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This Week at the Library
Johnson County Library locations are closed Monday, Jan. 1 for New Year’s observance.
Look what’s coming in the new year!
- New Merriam Plaza Library is opening in Spring 2024 with approximately 15,000 square feet and will pay homage to some of Antioch’s most beloved features such as reading nooks in the kids section. Community input sessions held by the Library and architects led to features such as a convenient drive-thru, a large meeting room with updated technology to host storytimes and other events, plus two well-equipped study rooms and a variety of seating options across the branch.
- Local art exhibitions will be continuing as Johnson County Library partners with InterUrban ArtHouse to curate a diverse selection of artwork to display in the Library’s physical and digital spaces. While you view these exhibitions at the Library you can also scan the QR codes at each and listen to the artist’s audio commentaries and read their bios.
And the tradition at Johnson County of offering a variety of resources for writers of all levels of experiences will still include lectures, workshops, contests and opportunities to share work with our community.
2023 Year in Review
2023 was a busy year at Johnson County Library! Before we ring in the New Year, check out this highlight reel of the past 12 months.
The Collection
The first title checked out in 2023 — at exactly midnight on Libby — was "Ugly Love" by Colleen Hoover. In November we hit the 1 million checkout milestone in Libby; the title that put us over the mark was "The Wives" by Tarryn Fisher. And though the final numbers aren’t in yet for December, Library users are on track to check out nearly 5.5 million items in 2023!
These books took top honors for most checkouts through the year: "Tom Lake" by Ann Patchett, "The Five-Star Weekend" by Elin Hilderbrand, "Happy Place" by Emily Henry, "Hello Beautiful" by Ann Napolitano and "Lessons in Chemistry" by Bonnie Garmus. Top eAudiobooks were "Fourth Wing" by Rebecca Yarros, "Lessons in Chemistry" and "Spare" by Prince Harry. Taylor Swift swept the CD category with the top three check-outs: "Folklore," "Reputation" and "Lover."
Buildings
In January, construction kicked off in earnest for the new Merriam Plaza Library. Over the summer, visitors to Antioch Library and the Merriam Community Center were invited to sign sheets of drywall that were then installed in Merriam Plaza’s meeting room. Our partner, Titan LLC, completed the building by the end of November, and now the transformation from an empty building into a Library is underway.
Up the road, Antioch Library celebrated many “lasts” in December as it prepares to permanently close on Jan. 29, 2024, in order to transfer its staff and collection to Merriam Plaza. A ribbon-cutting celebration for new branch is planned for Spring 2024.
Elsewhere in the county, Oak Park Library closed for work in August and reopened mid-December. The improvements included upgrades to building systems such as climate control and security; paving and ADA improvements; exterior improvements such as new signage, light fixtures and bike rack; new front doors; and renovated public and family restrooms. A new Questions Desk is slated for January. Leawood Pioneer Library visitors enjoyed a repaved parking lot, and De Soto Library got a new roof among other small improvements throughout the system.
Events
We celebrated 2023 with a lineup of amazing events: young patrons enjoyed Scribbler Society and weekly Homework Help gatherings while more than 500 visitors came out for Genealogy Day, the first since 2020. The return of Toys Night Out, at which beloved toys enjoy overnight adventures at their local library, was a hit, while established events like Tabletop Games, Legislative Coffees and Book Clubs continued to be popular.
The November Writers Conference and new monthly Open Mic events brought together writers and those who love to listen to stories and poetry. The newest issue of elementia, a literary magazine produced by teens and for teens, received almost 1,000 submissions for consideration. Around 100 people attended the reception at Lenexa City Center Library, the first in-person celebration of the journal since 2019.
Johnson County Library’s annual Summer Reading program was a huge success. In addition to special programs and events, the Library distributed 18,951 books and worked with 60 local schools and 14 community partners. And in partnership with Catholic Charities, the summer meal program at Antioch and Central Resource Libraries served over 2,000 meals to kids.
The fun didn’t end in the branches, either. More than 500 Library card holders enjoyed special free admission days at Shawnee Town 1929 and the Johnson County Museum, and our Local History programs used YouTube to reach hundreds of new attendees.
Development
The Library’s Development Department celebrated several milestones in 2023. The Johnson County Library Foundation welcomed new Executive Director Shelley O’Brien in March, and in April the Library’s volunteer program received a Service Enterprise Certification, an elite designation that only 11% of non-profits achieve. The 1952 Society welcomed award-winning audiobook narrator Edoardo Ballerini for a special event, and September ushered in another successful Library Lets Loose; this year was the best yet with more than 600 guests partying in the stacks at Central Resource Library. The Friends of Johnson County Library also saw an increase in membership and now hosts used book sales every Saturday at their Lenexa Headquarters.
