Fiction Addiction Book Club: The Atomic City Girls by Janet Beard
2024-08-21 16:00 - 17:00 (America/New_York) | Library Meeting Room, 9318 Apison Pike, Collegedale, TN, United States
Fiction Addiction Book Club will be discussing The Atomic City Girls by Janet Beard.
In the bestselling tradition of Hidden Figures and The Wives of Los Alamos, comes a riveting novel of the everyday women who worked on the Manhattan Project during World War II. “What you see here, what you hear here, what you do here, let it stay here.”
In November 1944, eighteen-year-old June Walker boards an unmarked bus, destined for a city that doesn’t officially exist. Oak Ridge, Tennessee has sprung up in a matter of months—a town of trailers and segregated houses, 24-hour cafeterias, and constant security checks. There, June joins hundreds of other young girls operating massive machines whose purpose is never explained. They know they are helping to win the war, but must ask no questions and reveal nothing to outsiders.
The girls spend their evenings socializing and flirting with soldiers, scientists, and workmen at dances and movies, bowling alleys and canteens. June longs to know more about their top-secret assignment and begins an affair with Sam Cantor, the young Jewish physicist from New York who oversees the lab where she works and understands the end goal only too well, while her beautiful roommate Cici is on her own mission: to find a wealthy husband and escape her sharecropper roots. Across town, African-American construction worker Joe Brewer knows nothing of the government’s plans, only that his new job pays enough to make it worth leaving his family behind, at least for now. But a breach in security will intertwine his fate with June’s search for answers.
When the bombing of Hiroshima brings the truth about Oak Ridge into devastating focus, June must confront her ideals about loyalty, patriotism, and war itself.
Born and raised in East Tennessee, Janet Beard moved to New York to study screenwriting at NYU and went on to earn an MFA in creative writing from The New School. Her first novel, Beneath the Pines, was published in 2008, and her follow-up, The Atomic City Girls became an international bestseller in 2018. Janet’s latest novel The Ballad of Laurel Springs was published in October 2021. Janet has lived and worked in Australia, England, Boston, and Columbus, Ohio, where she is currently raising a daughter, and working on a new novel.

Preschool Storytime
2024-08-22 10:30 - 11:00 | TN
Preschool storytime is an early literacy program for ages 3 to 5 years old with stories, music, and movement. *This event will be capped at 40 participants.*

Crime Reads Book Club: Pretty Girls by Karin Slaughter
2024-08-24 15:00 - 16:00 | Library Meeting Room, 9318 Apison Pike, Collegedale, TN, United States
Crime Reads Book Club will be discussing Pretty Girls by Karin Slaughter. ~ Good Reads Choice Award: Nominee for Best Thriller & Mystery (2015)
Twenty years ago Claire Scott’s eldest sister, Julia, went missing. No one knew where she went – no note, no body. It was a mystery that was never solved and it tore her family apart. Now another girl has disappeared, with chilling echoes of the past. And it seems that she might not be the only one. Claire is convinced Julia’s disappearance is linked. But when she begins to learn the truth about her sister, she is confronted with a shocking discovery, and nothing will ever be the same…
Karin Slaughter is the author of more than twenty instant NEW YORK TIMES bestselling novels, including the Edgar–nominated COP TOWN and standalone novels THE GOOD DAUGHTER, PRETTY GIRLS, and GIRL, FORGOTTEN. She is published in 120 countries with more than 40 million copies sold across the globe. PIECES OF HER is a #1 Netflix original series starring Toni Collette. The Will Trent Series is on ABC (and streaming on Hulu in the U.S and Disney+ internationally). THE GOOD DAUGHTER and FALSE WITNESS are in development for film/tv. Slaughter is the founder of the Save the Libraries project—a nonprofit organization established to support libraries and library programming. A native of Georgia, she lives in Atlanta.

Playtime
2024-08-26 10:30 - 11:00, 2024-08-27 10:30 - 11:00, 2024-08-28 10:30 - 11:00, 2024-08-29 10:30 - 11:00 | TN
Join us for playtime! All children age 0-5.

Kids Lego Club
2024-08-26 16:00 - 17:00 | Library Meeting Room, 9318 Apison Pike, Collegedale, TN, United States
What’s better than a massive pile of LEGO bricks? Absolutely nothing! Stop by our Kid’s LEGO club and enjoy 45 minutes of LEGO free play. Ages 6+

Paws to Read with Therapy Dog
2024-08-27 16:00 - 17:00 | Library Meeting Room, 9318 Apison Pike, Collegedale, TN, United States
Meet Atreyu! This pup is all ears and ready to hear you read to him during our Paws to Read hour. Pick a book from our shelves and read to Atreyu or visit with him. If you are shy around dogs, you can watch Atreyu while you do the small craft provided. For safety, we will limit the number of people in the room with Atreyu at one time.

