejoice! The local Town and Country Quilt Guild presents an encore quilt display this month at the Smithville Branch. Contemporary techniques, such as machine-stitched confetti quilting, share the space with a hand quilted tulip quilt. A huge square representing a giant panda is a popular trend in wildlife patterns. Another quilt is a framed work of art, which mimics the photograph nearby. And, don't miss the blue ribbon winner in the Crayola challenge from the Platte County Fair. It's a sea of green to feast your eyes on.
Valentine's Day Is Over, But It Is Still Library Lovers Month at Blue Springs South Branch
Did you know that the month of February is Library Lovers Month? Come tell us why you love the library, and enter for a chance to win a $25 gift certificate to the new local "cupcakery," The Sweet Tooth.
Get entered into the raffle by writing what you love about the library on a Valentine, and place it in the jar at the Library Lovers display on the check-in counter of the Blue Springs South Branch. Don’t forget to put your name and phone # on it as well so we can contact you if you are the winner!
Most people know who Jane Austen is. We’ve all been required to read Pride and Prejudice in our high school Language Arts classes, and we’ve probably all seen one of the several film versions of Emma or Sense and Sensibility. But Austen has inspired many more books than she ever wrote.
The South Independence Branch has a very special display in our children's area for this week only!
Come check out our princess display, under the window in the children's area, to see our collection of princess dolls. There's also some new characters on our display board as well!
Of course, don't forget to sign up and come to our Princess Tea Party this Saturday at 2:00 p.m.!
There's no time like the present to explore the past! During the month of March, artifacts from Watkins Woolen Mill are on display at the Smithville Branch. Watkins Woolen Mill State Park and Historic Site, located just East of Kearney (and not far from Smithville), is the only 19th Century textile mill in the United States with its original machinery still intact. The site is a National Historic Landmark and a Mechanical Engineering Historical Landmark.
