Building Our Future

"Little Central" Open During Construction

We are making areas of Central Resource Library even better in 2021! After clearing the Library of furniture and equipment on the staff side, "Little Central" was opened on February 15 to give patrons access to some resources and modified services during the building upgrade. Little Central includes services like materials return, holds pickup and self-checkout, access to nine public computers, restrooms, printing/copying/scanning, and community information. 

To create Little Central, the Library was closed for a week while temporary walls were installed to create a public barrier from the noise and construction work. In this first phase of the project, construction crew members installed plastic covering over all the book stacks and existing furniture before beginning demolition of the old staff space. Crew members moved the Kids area stacks and started carpet removal.

We know you probably have many questions about what to expect over the next year, so we’ve put together a Construction FAQ that addresses the status of popular services like the Black & Veatch MakerSpace and Genealogy resources, more details about Little Central, and where to find alternate services.

In addition to its public service staff, Central is home to many departments that support all 14 branches. Once the work at Central is complete, you will feel the positive impact across the Library system!

 

Little Central is Still a Big Deal

Here's a glimpse of Little Central!

We are making areas of Central Resource Library even better in 2021! In addition to its public service staff, Central is home to many departments that support all 14 branches. Once the work at Central is complete, you will feel the positive impact across the Library system.

We know you probably have many questions about what to expect over the next year, so we’ve put together a Construction FAQ that addresses the status of popular services like the Black & Veatch MakerSpace and Genealogy resources, more details about Little Central and where to find alternate services.

Services available at Central during construction include:

  • Holds pick-up and self-check.
  • Materials return inside the building (for exterior book drops, we recommend patrons use a nearby location such as Oak Park, Leawood, or Corinth).
  • Nine public PCs
  • Public printing / copying / scanning
  • Access to public restrooms
  • Community information, including tax forms

Location Spotlight: Antioch Library

The Antioch Library has had a 60+ year history at its current location in Merriam. The new location (just down the street at the new Merriam Community Center campus) is anticipated to open in 2023. Plans currently include amenities like a drive-thru window for holds pickup and materials return. Session dates for virtual public info sessions about building design will be announced later this spring, once the architectural firm has been selected.

Antioch is the Johnson County Library system’s oldest building and was at one time the headquarters, beginning in November 1956. After Central opened in 1995, Antioch transitioned to a branch Library in March 1996.

The spacious building has a cheerful children’s section, a big bank of computers and printers that are in constant use, a comfortable quiet room, and art gallery space. It also houses Johnson County adult education classes serving nearly 200 students. The Library serves patrons not only from Merriam but also from Mission and even southern Wyandotte County.

Reminder: Tomorrow is Central's Last Day as We Know It!

In 2021 we’ll be making areas of Central Resource Library even better, with an expanded and improved Kids area, additional meeting rooms, exterior enhancements like the addition of a drive-thru and renovations to our staff spaces among the upgrades. 

While we hope you are as excited as we are for these improvements, that means we’ll be temporarily modifying or suspending some services during construction. Key dates and details are as follows: 

  • From Monday, February 8 to Sunday, February 14 Central is expected to close to the public. During this week staff and construction crews will begin prepping for what we’re calling “Little Central.” 

  • On Monday, February 15 Little Central will open in a portion of our front lobby. It will offer limited services, including holds pick-up, materials return and public PCs through the duration of construction. 

  • Construction is anticipated to complete in late 2021

In addition to its public service staff, Central is home to many departments that support all 14 branches and is considered the hub of the Johnson County Library system. Once the work at Central is complete, you will feel the positive impact on Library service with noticeable efficiency, more services and better use of resources.  

We know you probably have many questions about what to expect over the next year. We’ve put together a Central Resource Library Construction FAQ that addresses the status of popular services like the Black & Veatch MakerSpace and Genealogy resources, more details about Little Central and where to find alternate services.  