Adult Craft: Intro to Paper Quilling
2024-08-27 17:30 - 18:30 | Library Meeting Room, 9318 Apison Pike, Collegedale, TN, United States
What is paper quilling? It is a form of art that involves the use of strips of paper that are rolled, shaped and glued together to create decorative designs. The paper shape is manipulated to create designs or to decorate other materials – such as greeting cards, pictures, boxes, jewelry, etc. Local instructor Sandy will be on hand to teach all of us the art of paper quilling this month!
Open to anyone in the community 17+ years of age – no library card requirement.

Origami Workshop: Pencil Cup Holder
2024-08-29 17:30 - 18:30 | Library Meeting Room, 9318 Apison Pike, Collegedale, TN, United States
Join Ms. Shirley for some Back-to-School paper folding fun where we will make a cool pencil cup holder for our pens and pencils plus a mini notebook.

Happy Labor Day!
2024-09-02 | TN
The Collegedale Public Library will be closed Monday, September 2, 2024 in observance of the state holiday. We look forward to seeing you again Tuesday, September 3rd.

Preschool Storytime
2024-09-03 10:30 - 11:00, 2024-09-05 10:30 - 11:00, 2024-09-10 10:30 - 11:00, 2024-09-12 10:30 - 11:00, 2024-09-17 10:30 - 11:00 | TN
Preschool storytime is an early literacy program for ages 3 to 5 years old with stories, music, and movement. *This event will be capped at 40 participants.*
Theme: Book Characters
Week 1: Pete the Cat
Week 2: Very Hungry Caterpillar
Week 3: Elephant and Piggie
Week 4: Bruce the Bear

Baby and Toddler Storytime
2024-09-04 10:30 - 11:00, 2024-09-09 10:30 - 11:00, 2024-09-11 10:30 - 11:00, 2024-09-16 10:30 - 11:00 | Library Meeting Room, 9318 Apison Pike, Collegedale, TN, United States
This early literacy program for ages 0 to 36 months is designed for activity and movement. *This event will be capped at 40 participants.*
Theme: Book Characters
Week 1: Pete the Cat
Week 2: Very Hungry Caterpillar
Week 3: Elephant and Piggie
Week 4: Bruce the Bear

Family Event: Charm-ing Color Scratch Bookmarks
2024-09-05 16:30 - 17:30 | Library Meeting Room, 9318 Apison Pike, Collegedale, TN, United States
Join us Thursday afternoon for an easy, customizable bookmark craft. We will use tools to scratch a colorful design or name onto your bookmark. Then we will add a satin tassel with a cute charm of your choosing. This craft is open to participants of all ages, first come, first served, no library card requirement.

String Theory
2024-09-07 15:00 - 16:00 | Library Meeting Room, 9318 Apison Pike, Collegedale, TN, United States
Bring any style of needlework project (knit, crochet, cross stitch, embroidery…) to this informal gathering and talk about books, recipes, and whatever else strikes your fancy while you work.

Intro to Mahjong for Beginners
2024-09-08 14:00 - 16:00 | Library Meeting Room, 9318 Apison Pike, Collegedale, TN, United States
Join us at the Collegedale Public Library for an introductory meeting of the new game sensation, Mahjong. This tile-based game dates back to 19th Century China with regional variants across Southeast Asia, Korea, Japan and Vietnam. It is considered a game of skill, strategy and luck. We are hosting this meeting to allow local novice Mahjong players to be able to connect and introduce those interested but with no experience to the game. If connections are made – the hope is that a group of regular players can start playing rotating meeting locations.
This introductory session is for adult beginners (17+) who would like to learn more about the playing of mahjong. This program is open to anyone in the community with an interest, no library card requirement.

Minecraft Club
2024-09-09 16:30 - 17:30 | Library Meeting Room, 9318 Apison Pike, Collegedale, TN, United States
Join us as we bring Minecraft back to the library! Bring your own device or use the library’s laptops. (Limited laptops; first come, first served).

Adult Craft: Fall Gnomes
2024-09-10 17:30 - 18:30 | Library Meeting Room, 9318 Apison Pike, Collegedale, TN, United States
Home, sweet gnome! We will be painting 7” ceramic gnomes in September to kick off the first month of Fall. Be creative, paint and decorate a whimsical, realistic or abstract design to set off your gnome’s personality. Display it on your patio, in your yard, on your mantle or table’s centerpiece this Fall.
All Adult Crafts are on a first come, first served basis. Participants may sign-up up to 30 minutes prior to the activity and we will take as many as we have craft supplies.
Open to participants 17+ years, no library card requirement, all supplies provided by Collegedale Public Library.

