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SPECIAL EDITION - 2022 Writers Conference
Our eighth annual Writers Conference will be Thursday, Nov. 17 - Sunday, Nov. 20.
In this episode, Readers' Advisory Librarian Helen Hokanson and Adult Services Specialist Lisa Allen talk about our 2022 Writers Conference. How do we choose our faculty? Do we take potential presenter suggestions? How does the in-person experience differ from the virtual version of the past couple of years? We have fun taking a deep dive into these questions and feature readings by authors Anne-Marie Oomen and Polly Alice McCann.
Library, Arts & Heritage Center Team Up for Hispanic Heritage Celebration
Johnson County Library and the Johnson County Parks and Recreation District (JCPRD) each strive to serve a growing Hispanic population with great outreach and enrichment resources.
Now, the Library and Culture Division of JCPRD are collaborating for the first time on a Hispanic Heritage Month Celebration event, highlighting the Hispanic community’s rich diversity and amazing cultural contributions.
The celebration, free and open to the public, will be from 6 to 8 p.m. Oct. 12 at the Johnson County Arts & Heritage Center, 8788 Metcalf Ave. The Library will present a Walk & Read exhibit on the front lawn and will have a table with Library card applications and other patron information.
Attendees can savor delicious food from local restaurants and enjoy a community arts activity and musical entertainment. The Johnson County Museum will be free to explore that evening.
This is JCPRD’s fourth annual Hispanic Heritage Month celebration but the first to involve the Library. Representatives of both agencies are thrilled to work together.
“We love working with the Center,” said Elissa Andre, the Library’s external communication manager. “It’s really great to have County partners. We share a mission about education and bringing exciting things to the community.”
Susan Mong is Superintendent of Culture for JCPRD, which includes the Johnson County Museum, Theater in the Park, Fine and Performing Arts and Public Art. She worked for Johnson County Library from 2007 to 2017. She was so impressed with the Library’s intentional relationship-building in the Hispanic community and has that same vision for JCPRD’s Culture Division.
“We had been looking for partnership opportunities with the Library out of this building,” Mong said. “Really trying to make sure we complement and cross-pollinate audiences.”
The event is open to all ethnicities and ages and no reservation is required.
“There’s a desire for us to not only make the Latino community feel welcome here, but also help members of our community that don’t have exposure to that to learn, celebrate and engage,” Mong said.
The Library hosted a well-attended Walk & Read exhibit and informational table at the Arts & Heritage Center’s Juneteenth celebration June 11. Both agencies hope the Oct. 12 collaboration will prove just as successful.
Other key partners for the Oct. 12 event include El Centro, the La Mega Radio Station, the Olathe Leadership Lowrider Bike Club and the Olathe School District.
Edgar Palacios, founder of the Latinx Education Collaborative, will emcee the event. Performers will include Voces Festivas, a new adult Spanish language choir led by Leilani Velasco.
Johnson County’s Hispanic population has grown from about 39,000 in 2010 to about 54,000 in 2020, now comprises nearly 9 percent of the county.
Mong said the Johnson County Museum has established a Latino Collecting Initiative to make sure that segment of the population and its cultural contributions are represented.
“There is a very intentional desire to reflect that story better in the Museum,” she said.
The Library also has a specific team of professionals devoted to serving Hispanic patrons, with robust bilingual services, early literacy programs and a Spanish language collection.
The Library’s Walk & Read will be on display Oct. 12-16 and will feature the books Pepe and the Parade by Tracey Kyle and Imagine by Juan Felipe Herrera. The Library has also compiled suggested reading lists and other resources to celebrate the month.
Bird's-Eye Views of Johnson County
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: Johnson County Museum Aerial Photographs
About this collection: More than 8,000 color slide transparencies that are aerial views of Johnson County. The collection consists of 45 dated sets. The sets range in quantity from just a few transparencies to several hundred, dating from April 1980 to July 2002, and each set systematically documents the county from west to east. The sets were typically taken twice a year, in the spring and fall, to document agricultural land-use. Each transparency centers on two square miles.
Library Lowdown Quiz Showdown Part II
Our tribute to game shows continues with Library Jeopardy and Wheel of Fiction! Whad'ya know about the Library? Join former Jeopardy auditionee, Austin, as he does such a great job hosting that even Alex Trebek would be proud. Charles and Dave battle in a head-to-head Library trivia tournament of titans! Then, we bring in in Collection Development Librarian Beth and Reader's Advisory Librarians Gregg and Helen. They spin the wheel, but will it be fortune or failure as they are given book descriptions from our catalog and they're asked to identify titles? Spoiler alert, we chose really hard ones!
It's the Library Lowdown Quiz Showdown Part II!
BTW, if you missed Part I where we play Bluff the Librarian and Library Password, whad'ya waiting for?!
Staff Pick: Bright Star
Todays staff pick, Bright Star, is from our librarian Zachary!
