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This Week at the Library
Library OnDemand – Available anytime you like.
Healthy Living Classes – Tuesdays, May 2 – May 31, 10:30 – 11:30 a.m.
Community health workers from the Johnson County Department of Health & Environment will be onsite at the Central Resource Library every Tuesday until May 31 from 10:30-11:30 to provide information about healthy living.
In Memory of Six Million – Thursday, May 4, 6:30 – 7:30 p.m.
Join us for our 13th annual In Memory of Six Million Holocaust Remembrance program. Hear a survivor speak from the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum via Zoom. As survivors grow fewer as the years go on, we are incredibly grateful and excited to offer this opportunity to our patrons. The survivor will speak for 30 minutes allowing 30 minutes for audience questions at the end. The program will be recorded and available for viewing after the event.
Resiliency Conference – Friday, May 5, 9 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Individuals with lived experience with a mental health condition or substance use disorder, along with supportive loved ones and members of the community are invited to our 2023 Resiliency Conference, formerly known as the Recovery Conference.
Walk and Read at I-Lan Park – Saturday, May 6 – May 14, All day, anytime
Family and friends of all ages are invited to join Johnson County Library for a walk in a park! Walk and Read creates a reading opportunity for all, in various parks throughout Johnson County. Those who participate will read two stories posted around a path, one going each direction. When you finish one story, you can turn around to the other side of the sign and begin the next story, which will lead you back around the path. The Walk and Read program encourages physical activity, literacy and family time. The paths are stroller and wheelchair friendly, allowing for all to join in the fun! Dates are subject to adjustment due to inclement weather conditions. Look for updated information at jocolibrary.org. Johnson County Library, and Leawood Parks and Recreation invite you to visit the Walk and Read at I-Lan Park. Two stories, Flower Garden by Eve Bunting and Can I Give You a Squish by Emily Neilson, will be posted.
Teen Magazine elementia Celebrates 20th Issue
When Mickey Willard was in seventh grade in 2005 at Trail Ridge Middle School, several of her best friends were featured in a new teen literary magazine, elementia, produced by Johnson County Library.
Willard attended the reception and was inspired to submit her own artwork for future issues, including the portrait chosen for the issue 9 Cover in 2012. Her experience was so positive that she joined the Library staff in 2014.
“Elementia was the direct cause of me being here now today,” says Willard, a youth information specialist at Monticello. “It got me introduced to the Librarians and to their amazing work. Now I’m engaged with the next generation of creative teens and patrons.”
This April marks an elementia milestone, with its 20th issue release. Willard is part of a Library team who cherish working with teens on it every year.
The magazine has evolved from a few hundred copies produced in-house on a shoestring budget into a beautifully curated and professionally printed publication, with several thousand copies distributed in Library locations and elsewhere. But it has remained true to its original mission: to showcase the phenomenal talent and originality of teen writers and artists. All issues are viewable on the Library's website.
Elementia had modest beginnings. It grew out of a middle school creative writing class offered at Central Resource Library. Youth Services Manager Angel Tucker, a part-time youth specialist at the time, realized these young people needed to share their work with peers and families. That first issue, in fall 2005, featured 19 pieces of writing, and 60 people attended the reception honoring the young writers.
“We started elementia because young people were showing up and wanting to be together. They wanted to have a community,” Tucker recalled. “And what we’ve built over the last 20 issues has consistently aligned with that original vision.”
The Library gradually found sustained funding and support for a full-color, 72-page publication. Teachers encourage students to submit their writing, and it’s highly competitive to be selected. Since issue 13 in 2016, all visual art has also been created by teens, thanks to a partnership with the Shooting Stars arts education program.
Graphics Coordinator Jennifer Taylor, involved since the beginning, emphasizes that every issue is written, edited, curated and designed by teens and young adults, with Library staff providing mentoring and support.
Emma Fernhout, youth information specialist at Monticello, says the participants are incredibly intelligent and passionate. They motivate her to think in new ways. “It fills me with a lot of hope and delight for the future of literature,” she said.
Leawood Information Specialist Cassandra Gillig says many elementia graduates keep in touch after they become adults, and it’s clear the magazine is a profound learning experience, beyond the classroom.