In the News
In April, the Library removed overdue fines! This historic vote by the Library Board was made to increase access and remove barriers to Library materials for as many people as possible. In the same spirit of meeting the needs of our community, in August the Library Board approved a partnership with local non-profit Strawberry Week to provide free period products in every Library restroom.
Our Librarians made more than 26,000 new Library cards in 2023, the most new cards in years and a 25% increase over 2022. Over 2,200 of those were during National Library Card Sign-Up month in September, which was also the month of Library memes! We got some inspiration and a little bit of viral love thanks to Kansas City’s new favorite couple: Travis & Taylor.
Also in September, Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona and FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel visited Central Resource Library as part of the Secretary's "Back to School Bus Tour 2023: Raise the Bar" campaign in partnership with local non-profit KC Digital Drive. Cardona participated in a roundtable with local educators about our country’s digital divide, then held an impromptu Storytime in the kids’ area.
In November, right in time for World Kindness Day, the Library welcomed attention from all over the world when Captain Ben, a Delta Airlines pilot, found one of our Library books ("If the Shoe Fits" from the Whatever After series by Sarah Mlynowski) on a seat in the Atlanta airport. He mailed it back to Shawnee Library branch manager Anna Madrigal with a letter that shared his own love of reading and an offer to pay any late fees for the book. After our social media post went viral, Sarah recorded a thank you message to Captain Ben and he reported that he heard from people far and wide about his kind gesture.
Last but not least, we were thrilled to debut three new “traveling murals” on our Library courier trucks this fall. Kansas City artists Sol Anzorena, Lauren Seider and JT Daniels each created a mobile art exhibit that showed their perspective on the question: “What is the impact of reading and literacy in a community?” We hope the trucks bring you joy as you see them around Johnson County.
Thank you for making Johnson County Library a place to learn, explore, enjoy, create and connect this year. We can’t wait to see what 2024 brings!
2023 JoCoHistory Blog Year in Review
Have you missed any of the stellar JoCoHistory blog entries? Each post allows you to time travel through Johnson County history. 2023 presented so many compelling topics! Which of these was your favorite?
- Johnson County Museum Collections on JoCoHistory.org
- The Founding Mothers of Johnson County Library
- Railroad-Inspired Johnson County Placenames
- Ernest Hemingway’s Kansas City Connections
- The Olathe Leadership Lowrider Bike Club
- Women, Carnegie, and the Public Library
- Johnson County Museum Upgrades to a Cloud-Based Collection Software
- Lenexa’s Video Library: The Life and Times of Johnson County’s Largest Video Store
- Meadowbrook Park – From Farms to Suburbs
- Johnson County, Kansas: A Brief Historical Sketch
- “All ‘Board: The Farm Homes Special!”
- Want to Explore JoCo History? Library has Abundant Resources
- REDLINED: Cities, Suburbs, and Segregation – What’s Next?
- Johnson County Library: Origins
- All Aboard! – New TRAINS Special Exhibit at JoCoMuseum
- Helping Bring the Past into the Future
- Conflict and the Big Bull Creek
- Kansas Day 2023
- The Long History of the Shawnee Indian Mission Site
- Away from Home: American Indian Boarding School Stories
- Johnson County Library’s Corinth Branch Celebrates 60 Years
- Things We Learned During REDLINED
Toolkit Tuesday - Create a List in the Catalog
With our Tuesday Toolkit, we share Library tools you might not know about!
Lists
A list is a collection of titles related to a specific topic or idea of your choosing. For example: Knitting Books for Beginners or The 10 Best Movies about Baseball would be suitable subjects for lists. Although lists are meant for sharing, you can decide who gets to see your list when you publish it.
Why Create Lists?
Creating lists is a great way to help other library patrons discover new works. Best Italian Cookbooks, 10 Books My Daughter Loves Best and Movies That Changed My Life are examples of lists you could create. A good list is a curated topic guide. A list shouldn’t be just a group of titles by an author, since you can do that just by searching, or a group of titles you want to borrow, since you have a For Later shelf for that.
When you log in to our catalog with your username or Library card number and PIN, pop over to the blue box in the top right corner of the website. Click the down carrot to expand the menu. Under "MY COLLECTIONS" you will see "Lists." This is your gateway to creating recommendations to share with people in your online library community.
You will see lists in several locations on the site:
When you browse the details of a title, you’ll see links to everyone’s lists that contain that title under the Listed heading.
The lists you create are also shared with other users when they view your collection. (The exception is lists you have chosen to keep private.)
Users’ lists are also featured at the bottom of the Recent Activity page.
When you have an idea for a list and you’re ready to get started, see Creating Lists.
This Week at the Library
Our holiday wishes for you: May all the joys of the season be yours.
