A wonderful article detailing the History of the Central Resource Library can be found on the JoCoHistory Blog.
Discover its origins, learn about previous construction, its relocation, openings and re-openings, detailing a story that began in the 1950s and continues to be written as we welcome you back on Feb. 22, 2022!
Library Origins
In the early 1950s, the libraries of Johnson County were run by community volunteers. Some housed small libraries in their homes, some worked out of local buildings – barbershops, schoolhouses, and shopping centers – and others operated traveling bookmobiles. With support from the community, an official Johnson County Library was established in 1953 with funding and a permanent location in Merriam, Kansas. Three years later, the Library moved to the location at Shawnee Mission Parkway and Antioch (the current Antioch Library) and designated this the Headquarters Branch.
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