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Artist Loves Serving Community as Lenexa Library Clerk
Lisa Jacobs-Haberstroh has worked in the insurance industry and has had her own business as an artist. For five years, she was an enthusiastic roller derby competitor in her spare time.
But she has really found her niche working for Johnson County Library, first at the Gardner branch and now as a clerk at the Lenexa City Center branch.
“I have very much enjoyed my time. I basically have been put on this planet for camaraderie and collaboration,” Jacobs-Haberstroh says. “That’s what I’ve learned about myself. The people that work at the Library are amazing. They are creative and nice and great to be around.”
Jacobs-Haberstroh’s father was in the Army and the family moved around a lot. She was born in Germany and also lived in New Mexico, New York and Florida. After graduating from an arts magnet high school and community college in Florida, she moved to Kansas City to attend the Kansas City Art Institute, where she studied printmaking and art history.
She had a passion for drawing and for printmaking (linoleum cuts and wood cuts) but had student debt and knew she needed to make a living. So after graduation she got an insurance company job.
As a kid she had enjoyed roller skating. Some Art Institute friends talked her into joining them in the Kansas City Roller Warriors, a roller derby league at the Winnwood Skate Center.
“That’s what I did for fun and relaxation, for release, camaraderie,” she now says. It was a lively sport, complete with fake fights. It’s where Jacobs-Haberstroh met her husband, Ryan, who was a roller derby referee and would “break up my fights.”
Injuries forced her to quit, but she has kept in touch with those good friends and now does yoga to stay fit.
After she got married in 2013, she left the insurance company and created her own printmaking business, called Shorticorn Studios. But doing art by herself in her Shawnee home was lonely.
Several roller derby friends had enjoyed being Library clerks in Kansas City, Kan. Jacobs-Haberstroh had always loved to read, so she looked for Library job openings and was delighted to be hired as a page at Gardner Library in 2015.
Ultimately she became a clerk at Gardner, went to Oak Park, and then was hired on the team that helped open the Lenexa branch in 2019.
She really enjoyed interacting with patrons on the desk. Clerks now work mostly back office, and Jacobs-Haberstroh cherishes her colleagues. She also loves helping patrons at Lenexa’s drive-thru and while she’s shelving books.
“It’s a really beautiful space,” she says about the Lenexa branch.
Even during the pandemic, Lenexa has remained busy. “We’ve been really excited seeing how the public will use the space,” she said. “They can finally come in and start getting comfortable.”
She now pursues art for enrichment, not business, and has a stockpile of prints to share with friends who visit. Her home studio is called “The Glitterdome” because she glittered the floor with 16 pounds of gold glitter and floor epoxy so it shines like a diamond.
Her husband enjoys wood-working, and she sometimes accompanies him when he flies his model planes. She has four cats to cuddle with in winter and enjoys gardening in summer.
Working for the Library feeds her soul. “I really believe in Libraries, in what they give to the community,” she said. “The way we are open and there for whatever the public needs us to be.” 
1911 Kansas School for the Deaf football team
KSD Archived in Images
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: Kansas School for the Deaf
About this collection: Over 4,000 images documenting the history and culture of the Kansas School for the Deaf. The photographs depict student life, faculty and staff gatherings, school buildings, athletic teams and auxiliary deaf activities in the region.
Travel the World with CultureGrams
No passport? No problem! Explore bite-sized information from CultureGrams about history, culture and geography of states and countries around the world.
World Edition contains reports on 209 countries and territories—including every United Nations member state—focusing on categories like language, personal appearance, greetings, visiting, family, life cycle and more.
States and Provinces Editions feature colorful, easy-to-read reports that describe the diversity and history of each U.S. state, the District of Columbia and all 13 provinces of Canada. Each report includes maps, flags and symbols, as well as sections on history, economy, geography, population, indigenous peoples and recipes.
Kids Edition teaches kids more about the world around them. Each report contains images, historical timelines and fun facts, along with sections on history, population, “life as a kid,” games and sports, education and more.
Central Resource Library is fully open once again!
The main portion of Central Resource Library has been closed since February 2021, and we have all been eagerly awaiting reopening. We are excited to announce today is the day!
Find the ribbon cutting ceremony hosted by County Librarian Sean Casserley on our Facebook page! Watch it live at 2 p.m. or watch the video later.
What's changed? Among the highlights:
- More study/conference rooms. This project will add or relocate five public study/conference rooms, as well as rooms on the staff side – adding availability for patrons.
- An expanded, relocated Kids area (see our time lapse video capturing the transformation of the space) with more natural light, window seating and a storytime room.
- A new drive-thru for patron returns and holds pick-up.
- Materials Handling efficiencies. Our materials handling spaces, through which new materials, holds and other Library items flow, are being reorganized for operational efficiency. We anticipate this will result in materials being available for patrons more quickly throughout the entire Library system.
Welcome back! Come discover all the wonderful changes.
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!
Meet the Author: Aimee Nezhukumatahil – Wednesday, Feb. 23, 6:30-7:30 p.m.