We look forward to sharing more story times, more book discussions and more incredible programs like the annual Writers Conference in the coming year.
The Johnson County Library locations are closed Sunday, Dec. 24 and Monday, Dec. 25 for Christmas.
Libraries will also be closed Sunday, Dec. 31 and Monday, Jan. 1, for New Year’s observance.
Johnson County Libraries will re-open for regular service hours Tuesday, Jan. 2, 2024.
Rain or snow, sleet or dark of night: our eLibrary and Library OnDemand are always open and available anytime you like.
Cookbooks at the Library: Holiday Favorites and Year-Round Resources
While we all might celebrate holidays a little differently, there are a few things most of us share. At the top of that list is food. It’s no surprise then that librarians and library users alike have a soft spot for the Library’s collection of cookbooks.
There's something for everyone: favorite series like those from Smitten Kitchen, Ottolenghi, Martha Stewart and Half Baked Harvest. There are cookbooks for types of cuisine and types of appliances, various diets and holidays. And Diana Spencer knows most of them.
Spencer, a Youth Information Specialist at Corinth Library, sometimes spends time in the nonfiction stacks so she can scope out new cookbooks. A pretty cover catches her attention, she says, but what she cares about most is what’s inside.
She tends to gravitate to cookbooks that can give her patrons the same things she values in a cookbook: “Something that draws out their creativity, something that they find confidence in doing. I think cooking is a form of expression. When I’m cooking, I know that I'm taking care of other people and nurturing them, and I hope that maybe somebody else might find that same joy in cooking,” she said.
She’s right. Patrons Tonia Hites Hartzell and Anita Kendall also spend time looking for new cookbooks at the Library, particularly during the holidays.
Hartzell says she currently has 13 cookbooks checked out, including a variety of vegetarian and vegan books to consult as she plans an unconventional Christmas and New Year's menu, as well as two of Deb Perelman’s Smitten Kitchen cookbooks.
Kendall says she used to check out cookbooks for the holidays often when she and her wife were first married; over the years they’ve perfected their favorite recipes and don’t tend to check out as many holiday-themed cookbooks. But in January, she says, when the winter doldrums hit, they often find themselves “looking for cookbooks for meals for 2, soups, and other ways to liven things up!”
Something Spencer, Hartzell and Kendall share is that no matter how many they’ve already read, they always find new cookbooks that seem interesting. “I never get bored reading a cookbook, even if it's not what I'm going to make,” Spencer said. “I still like to sit and read about the history of the recipes and where they originated and things like that.”
Hartzell has gifted her children cookbooks as they’ve become adults. “My daughter will be receiving Martha Stewart’s 'Hors D’oeuvres Handbook,' Martha Stewart Pies and Tarts and The Book on Pie by Erin Jeanne McDowell this year,” she says.
Kendall has asked for several cookbooks as gifts after checking them out. A few of the cookbooks first checked out from the Library and now in her home library include “Warm Bread and Honey Cake,” Comfort and Joy, Cookies to Die For!, and various Instant Pot cookbooks.
As for favorites, each cookbook lover has said that’s the hardest question. Still, Kendall says, “'Warm Bread and Honey Cake' is just a gorgeous one I'd recommend. It's got sweet, cozy reminiscences, beautiful pictures and a huge variety of interesting recipes. It's wonderful to leaf through for 5 minutes, read deeply for hours, or just cook from.” (You can reserve this title through Interlibrary Loan.)
Hartzell recommends the Smitten Kitchen series, 100 Cookies by Sarah Kieffer (especially the Neapolitan cookies) and “almost all of the books from the Milk Street by Christopher Kimball collection.”
Spencer, who has developed an interest in baking challah (the traditional bread Jewish people eat on Shabbat) and makes it about three times a week using different braided designs, made a list of newer and older titles, which reflects her love of both experimentation and tradition.
Though Spencer observes Hanukkah as an adult, she has many memories of Christmas as a child with her family, which include great memories of their holiday food traditions growing up: “We try to keep a lot of those recipes still going today because we don't have the same family members with us anymore. Carrying a lot of those recipes forward is important to everybody in my family. All three of my sisters cook, my mom cooks and my two nieces love to be in the kitchen too. It runs in the family.”
Burger Basket
Dizzy Daisy's Restaurant
Tasty Frozen Products Company (The Bake Shop)
Wyatt's Cafeteria
Primo's Delicafe
Happy Joe's Pizza
Tasty History
Do you recognize any of the restaurants in these photos?
Time travel through Johnson County's history on this beautiful throwback Thursday at JoCoHistory.org. Expand your sense of community through understanding Johnson County's history and its place in American society. Sometimes a fun way to learn about the history of this little part of the world is to explore photos on a subject as simple as restaurants. How will you time travel through JoCoHistory?