TODAY: Friends of the Dick Smith Library Book Sale

Book Crafting for Summer

Looking for a fun project to work on over the summer?  Have a set of well-loved books that you don’t plan on keeping?  Want to hide away some personal treasures in your home or dorm?  Then try making a Multi-Book Secret Storage Compartment!

You will need:   

•  A set of books that are not hot titles that would draw people's attention (and that you are willing to sacrifice the contents of-- it's hard, I know!)

• A scroll saw or hand saw

• Masking tape

• Glue (optional)

Just follow the steps shown below:

If you don’t have books you’re willing to part with, try stopping by our Friends of the Library book sale being held on July 10th.  The sale will be located in the lower level of the Tarleton Center in Room 001.  This year they are reducing their book prices.  It's now $0.50 for a paperback and $1.00 for a hardback (half price starts at 2pm).  And for just $10, a customer can fill a Friends tote bag (level to top) with books of their choosing.  We hope to see you there!

Tarleton Thursdays: Did You Know?

20th Anniversary of the

Friends of the Dick Smith Library

We have reached a milestone! This month is the 20th anniversary of our Friends of the Dick Smith Library. The first membership meeting for our Friends group was held on Dick Smith's birthday, September 9, 1991 in the library multipurpose room. The group had humble beginnings - besides the organizing committee, only four people attended. Mrs. Ivy Lou Cleveland, shown on the left in the photo above, was one of the attendees. Mrs. Nedra Maddox, on the right above, was also an early member. The Friends had a bank balance of $290.64 the fall of 1991 from bake sales and the sell of aluminum cans.

The Friends group, even though small in number, started a number of events that still exist today. The first book sale was held in 1992, and the first Dinner in the Stacks was held October 1993 with Tarleton's Major William Brown speaking on the Civil War and 96 in attendance. In addition, the Friends of the Dick Smith Library co-sponsored with the Friends of the Stephenville Public Library a genealogy workshop with Salt Lake City's Ron Bremer in October 1993 with almost 100 in attendance, and co-sponsored with the Erath County Genealogical Society a program by Lady Jeanne Luckahoo on Pocahontas.

It was several years before the group officially elected officers. Dr. Ann Albrecht was elected president in October 1997. By that time the Friends had $4125 in their account. They continued to have book sales and dinners. Money was also obtained by memberships. Soon they had enough to create an endowment. In 2009 a business membership category was created.

The Friends have purchased popular titles, display cases, art, a map case, and furnishings for the Local History Room, replaced worn Stephenville Empire Tribune microfilm, and provided the seed money to digitize the JTAC! They are truly Friends of the Library!

This Saturday night we will celebrate the 20th Anniversary of the Friends of the Dick Smith Library with Dinner in the Stacks, featuring Sherri Knight and James Pylant and their new book "The Oldest Profession in Texas, a History of Waco's Legal Red Light District." Information about the dinner can be found on the library website.

Tarleton Thursdays: Did You Know?

Friends of the Library Book Sale

Mark your calendars! The Friends of the Dick Smith Library will hold their annual summer book sale Wednesday July 8, 2009 from 7:30 to 6 in the foyer of the Tarleton Center. The Friends have lots of items that have not been in previous sales, plus some that have.

The Friends began having book sales in 1992 and they are one of the major fundraisers for the group. The money is used to purchase items for the library that are not covered in the regular budget. Some of the items that have been purchased by the Friends include display cases, map case, artwork, furnishings for the Local History room, popular magazine subscriptions, mouse pads, flip video cameras, and many others.

Items included in the book sale largely come from donations. The library is not able to keep all donations....many are duplicates, some are outdated, and some are not appropriate for the collection. The gift items that are not added are given to the Friends for their book sale. We also give the Friends items that we withdraw from the collection because they are outdated or are duplicate copies.

We have come a long way! In 1902 the Stephenville Twentieth Century Club organized a book reception to benefit the John Tarleton Library. It was well received and more than 250 books were collected. "The bulletin for 1902-03 stated that the library held 1500 volumes of choice literature." Today we have over 280,000 items! (King, The Dick Smith Library: Into the Second Century, p.4)

The Friends of the Library annual book sale is well attended and popular with the Tarleton community as well as the Stephenville community. So come on over to the Tarleton Center Wednesday July 8 and find some bargains!