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Natalie C. Parker

Natalie C. Parker

Julie Murphy

Julie Murphy

Sarah Henning

Sarah Henning

Author Event with Sarah Henning, Julie Murphy and Natalie C. Parker

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What’s better than one beloved author coming to the Library to talk about books and sign their newest book just for you? 

Three beloved authors coming to the Library!

Thursday, July 13, 2023
6:30 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Monticello Library

Best-selling authors Julie Murphy, Sarah Henning and Natalie C. Parker aren’t just acclaimed writers with new books either just released or coming out soon. They’re also friends—and two of them (Sarah Henning and Natalie C. Parker) live in Lawrence. Sarah Henning’s library growing up was a Johnson County Library location (she grew up in Overland Park). 

All three have new books: Camp Sylvania by Murphy, The Devouring Wolf by Parker and Monster Camp by Henning. The themes of their newest books intertwine in so many ways: there are camps and monsters and vampires and werewolves...so it follows that their event on July 13, 2023, at our Monticello branch will be wacky, campy and scary. 

OK, not exactly scary (even though elements of their books are). This will be an event that showcases three remarkably talented authors who also planned this event together not only because their books have some of the same themes, but because their writing experiences have also been similar; while they have all written pretty heavily in the young adult space, they’ve also all expanded into middle grade books. 

This means we don’t know what else, exactly, they’ll talk about past their current releases (there’s not a script for this—they're friends, remember?), we know that it will be fun, interesting and a perfect way to spend a likely hot July evening. 

No need to register for this event. Just come with questions, as there will be time for Q&A after they chat. Copies of their new books will be available for purchase. 


 

 

This Week at the Library

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This week at the Library, you can join us at:

Library OnDemand – Available anytime you like. 

Citizenship Class – Tuesday, June 13, 9:30-11 a.m.

Pass the U.S. naturalization interview for citizenship with help from the Library. The free online classes provide coursework focused on the English language, American history, and civics knowledge. Assistance with the initial citizenship application (N400) is also available. Participants review citizenship study materials, practice listening and responding to citizenship interview questions, access online study test and receive guidance throughout the application process. Registration is required. To be added to the series, register for the first-class date only. The classes will be held: Tuesdays: June 6, 13, 20, 27; July 11, 18, 25; August 1, 8, 15. Series of 10 classes.

Outdoor Family Storytime at Lenexa Farmers Market – Tuesdays, June 13, 20 & 27, 9:30 – 10 a.m.

Help your child discover the joys of reading and develop early literacy skills at Storytime. Join us for a fun outdoor Storytime at Lenexa Farmers Market! Hearing stories is a great way to spend time with your kids and help them foster a love of reading. Stories, songs, fingerplays and movement activities foster pre-reading skills. Fun for the whole family!

Make It All Together Now – Wednesday, June 14, 1-3 p.m.

Join us for a drop-in MakerSpace project at the Antioch Library. Flex those STEAM muscles, learn new maker skills, and have fun with this project presented by the Library Maker team. Come, make something with us, and take home a finished project. This walk-in program is open to all and supplies will be provided. Participants will complete the same project each week

The Past is Prologue: Womontown, Kansas City – Thursday, June 15, 6:30-7:30 p.m.

The Past is Prologue is a bimonthly program at Central Resource Library that highlights topics often left out, glossed over, or misrepresented in our history books. For our June topic, artist Sandy Woodson will screen her 30-minute documentary "Womontown" followed by a 30 minute audience Q&A. The documentary first aired in March 2022 and tells the story of an intentional lesbian community that existed in midtown Kansas City in the early 1990s.

Juneteenth Walk and Read – Saturday- Monday, June 10 – June 19, All Day and Anytime

Johnson County Library and Johnson County Park and Recreation Dept. invite you to visit the Juneteenth Walk and Read at Stoll Park. Two stories, Opal Lee and What it Means to Be Free: The True Story of the Grandmother of Juneteenth by Alice Faye Duncan and illustrated by Keturah A. Bobo and Change Sings: A Children's Anthem by Amanda Gorman and illustrated by Loren Long. 

And much more happening this week … 

Juneteenth, the Library and You!

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Johnson County is celebrating Juneteenth and the recognition of freedom for all by joining the County's celebration.

