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Get Your Financial House in Order
Johnson County Library is delighted to present Nancy Doyle, personal finance expert and financial literacy advocate, to offer patrons invaluable advice on managing their financial lives more effectively and confidently.
Doyle will share her insights on “Getting Your Financial House in Order,” on Oct. 11 from 7 to 8:30 p.m. via Zoom. Register online to attend.
Doyle, who is based in Chicago, is the author of two books: Manage Your Financial Life: A Thoughtful, Organized Approach for Women, and Manage Your Financial Life: Just Starting Out. In her books, speeches and consulting work, Doyle provides easy-to-understand strategies and real-life examples to illustrate key concepts for women, millennials, families and those dealing with life transitions.
She offers an independent, objective approach to financial planning, which is important in money matters. Doyle is a passionate advocate for personal financial literacy and also a big supporter of public libraries.
Doyle’s presentation is part of Johnson County Library’s fall programming. Career and Finance Librarian Marty Johannes says it fits right in with the mission of helping patrons navigate challenging times.
“Financial literacy is always an important skill to develop,” Johannes said, “but especially as we emerge from the pandemic it becomes an even more critical skill.”
At a complex time when people are bombarded with numerous financial choices, accounts and platforms, Doyle will explain how to make better financial decisions and how to gain peace of mind through a kind of financial “spring cleaning.”
According to Ms. Doyle, “getting organized is an essential first step for managing your financial life.” After Doyle presents, there will be time for questions and answers.
Doyle brings 30 years of experience in investments and wealth management. She is an experienced family office investment professional. She has also been an equity research analyst and consulted on investor relations strategies for financial services companies.
She is a graduate of Georgetown University and received her MBA from the University of Michigan Ross School of Business. She holds the Chartered Financial Analyst designation and is a Professional Member of the National Association of Productivity & Organizing Professionals.
Doyle’s presentation is one of six Career and Finance programs offered this September and October by Johnson County Library. Other programs provide information on funding for small businesses, writing a resume that gets results and preparing for a successful job interview.
The Library will also offer the highly-popular program, Step-by-Step Through the FAFSA. Jason Anderson of Gradmetrics walks line-by-line through the FAFSA form and explains the ins-and-outs of the college admissions and financial aid process. The program will be offered online in September, and as a hybrid program (in-person and online) in October.
Information on all these programs is available in the Fall guide, available in Library branches and online.
Johannes notes that during the pandemic, the Library created a robust archive of online career and finance webinars that people can watch when it’s most convenient for them.
“We and our patrons discovered the beauty of virtual programs,” Johannes said. “For us, it has meant we’ve been able to really expand our reach beyond those who could come into the Library and beyond those who could attend the live program at a specific time.”
Most archived online programs are available on the Johnson County Library’s YouTube channel. They can also be accessed from the Career Development and Personal Finance Research webpages.
Lost Communities of Johnson County
Happy Throwback Thursday! Celebrate by time traveling through local history at jocohistory.org and be sure to follow our hashtag on Twitter!
Explore the Lost Communities of Johnson County, Kansas!
Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month
Hispanic Heritage Month is an annual recognition of the diverse cultures, history and contributions of Hispanic Americans. First celebrated in 1968 as Hispanic Heritage Week, the month-long celebration, from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15, was enacted into federal law in 1988.
A Proclamation on National Hispanic Heritage Month, 2023, The White House.
The Library is here to help you celebrate with books, like the booklist below, resources, events and more! To start:
This Hispanic and Latino Heritage Libby list has a mix of eBooks and eAudiobooks for all ages.
This Hispanic Heritage Month Kanopy list has films featuring Hispanic Americans and/or celebrating Hispanic heritage and culture.
Explore the branches and roots of your family tree with a number of Library genealogy resources.
Hispanic Life in America from NewsBank, this database contains primary source documents related to Hispanic American life.
Libby has featured a specialized set of books by Hispanic & Latino authors and/or with Hispanic & Latino protagonists.
For Kids
Lightbox - Search for “Spanish” to find over 150 interactive Spanish language eBooks.
TumbleBooks On TumbleBooks, you can easily switch the language to the Spanish in the upper right-hand corner.
Meet Merriam Plaza Library
Here's your first look at the newest Johnson County Library branch, the Merriam Plaza Library.
This new location will replace the current Antioch Library, which has been a fixture in the Merriam community for over 60 years—staff and patrons alike have many fond memories of the building, some having visited Antioch their entire lives!
Plans for the new Library, located just a few blocks away on the campus of the Merriam Community Center, have been in development with the City of Merriam for several years. The name Merriam Plaza Library is fitting as it is located within the Merriam Municipal Plaza which is also home to the Community Center, City Hall and police station. The name was selected by a committee and voted on and approved by the Library Board at their Sept. meeting. The design phase is now complete and construction will begin in late 2022/early 2023, with the new facility anticipated to open in 2024. Learn more about the project in our FAQ.
For more information, visit jocolibrary.org or follow @jocolibrary on social media for project updates and photos.
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 Thompson Park – Saturday, Sept. 10 - Sept. 17, Anytime
Johnson County Library and Overland Park Parks and Recreation Department invite you to visit the Walk and Read program at Thompson Park. “We the Kids” and “Frog on a Log?” will be posted.
In-Person Storytimes are Back! – Mondays, Starting Sept. 12.
Check the list of locations and times for details. 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. Siblings are welcome.