One-on-One with a Financial Advisor
2024-09-11 17:00 - 19:00 | Library Meeting Room, 9318 Apison Pike, Collegedale, TN, United States
The Library is offering One-on-One sessions with Anthony Young who is a financial advisor from Thrivent, a non-profit financial organization. 30 minute sessions are free and private in our meeting room. Getting your finances in order isn’t always easy or clear. That’s why Anthony is here to provide the expertise and support you need. Whether you’re just starting out or preparing for a meaningful retirement, you deserve personalized financial guidance driven by what’s important to you. Together, we’ll assess your financial picture and explore how you can.
There are 4 sessions available starting at 5:00 PM: 5:00, 5:30, 6:00 and 6:30. Sessions are free, but limited. Please register for a session (only one session per person). If you need to cancel, please let us know so we can contact someone on the waiting list. *No products will be sold*
Pre-register today to reserve a spot!

Paws to Read: Therapy Dog
2024-09-12 16:00 - 17:00 | TN
Meet Phoenix! This pup is all ears and ready to hear you read to him during our Paws to Read hour. Pick a book from our shelves and read to Phoenix or visit with him. If you are shy around dogs, you can watch Phoenix while you do the small craft provided. For safety, we will limit the number of people in the room at one time.

Staff Development Day
2024-09-13 | TN
The Collegedale Public Library will be CLOSED Friday, September 13, 2024 for our annual Staff Development Day. We will resume normal operating hours Saturday, September 14, 2024.

Local Author Visit: Tyler Boyd’s The Biggs Machine
2024-09-15 14:00 - 16:00 | Library Meeting Room, 9318 Apison Pike, Collegedale, TN, United States
Join the Friends of the Collegedale Public Library as they host local author Tyler Boyd who will discuss his book – The Biggs Machine – Historical/Non-Fiction. Open to everyone – no library card requirement.
For the first half of the 20th Century in Polk County, Tennessee, Sheriff Burch Biggs reigned supreme. From 1904 to 1948, the political machine of Biggs was built upon three pillars―election fraud, police brutality, and graft―and while it is true that Biggs was not the first (or last) American sheriff to permit “fee-grabbing”, take kickbacks, or stuff the ballot box, the duration and brutality of his tenure makes him exceptional. Biggs was elected sheriff eight times, and when he was out of office, one of his two sons served in his place. The Biggs Machine tells the story of Burch Biggs, his corrupt empire, and how it all came crashing down following World War II. Extensively researched, including interviews with Polk Countians who lived during the Biggs regime, The Biggs Machine presents the true story of how “absolute power corrupts absolutely”, and a cautionary tale to prevent history from repeating itself.
About the Author: Tyler L. Boyd is an author, historian, and educator in McMinn County, Tennessee.
In Spring 2017, Boyd began work on his first book, a biography of Harry T. Burn, his great-granduncle. Burn became famous for casting the deciding vote in the Tennessee General Assembly to ratify the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution in 1920, granting the right to vote to women across America. Boyd debunks the myths about Burn and his role in the woman suffrage movement, and chronicles the rest of his life and career in Tennessee politics. “Tennessee Statesman Harry T. Burn: Woman Suffrage, Free Elections and a Life of Service,” was published by the History Press in August 2019. It won several awards, including the Award of Distinction from the East Tennessee Historical Society, the Award for Historic Preservation from the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution, and was selected for the Tennessee State Museum’s 2020 Book Club.
His second book, “Nellie Kenyon: Trailblazing Tennessee Journalist,” was published in April 2022 by Waldenhouse Publishers. In an era when men dominated the field of journalism, Kenyon covered some of the 20th century’s biggest stories, including the trials of John T. Scopes and Jimmy Hoffa. Through her outstanding work, she paved the way for the many women that work in journalism today. Boyd’s biography of Kenyon won the Project Excellence Award from the East Tennessee Historical Society.
In September 2023, Acclaim Press published Boyd’s third book, “The Biggs Machine: Old Time Politics in Polk County, Tennessee.” Previously a forbidden topic of discussion for many Polk County natives, Boyd finally chronicles this story for the first time. Inspired by the Battle of Athens in 1946, a bipartisan group of veterans formed the Good Government League (GGL) to challenge the political machine of longtime Polk County Sheriff Burch E. Biggs. Through election fraud, graft, and police brutality, Biggs perpetuated his corrupt regime in power for nearly two decades before its violent overthrow in 1948.
Boyd was born and raised in Athens, Tennessee. He studies history, civics, economics, geography, and philosophy. He enjoys genealogy, running, traveling, and the cinema. He has a B.A. in history and a M.S. in teacher education, both from the University of Tennessee. He has taught high school in Loudon, Bradley, and McMinn Counties. He currently serves as a Programs committee member at the McMinn County Living Heritage Museum, vice president of the McMinn County Historical Society, secretary of the McMinn County Library Board, and on the Athens Historic Preservation Commission. He is also a member of the East Tennessee Historical Society, Tennessee Historical Society, and the National Society Sons of the American Revolution.
