The Reese Library is pleased to announce the addition of the James H. Smith Memorial Collection. Mr. Smith was an Associate Professor of English who started his career at Augusta College in 1966 and retired from Augusta State University in 1999. He was a founding member of the University’s chapter of Phi Kappa Phi and also helped establish the ASU Film Series, now the GRU Film Series. He served a term as President of the National Popular Culture Association of America and brought their national convention to Augusta during his tenure. He was a well-loved teacher and scholar and enjoyed sharing his interests, which included popular culture, opera, Jane Austen, and science fiction.
The collection donated in his memory includes 38 circulating titles of Hugo Award winning novels that were not previously available at Reese Library. The Hugo Awards are presented each year for the best works in science fiction or fantasy for the previous calendar year. Some of the award-winning authors included in this collection are Ray Bradbury, Isaac Asimov, Orson Scott Card, Lois McMaster Bujold, and Connie Willis. The collection also includes one non-circulating reference book about the history of science fiction films entitled Keep Watching the Skies.
The memorial collection was funded by donations from friends and colleagues of Mr. Smith. It is on display in the lobby of Reese Library and the books are available for check-out.