The Past is Prologue: Iconic Kansas City Restaurants – Tuesday, Sept. 13, 7 - 8 p.m.
The Past is Prologue is a bimonthly program that highlights topics often left out, glossed over, or misrepresented in our history books. For our September program, we will discuss iconic restaurants in Kansas City with author Andrea Broomfield. The program will take place virtually via Library OnDemand, and the recording will be available following the program on the library's website.
Food Writing Methodology with Andrea Broomfield – Wednesday, Sept. 14, 6:30 - 7:30 p.m.
Whether you dream about starting a food blog or submitting to Cook's Illustrated, learn about food writing with Andrea Broomfield, professor of English at JCCC and author of "Iconic Restaurants of Kansas City." Broomfield will discuss her approach to writing and her work as a food historian. This program is being held at the Central Resource Library but if you aren’t able to attend in-person, you can register to watch virtually OnDemand.
Blood Pressure Clinic – Wednesday, Sept. 14, 10 a.m. - 12:45 p.m.
Drop in event each month at Central Resource Library and a nurse from the Johnson County Department of Health and Environment will test your blood pressure.
A Very Special Did you hear? podcast Episode: Library Lets Loose!
Extra! Extra! Hear all about it!
Did you know the Johnson County Library has a podcast? If not, this special episode is the perfect place to begin listening. By spending a mere 15 minutes with us, you too will be able to answer with a resounding "Yes!" to the question: "Did you hear?"
We discuss the annual one night only party at the Library we call: Library Lets Loose. You are not going to want to miss this festive, lively after-hours celebration and fundraiser for Library Lovers at Central Resource Library. If you are 21 years or older, we invite you to join our Honorary hosts Senia and Will Shields to enjoy food, drink, music, our MakerSpace and truly good people!
Tickets and more information:
Tricia Suellentrop and her husband Shaun
New Director Passionate about Discovery in Libraries and Life
One of Tricia Suellentrop’s fondest childhood experiences was listening riveted while her fifth grade teacher read a book to the class about the drama and intrigue of the Wild West.
“It was just a great memory that I have, literally being on the edge of your seat, can you just read a little bit more?” Suellentrop now recalls.
Books have always been a source of wonder and exploration for Suellentrop. So it’s only fitting that she now heads Johnson County Library, an organization devoted to sharing the vast world of books, information and ideas to satisfy any curiosity and enrich people’s lives.
“The word I always associate, that gives me the biggest spark, is discovery,” says Suellentrop, who assumed the role of Johnson County Librarian on July 1, following Sean Casserley’s retirement. “That’s what I really think about Libraries. It’s just all the discovery possible.”
She is an enthusiastic evangelist for continuing to make Johnson County Library accessible to all patrons pursuing their own journeys of the mind.
Suellentrop, 52, brings decades of experience to her new job. She joined Johnson County Library full time in 1998 as the first Teen Services Coordinator. She then served as Youth Services Manager and Systemwide Services Manager before becoming Deputy County Librarian in 2008.
She learned a lot about long-range planning, strategic thinking and fostering a nurturing work culture from Johnson County Librarians Donna Lauffer and Casserley, preparing her to take the helm.
Colleagues appreciate her good humor, sense of fun and collaborative leadership style, which empowers staff to be independent, creative and proactive in addressing challenges and problems.
Growing up in Wichita, Suellentrop was immersed in an academic environment as her mother was a history and English professor at Wichita State and Newman universities.
Suellentrop herself graduated from Benedictine College with a bachelor’s degree in English. She worked for a few years, including as a nanny in Denver, before earning her Master of Library Science from Emporia State.
She interviewed for several Johnson County children’s librarian positions but wasn’t chosen. Fortunately, Jean Hatfield, a youth services manager, realized her potential and urged her to apply for a brand new position focused on teens.
She got the job and found working with young adults incredibly energizing and inspiring.
Suellentrop forged robust connections with school librarians, increasing families’ appreciation for Johnson County Library’s great resources.
She also spearheaded the Read to Succeed program with the Juvenile Detention Center, providing juveniles with access to all sorts of Library books and services. The program was a model for other Library systems, and in 2005 Suellentrop was recognized as one of the Library Journal’s Movers and Shakers.
She co-authored “Connecting Young Adults and Libraries,” a manual to help public and school libraries serve teen populations. And perhaps most wonderfully, Suellentrop developed close relationships with countless teens, many of whom still keep in touch with her.
In her spare time, Suellentrop is an avid Wichita State Shocker’s basketball fan. She and her husband Shaun have two dogs and two cats and enjoy live music, particularly at Knuckleheads, Grinders and the Green Lady Lounge. She has a goal of visiting all 50 states, with just Maine and Wisconsin left to go.
She loves nonfiction, teen fiction and thrillers, usually reading one book at a time and listening to another in her car.
In these first months on the job, Suellentrop is taking time to listen and learn. She appreciates the supportive Library Board, staff and patron base, and looks forward to working closely with other civic leaders.
It’s a great new chapter for what has been a wonderful career.
“I love that being in the Library, no day is ever the same,” she said. “That really fits with my personality, and with my tolerance for surprises.”
Cities and Towns of Johnson County
Happy Throwback Thursday! Celebrate by time traveling through local history at jocohistory.org and be sure to follow our hashtag on Twitter!
A really neat feature of JoCoHistory is the Cities and Towns of Johnson County section. The team has organized content like pictures of houses, schools, people and more by city and town names. While there, be sure to explore the Lost Communities of Johnson County, Kansas.