Family and friends of all ages are invited to join Johnson County Library for Walk and Read which creates a reading opportunity for all, in various locations throughout Johnson County. See the schedule » 

We will feature two Juneteenth Walk and Read events all day, Saturday, June 10-Monday, June 19:

  • Stoll Park
    Two stories, "Opal Lee and What it Means to Be Free: The True Story of the Grandmother of Juneteenth" by Alice Faye Duncan and illustrated by Keturah A. Bobo and "Change Sings: A Children's Anthem" by Amanda Gorman and illustrated by Loren Long. 
  • Arts and Heritage Center
    Two stories, "Daniels Good Day" by Micha Archer and "A Flag for Juneteenth" by Kim Taylor will be posted. 

Finally, do we have Juneteenth book recommendations? Do we ever⁠—for adults, teens and young readers!

Patron Appreciates Library Resources for Smart Financial Investing

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Like many Johnson County Library patrons, Joel Aldape has always appreciated the friendly staff, the books for children, and the public computers.​​​​​​​

But Aldape discovered another Library resource that made an even more significant difference in his life. Beginning in the early 1980s, he began seeking out its financial research materials. The information helped him achieve great success with his investments.

Aldape didn’t start out with an investor’s mentality. He grew up in Texas, where his father was a minister with the philosophy, “If you have extra money, hide it under the bed.”

But after he was married with children and living in Lenexa, Aldape started making modest investments in the stock of companies he liked (the Warren Buffett strategy), and watched those stock prices rise. That sparked his interest and he became a self-educated investor.

He visited the Lackman branch, asking if they had financial magazines, reports and bulletins. Yes, they had a good collection. He first read printed copies and then online at the Library.

“The Library had two resources that were very helpful, the Value Line and the Morningstar Investment Research Center,” Aldape said. “I would usually go once a week, on the weekends. It helped me a lot.”

Aldape never invested money he needed for life’s necessities. But over time he did very well.

“I’ve been able to acquire more wealth than I ever expected,” he said. “I’m at the point I can help other people, and my wife and I do that.”

​​​Aldape also consistently sought out the Library’s Consumer Reports materials. Those articles were essential when he was making appliance and car purchases.

For many years, before he bought a home computer, he regularly used Lackman’s public computers and printers, while his three youngest children loved reading and exploring the branch’s children’s section.

In his professional life, Aldape had a rewarding career for decades with the Social Security Administration, first in Texas and then at the Kansas City Program Service Center. He rose to the position of Section Manager, overseeing 200 employees, before he retired in 2010.

In retirement, Aldape and his wife moved to Olathe. They enjoy the Olathe Library, and also frequently visit Johnson County Library’s Lenexa City Center branch.

For the past two years, he has been involved in a challenging and gratifying activity. He volunteers as a Spanish-speaking instructor at Lansing Correctional Facility, preparing inmates for release back into society. Through the Brothers in Blue Reentry program, he teaches class once a week, helping about a dozen students with lessons in literacy, life skills, social skills, and other reentry priorities.

Aldape’s first language was Spanish and he grew up bilingual in Texas, so a Brothers in Blue program representative sought him out, hoping he would be willing to assist the Spanish-speaking inmates.

“I said I’d be glad to help,” Aldape recalled. “I knew it would be for a good cause. A lot of people helped me in my career, so if I can help someone else I’d like to do the same thing.”

Aldape remains grateful for Johnson County Library’s expansive collection. He encourages other patrons to explore all its services and programs. He also appreciates how the Library is open to all, no matter a person’s income, ethnicity, religion, nationality or status.

“The beauty is that everyone is equal when they walk in the Library,” he said. “The Library is a diamond in the rough. It’s like a four-leaf clover. You won’t find it, unless you’re looking for it.”
Train pulling into the Olathe Depot

Santa Fe Railroad depot in Olathe, c. 1900. The “Olathe” sign is in the Museum’s collection and displayed in its signature exhibit, Becoming Johnson County. Johnson County Museum

All Aboard! TRAINS Special Exhibit at JoCoMuseum

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The Johnson County Museum presents a special exhibit titled: TRAINS: Transportation and the Transformation of Johnson County. The exhibit opened on Saturday, May 13 – National Train Day – and explores just how instrumental the railroads were in shaping Johnson County. TRAINS will be on display through January 13, 2024. In the latest #JoCoHistory Blog post, JoCoMuseum dove into three of the many ways the railroads changed the county – read on at the JoCoHistory Blog.