"Based on the romance between English poet, John Keats (played by Ben Whishaw), and Fanny Brawne (played by Abbie Cornish). Keats, not considered a successful writer during his life (dying at only the age of 25), is not considered a suitable husband for a woman of Brawne's status. Likewise, Keats' writing cohort (Paul Schneider), believes Keats needs to focus more on honing his craft than trivial flirtations. Directed by the Academy's reigning Best Director, Jane Campion, this film was a delightful discovery that sprung out of exploring her catalog of work. Campion's work is striking in how it can feel so sensory. Touch...smell...even taste...engaged by her delicate and meticulously crafted imagery. Their romance, intertwined with the beauty of exploring language and poetry made for a compelling, beautiful love story."
This Week at the Library
This week at the Library, you can join us at:
Library OnDemand – Available anytime you like.
Your doorway into live and archived programs. Arts & Culture, Career & Finance, Community Matters, Writers and more!
Walk and Read at Franklin Park – Monday, Oct. 3 - Oct. 9, Anytime
Johnson County Library and the City of Prairie Village invite you to visit the Walk and Read program at Franklin Park. Halloween Night and Head to Toe will be posted.
Meet the Author: Celeste Headlee – Tuesday, Oct. 4, 6:30 - 7:30 p.m.
Communication has increased in our technological age, but it can often feel as if meaningful conversation and civility are in short supply. Celeste Headlee, author of We Need to Talk: How to Have Conversations That Matter, will share science-based fundamentals of communication and discuss how prioritizing civility facilitates inclusive and productive communities and civic engagement. Headlee will also provide concrete actions to enhance relationships and build self-confidence through improved communication.
One-on-One DNA & Genetic Genealogy Help – Friday, Oct. 7, 9 a.m. - noon
Visit the Johnson County Genealogical Society at www.jcgsks.org to schedule an appointment. A volunteer will contact you by email to set up an in-person or a Zoom session link for you prior to the scheduled date.
Newest Library Board Member has Heart for Public Service
Johnson County Library’s newest Board member, Jeffrey Mendoza, brings a passion for public service to this position.
Nominated by County Commissioner Janeé Hanzlick, Mendoza was appointed in May. He’s pleased to be part of a crucial community organization.
“I’ve always been a huge supporter and fan of libraries everywhere I’ve lived,” Mendoza said in an interview. “I felt this was a great place to give back and to sustain the high quality of libraries for future generations. I figured this is a place I could make an impact and give back and help Johnson County and Overland Park.”
Mendoza and his wife Elizabeth have a one-year-old son, Julian, and are excited to put down roots in Johnson County. Hanzlick was impressed with his background and commitment.
“As an attorney with the Department of Labor, a Marine Corps Reservist and a representative of the Latino community, Jeffrey brings valuable skills and perspectives to the work of the Library Board,” she said. “I especially appreciate that he is the father of a young child and is looking to build a strong foundation for the Library’s future.”
Mendoza is the son of immigrants (his mother from the Dominican Republic and his father from Peru) and grew up bilingual in New Jersey. He saw how hard his parents worked and the value they placed on education. He was instilled with a great work ethic and desire to succeed in school and professionally.
“I used the library all the time, both public and in school,” he recalled.
He also joined Junior ROTC and had mentors who inspired his patriotic ambition to serve in the military.
He graduated in 2013 from Rutgers University, majoring in Political Science and Spanish. He was commissioned as a Marine Corps Second Lieutenant upon graduating and also started law school at the University of Missouri-Kansas City.
Mendoza had never heard of UMKC, but the law school recruited him aggressively, appreciating his Latino heritage, East Coast upbringing and military commission.
He knew nothing about Kansas City and his family was shocked. But after visiting the campus, meeting faculty and students, he quickly enrolled. It was a great experience, and he met his future wife, also a UMKC law student.
After law school graduation in 2016, Mendoza started active military service, working in Virginia and North Carolina. He was a legal advisor to a base general and then prosecuted special victims’ crimes.
He and Elizabeth married in 2019. When his active duty military contract ended in 2020, he transitioned to the reserves and the couple moved to Overland Park. Julian was born in May 2021.
As a U.S. Department of Labor trial attorney, Mendoza prosecutes labor violations and protects workers’ rights throughout the region.
It’s vital work, but he wanted to serve the community in other ways. So he reached out to Hanzlick, who thought he was a great fit when the District 4 Library Board position came open.
Mendoza and his wife read regularly to their son, both in English and Spanish, and enjoy visiting the Central Resource Library children’s area. They are also both big readers; Mendoza especially likes biographies of military leaders and sports figures.
He is determined to ensure the Library continues to provide exceptional materials, programs and services for all, including children and families, and Spanish-speaking and immigrant populations.
“I want to make sure we maintain the great work of the Library, make sure the Libraries in our community are known as a safe haven,” he said.
Archiving Architecture
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: Johnson County Museum Historic Preservation Survey
About this collection: Begun in 1991, the Historic Preservation Survey is a collection of photos documenting the architectural style and condition of more than 10,000 pre-1950 homes across Johnson County. The original photos are owned by the Johnson County Museum.