“It’s often the first place that is not dictated by anyone other than themselves,” Gillig said, so it becomes a catalyst for teens flexing their creative muscles and finding their voice.
The Library also connects participants with published authors. Youth Information Specialist Cassidy Coles said some of those authors, including A.S. King and Naomi Shihab Nye, have given major shout-outs to elementia in book dedications or public remarks.
King will be the keynote speaker at this year’s virtual reception, Tuesday, May 9, at 7:00 p.m. The reception will also feature readings, artwork, music and more exploring this year's theme: Cycles.
Gillig said every issue is astonishing and uplifting, and this year is no different. As it celebrates 20 issues, elementia has the Library’s wholehearted endorsement to continue for years to come, so its future is bright.
New JoCoHistory Blog: Helping Bring the Past into the Future
It's another beautiful Throwback Thursday and we encourage you to time travel through the history of Johnson County. There is a new JoCoHistory Blog story: Helping Bring the Past into the Future.
The Johnson County Genealogical Society (JCGS) is celebrating its 50th anniversary. As a special 50th anniversary project the JCGS in cooperation with the Johnson County Library has established a free Memory Lab at the Central Resource Library in the genealogy area. JCGS is providing equipment and assistance to help patrons digitize family photos, negatives, slides, 8 mm movies and documents so they may be kept for future generations and easily shared with other family members. This service was seen as a priority since so many older media formats are fragile, degrading or obsolete and require considerable space to store. Those wishing to use the equipment may reserve a 2 ½ hour appointment through the JCGS website to bring in their materials and transfer to USB or other digital media. Detailed instructions will be provided on how to prepare materials prior to the visit, how to use the equipment and save to a digital file. JCGS volunteers will be present at each session to help the users get started. Read the full article at the JoCoHistory Blog website.»
Submit your Art!
Calling all bikers and artists! We have an open call for a special biking themed art exhibit called The Art of Biking, offered in conjunction with the 2023 Women's Bike Summit happening at the Library this coming Fall. If you're a visual artist in Johnson County or Kansas City metro area, please apply. Deadline for submission is May 15.
This Week at the Library
This week at the Library, you can join us at:
Library OnDemand – Available anytime you like.
Pollinator Series – Tuesday, April 25, 2 – 3 p.m.
Bees, butterflies and bats . . . oh my! Spring is here and our regional pollinators are in full flight. Join us at the Gardner Library with Johnson County Master Gardeners for this workshop to learn from the experts exactly what is happening when these animals and insects are flying about. Each participant will receive seeds to help grow more places for pollinators to explore.
Tabletop Games – Tuesday, April 25, 6 – 7:45 p.m.
Join us for a fun-filled evening at the Monticello Library with family members and friends, old and new, and become a part of the Johnson County tabletop gaming community. Kids, teens and adults can enjoy a variety of games together, including collaborating to escape the Forbidden Island, getting creative with a round of Dixit, or strategizing their way to victory as King of Tokyo! Discover and learn new games from our collection or bring your personal favorite to share. Come and go as you please. Refreshments are provided. Our gaming librarians are featuring the game Blokus and will teach you how to play it.
Elementia issue xx Celebration – Tuesday, April 25, 6:30 – 7:30 p.m.
Celebrate the release of the 20th issue of elementia in person at the Lenexa City Center Library. This issue explores the theme of cycles through teen writing and art. Enjoy art exhibits, refreshments and music and pick up your free copy of elementia at the celebration!
Walk and Read at Wilder Bluff Park – Saturday, April 29 – May 7, All day, anytime
Family and friends of all ages are invited to join Johnson County Library for a walk in a park! Walk and Read creates a reading opportunity for all, in various parks throughout Johnson County. Those who participate will read two stories posted around a path, one going each direction. When you finish one story, you can turn around to the other side of the sign and begin the next story, which will lead you back around the path. The Walk and Read program encourages physical activity, literacy and family time. The paths are stroller and wheelchair friendly, allowing for all to join in the fun! Dates are subject to adjustment due to inclement weather conditions. Look for updated information at jocolibrary.org. Johnson County Library, Shawnee Parks and Recreation and De Soto Parents as Teachers invite you to visit the Walk and Read at Wilder Bluff Park. Two stories, Everybody! You, Me and Us by Elise Gravel and Just Be Jelly by Maddie Frost, will be posted.