Aimee Nezhukumatathil is an accomplished poet, essayist and first-ever poetry editor for Sierra magazine. Aimee will read from her work, share stories from her writing life and answer questions about where nature and writing intersect.
Meet the Author: Gordon Korman – Thursday, Feb. 24, 4:30-5:30 p.m.
Gordon Korman is a New York Times bestselling author of more than ninety books for kids and young adults, most recently Linked and Operation Do-Over, published in January 2022. His writing career began at the age of twelve when his seventh grade English assignment became his first published novel. He will talk about where ideas come from, his two genres of humor and adventure, and what it was like to grow up publishing books for kids.
How to Adjust Your Finances for Retirement Living – Thursday, Feb. 24, 6:30-7:30 p.m.
We are retiring earlier and living longer, which is great news from a personal standpoint. However, that good news may be tempered by some harsh financial realities. Emerson Hartzler, retired business executive and pro bono financial advisor, will outline practical ways to manage your lifestyle expenses and long-term investments so that you continue to enjoy all of your retirement years.
Legislative Coffee Series – Saturday, Feb. 26, 10-11 a.m.
Discover what's percolating in the Kansas Legislature. Representatives and Senators with constituents in Johnson County will discuss the new legislative session, followed by Q&A. You bring the questions!
- Senator Dinah Sykes, District 21
- Representative Lindsay Vaughn, District 22
- Representative Dan Osman, District 48
- Representative Linda Featherston, District 16
February is Black History Month
"Time for Change: Action Not Words" is the theme for the 2023 Black History Month. Johnson County Library has so many resources it might be hard to choose which to read, listen to, or participate in, so it’s good we get to celebrate all month long. Black History Month begins today, Feb. 1 and ends March 1.
Photo courtesy of the Worcester Art Museum
Get Started with Primary Sources
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Associated Press Collections Online – Includes news coverage on Martin Luther King, Jr., Freedom Riders, desegregation, voting rights and more.
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American Civil Liberties Union Papers – 20th century ACLU records focusing on race, civil rights and more.
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Slavery and Anti-Slavery: A Transnational Archive – Documents and research guides related to the history of slavery, abolition and emancipation.
Local History
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The Legacy of Corinthian Nutter – Learn about the major contributions Ms. Nutter made in Webb v. School District 90 (located in Merriam, KS), which ended segregation five years before Brown v. the Board of Education.
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JoCo History Collections - Historical photographs and maps documenting the people, places and organizations of Johnson County.
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Olathe’s early African-American community –Kansas’ anti-slavery legacy offered a fresh start for many former slaves and their families after the Emancipation Proclamation.
Watch
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African-American Stories on Kanopy – Hundreds of films, documentaries, and series exploring everything from current events to the history and cultural legacy of African-Americans.
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The Past is Prologue - A series of programs featuring topics that were often left out, glossed over or misrepresented in our history books, such as The Kansas City Monarchs and the Negro National League , Corinthian Nutter and the South Park School, and The Town of Nicodemus, KS
Read
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Celebrate 100 Years of the Negro Leagues - 2020 marked the 100th anniversary of the Negro Leagues – learn about its development, players, and legacy.
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Read More Black Authors: Kids and Teens – Celebrate Black voices with this collection of both fiction and non-fiction titles for younger readers.
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Upbeat Black History Month – A collection of uplifting African-American stories from throughout our country's history, with an emphasis on the underknown.
Automated sorter installed at the Friends' Pine Ridge facility
Automated sorter installed at the Friends' Pine Ridge facility
Automated sorter installed at the Friends' Pine Ridge facility
Sorter Installed at Pine Ridge for Friends Use
Late last year, an automated sorter was installed at the Friends of Johnson County Library's Pine Ridge facility. The automated materials handling (AMH) unit will help Friends staff and volunteers sort donations efficiently and quickly by type and salability. The Friends thank all at the Library who aided in this process.
Help us use our new Sorter! We're accepting donations of gently used items at our weekly Drop Off events at Pine Ridge Office Park near 87th and I-35. Check the Friends website for location and schedule details!
Look Into Lenexa's Past
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: Lenexa Historical Society
About this collection: This collection is comprised of over 3,500 images relating to the history, development and people of Lenexa, Kansas. Particular strengths include area construction projects, photos of the Legler Barn Museum, the Lenexa Centennial celebration of 1969 and early landowners. The photographs were collected and maintained by the Lenexa Historical Society, who are headquartered at the Legler Barn Museum in Sar Ko Par Park.
Meet the Author: Aimee Nezhukumatathil
With three collections, an NEA poetry fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts, a Pushcart Prize, a Mississippi Arts Council grant, and being named a Guggenheim Fellow in poetry, you might say Aimee Nezhukumatathil is at the top of her poetry game.
Join us for these upcoming programs with the award-winning poet.
Meet the Author: Aimee Nezhukumatathil
Wednesday, Feb. 23, 6:30 p.m.
Register »
Nature Writing with Aimee Nezhukumatathil
Saturday, Feb. 26, 9 a.m.
Register »