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We're Going to Planet Comicon
This weekend marks the opening of Planet Comicon, one of Kansas City’s biggest comic and pop-culture conventions, bringing in a slew of actors, podcasters, writers, artists, and… librarians? Yes, you will find your friendly neighborhood Johnson County Library staff in attendance at the “What Would the X-Men Read?” panel on Saturday, where we will talk about our favorite characters in the X-Men universe alongside writers and artists from the X-Men franchise. Be sure to check out what our staff would think would be on the library checkout list for your favorite characters such as Kitty Pride and Wolverine, Cyclops, and even Magneto. Also be sure to check out some of our staff’s favorite graphic novels – both in the superhero and the non-superhero variety.
Share the Love: Volunteer!
Johnson County Library volunteers annually give 48,500 hours to support Library activities and programs. They work in the Library, behind the scenes in offices and at special events. What can you do? HELP YOUR LIBRARY! We need volunteers like you!
We’re especially looking for:
• Folks who like the fun social contact of working in our bookstores
• Volunteers eager to work in our newest Library, Monticello, in western Shawnee (opening later in 2018)
As a Library Volunteer you can:
• Shelve books or work in offices
• Process book donations
• Support author events and programs
• Staff bookstores and book sales
• Research genealogy . . . and more!
Our Volunteers are:
• Individuals | Corporations
• Teens/Academic Service Credit
• Retired Professionals | Affinity Groups
• Service Clubs | Worship Communities
Easy Steps to Library Volunteering:
1. Find your Library role.
2. Complete an application online at jocolibrary.org/volunteer.
3. Meet our Volunteer Coordinator
4. Schedule a shift at your Library.
5. Volunteer!
6. Repeat as necessary
Our Favorite February Picture Books
Each month our Youth Librarians gather their favorite new picture books together into a list. These books are great for helping children develop early literacy skills such as rhyming, recognizing shapes, and enjoying reading with their caregivers. Take a peek at our most recent list »
Mock Caldecott
Your Community: Librarians choose Mock Caldecott Medal Winners
In February, Johnson County Library brought together librarians and youth specialists from across the metro area to choose their favorite books for the mock Caldecott book award. The Caldecott Medal is awarded annually to the most-distinguished American picture book for children by the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association.
Childhood Memories Recalled
For area librarians, the mock Caldecott is an opportunity to practice critical evaluation skills and to expand their collective knowledge of children’s literature. Preparation for the Mock Caldecott began months prior with librarians evaluating and nominating picture books published in 2017. Organizers shared the list of titles across the metro area. With some titles in the running for other awards and other titles in high demand, librarians scrambled to get their hands on all the nominations before the meeting.
Finalizing the Winners
From character diversity to the arrangement of artistic elements in the book, librarians evaluated each book from cover to cover. Naphtali Faris, Mid-Continent Public Library’s early literacy coordinator and one of the members of the official Caldecott Medal committee, also attended Johnson County Library’s mock event. Naphtali eagerly took notes on the conversation to bring back to the official award committee.
After a two-hours of intense discussion and rounds of voting, Johnson County Library’s Mock Caldecott group chose Dan Santat’s After the Fall: How Humpty Dumpty Got Back Up Again as the winner with honors going to Wolf in the Snow, Crown: An Ode to the Fresh Cut and Muddy: The Story of Blues Legend Muddy Waters.
Official winners for the Caldecott Medal were announced Monday, February 12, at the American Library Association Conference.
Johnson County Library – Nurturing the Community’s Collective Wisdom
A Visit with Dorothy Hughes, Friends Board Vice President
How long have you been a member of Friends of Johnson County Library?
Four years now. Not long enough!
What’s your elevator speech to convince someone to join the Friends?
The shortest answer is: there is no reason not to join. The Friends of Johnson County Library is an organization that supports library programming, literacy and all the great things Johnson County Library does for our community. Not only that, but they sell coffee, too, which I love! If that’s not enough, I get to work with other talented people who are passionate about libraries and their role in modern American life.
Do you have a favorite Friends memory?
My favorite Friends memory is volunteering at the summer book sale a few years ago and getting stationed at the counting table with now-fellow Board member Lindsay Lau. That was the first time we met, and we had a blast. It’s been so much fun getting to know her and the rest of the Board over the years.