Celebrate Earth Day With the Finale of our Pollinators Series
Bees, butterflies and bats . . . oh my! Spring is here and our regional pollinators are in full flight. Join Johnson County Master Gardeners for this workshop to learn from the experts exactly what is happening when these animals and insects are flying about. Each participant will receive seeds to help grow more places for pollinators to explore.
Pollinators Series
Tuesday, April 25, 2 p.m. at Gardner Library
No registration is necessary
Merriam’s Green Roof Inspires Learning and Programming
One of the amazing features of the new Merriam Plaza Library, now under construction, will be a “green” roof. It’s an environmental innovation that preserves the roof’s lifespan while providing a vibrant native habitat.
The Merriam branch, 6120 Slater St., will open in 2024, replacing the Antioch branch at 8700 Shawnee Mission Pkwy. Antioch staffers anticipate having a wonderful new space for learning and enrichment. The green roof can be seen from the street and from atop the adjacent parking garage, allowing visitors to experience a prairie landscape changing throughout the year.
“There are a wide variety of native grasses, wildflowers and other species that will really kind of shift and change from season to season,” said Dan Maginn, director of the Kansas City office of Dake Wells Architecture, which designed the building. “Libraries are places where transformation happens. The idea that the building and the landscape itself can transform was really interesting to us.”
Maginn said it’s been great working with Johnson County Library administrators, who challenged the architects to create something unique to the site. Dake Wells collaborated with Confluence, a Kansas City landscape architecture firm, to design a setting welcoming for birds, bees, butterflies and other pollinators.
“It’ll be a little wild,” Maginn said. “It’s not a golf course. It’s really meant to be kind of a native, shaggy environment that’s got a lot of life and change.”
Antioch staffers saw the green roof as a catalyst for programming even before the new building opens.
On April 18, Antioch hosts a class on pollinators from 4-5 p.m. The same program will be offered April 25 from 2-3 p.m. at Gardner. This workshop, presented by Johnson County Master Gardeners, focuses on bees, butterflies and bats and their environmental impact.
Youth Librarian Christi Haines was eager to bring this program to Antioch, especially because of its relevance to the green roof.
“Back in the fall, when we were looking at what we would do in the spring, this was one of the program possibilities that the programming team came up with,” Haines said. “When I heard that was a programming option, I felt like we really ought to get it since we were going to have a green roof.”
Youth Information Specialist Heather Miller said other programming also has an environmental motivation. Last October, Antioch hosted a “book swap” in which teens exchanged gently used books at the Library.
“We created the logo “Reduce, Reuse, Read” so teens could come in and swap out their old books and get a refresh for their book shelves,” Miller explained. “It was bringing in that sustainability element.”
Miller is encouraging other Library staff to consider an adult and family/kids swap, especially after the Merriam branch opens.
Libraries are examples of sustainability and responsible materials reuse, said Youth Information Specialist Grace Bentley, who specializes in working with young children.
“The Library in general is a green enterprise,” Bentley pointed out. “Young kids go through books really quickly.” She reminds parents that rather than buying dozens of books, they can check them out from the Library and return them for others to enjoy.
Miller looks forward to offering innovative science-oriented programming in the Merriam branch that will emphasize fascinating aspects of the natural world.
A scale model of the new branch is displayed at Antioch, getting lots of attention from kids. “I think it’s going to be really great to talk to kids about what they are seeing on the roof, tracking those changes, making sure they notice what’s happening,” Bentley said. “It will be another big draw and a point of interest for our families.”
A Purrrfect Glimpse Into Johnson County Life From 1961 to 1972
It’s another grand Throwback Thursday where we encourage you to time travel through Johnson County's history. JoCoHistory is a collaborative presentation of the history from the Johnson County Museum, Johnson County Library and many JoCoHistory partners. Explore historical photographs and documents about the people, places and organizations of Johnson County, Kansas, from the 19th century to the present.
Collection spotlight: The Squire
About this collection: A collection of scanned issues of The Squire newspaper from 1961-1972. The Squire was published in Johnson County by Tom Leathers.