What are you reading (or listening to) right now?
I’m currently reading When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi. It’s beautifully done but quite heavy subject matter, so I lightened things up by recently listening to I Can’t Make This Up by comedian Kevin Hart. It gets an R-rating for language, but it is
absolutely hilarious. I highly recommend them both, but for very different reasons, of course.
Dorothy Hughes has served on the Friends of Johnson County Library Board since 2014. She is currently a full-time Ph.D.
student in Health Policy and Management at the University of Kansas School of Medicine. Dorothy also works part-time as
a healthcare consultant and is an adjunct faculty member in the Helzberg School of Business at Rockhurst University. In her
spare time, she enjoys reading, binge-watching Food Network shows, and hanging out with friends, family and her Great
Pyrenees, Maggie.
Throwback Thursday
Happy National Boy Scouts Day! Our Throwback Thursday picture today is a 58-year-old picture of Merriam Boy Scout Pack #398.
See more local history at jocohistory.org or follow our hashtag on Twitter.
Henry Fortunato
Everyone at Johnson County Library is saddened to learn of the passing this week of our esteemed colleague, Henry J. Fortunato, Jr. Henry was the long-time Director of External Affairs for the Kansas City Public Library, and a frequent collaborator with libraries, museums and educational institutions across the region. Henry’s lively intelligence and fierce determination made him a shining light among regional library and humanities professionals, and our work is dimmed by his loss. We will strive always for our efforts to equal his example of courage, conviction and enthusiasm for learning. We offer warmest condolences to Henry’s family and to all who knew and loved him as we did.
Johnson County Library recently collaborated with Henry to produce and distribute bookmarks documenting his seminal work of local history, the Indian Creek Trails History project. These beautiful bookmarks are still available at Central Resource Library.
100 Rabbits – Dick Daniels
In 100 Rabbits, Dick Daniels used the production of ceramics to create 100 different versions of the same rabbit. The work allowed Daniels, who received an ArtsKC Inspirational Grant for this work, a method of investigation into how we measure time. Each rabbit is unique yet there is a commonality to them, highlighting how time impacts our approach to work, influences our expertise and alters our perceptions.
ArtsKC Fund Inspiration Grants invest in human capital and provide direct support to individual artists and arts professionals to embark on projects and activities with the potential to advance their careers and build personal capacity for future work.
Lobby Time Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
The Weird and Wacky World of Online Sales
You know and love the great deals you find at the Friends of the Johnson County Library book sales, but did you know you can shop with them 24/7, online?
The Friends of Johnson County Library launched their successful summer used book sale about 30 years ago, and have since opened used bookstores at three Johnson County Library branches. The Friends started an internet sales presence in 2004 and sold 116 items that year, earning $3,888. Times have certainly changed. The Friends reported internet sales of 7,841 items grossing nearly $132,000 in 2016. Items sold have ranged from the prosaic: an out-of-print insurance book that is still in demand, to the profound: the collected works of Sigmund Freud. A recent top seller was The Lighting Handbook: Reference and Application which sold for $399.95. Books have been shipped to six continents, and orders arrive daily.
The Online Sales Division is managed by Friends Business Manager Matt Delaney and a corps of dedicated volunteers. We presently have 11 volunteers listing items for sale and 5 volunteers shipping items ordered. Materials deemed appropriate for online sale are manually listed on the three online auction sites where the Friends list: ABEBooks, Amazon and eBay. The sites are monitored daily by the Online Sales volunteers, who also fulfill completed auctions.
Shipments have made their way to Canada, Australia, New Zealand, China, Malaysia, Great Britain, Spain, France, Germany, Italy, Norway, Switzerland, Belarus, Mexico, Brazil, Chile, Macau and South Africa!
Funds raised by the Friends support a range of programs and services including the 6 by 6: Ready to Read early literacy program, the Meet the Author series and the annual teen literary magazine, elementia.
Support the Friends by browsing our online shops anytime »
-by Matt Delaney, Business Manager, Friends of Johnson County Library
Join us Next Time: Reception and Artist Talk
TIME is the only constant that continually changes. Depending on who you ask, there’s either too much TIME or never enough. Whether it’s reflecting on the past, looking to the future or exploring the here and now, we are investing in TIME this spring with a series of programs and exhibitions.
Join us for our next Meet the Artist events this Spring »