Watch an animated fly-through of the exciting changes you will see once the library reopens in late 2021, and stay tuned to jocolibrary.org and @jocolibrary on social media for construction updates. 

You are receiving this email because you have listed Central Resource Library as your preferred branch, or our records indicated you’ve checked out material(s) from the Central Resource Library in the last 18 months. 

Our materials handling spaces, through which new materials, holds and other Library items flow, are being reorganized for operational efficiency 

TBT: The Way We Were

In 1985 preliminary planning began for a larger centralized Library building. In 1992, a location was selected. The former Best Products retail building at 9875 W. 87th St. was chosen. August 29, 1995, the Central Resource Library opened its doors to the public. Check out some of the photos from that time period in this special Throwback Thursday slide show.

Fast forward to today. We again are working to upgrade this building to make the Central Resource Library even better! 

We know you probably have many questions about what to expect over the next year as upgrades occur. So, we’ve put together a Construction FAQ that addresses the status of popular services like the Black & Veatch MakerSpace and Genealogy resources, more details about Little Central and where to find alternate services.

Stay tuned to our blog and @jocolibrary on social media for construction updates!

If you haven't viewed the Fly Through of Central Resource Library animated video, what are you waiting for?

And finally, remember that jocohistory.org is the place to time travel through local history. Search the Johnson County Library's historic photo collection for a fun adventure. You'll find over 100 images from the early years of Johnson County Library, mostly the mid-1950s. Be sure to follow our hashtag on Twitter! Have a Happy Throwback Thursday!

 

Reminder: Tomorrow is Central's Last Day as We Know It!

In 2021 we’ll be making areas of Central Resource Library even better, with an expanded and improved Kids area, additional meeting rooms, exterior enhancements like the addition of a drive-thru and renovations to our staff spaces among the upgrades. 

While we hope you are as excited as we are for these improvements, that means we’ll be temporarily modifying or suspending some services during construction. Key dates and details are as follows: 

  • From Monday, February 8 to Sunday, February 14 Central is expected to close to the public. During this week staff and construction crews will begin prepping for what we’re calling “Little Central.” 

  • On Monday, February 15 Little Central will open in a portion of our front lobby. It will offer limited services, including holds pick-up, materials return and public PCs through the duration of construction. 

  • Construction is anticipated to complete in late 2021

In addition to its public service staff, Central is home to many departments that support all 14 branches and is considered the hub of the Johnson County Library system. Once the work at Central is complete, you will feel the positive impact on Library service with noticeable efficiency, more services and better use of resources.  

We know you probably have many questions about what to expect over the next year. We’ve put together a Central Resource Library Construction FAQ that addresses the status of popular services like the Black & Veatch MakerSpace and Genealogy resources, more details about Little Central and where to find alternate services.  

Watch an animated fly-through of the exciting changes you will see once the library reopens in late 2021, and stay tuned to jocolibrary.org and @jocolibrary on social media for construction updates. 

You are receiving this email because you have listed Central Resource Library as your preferred branch, or our records indicated you’ve checked out material(s) from the Central Resource Library in the last 18 months. 

Our materials handling spaces, through which new materials, holds and other Library items flow, are being reorganized for operational efficiency 

Merriam Plaza Library Project

Merriam Plaza Library Project 

Merriam Plaza Library Project

Antioch Library has had an over-60-year history in its current location at the corner of Shawnee Mission Parkway and Antioch Road, beginning in 1956 as a 7,200 square foot leased space with parking for 30 cars. Now, plans are in the works to re-locate Antioch Library to the new Merriam Community Center campus.

In 1961, following legislation that permitted the Johnson County Library Board of Directors to own property, the Antioch building and site were purchased. The Antioch building has been expanded twice, in 1970 and 1983, and was last renovated in 1995 when the Central Resource Library was opened. Since then, Antioch has been providing space for the Friends of the Library, JCCC’s Adult Education program, and has functioned as the home office for systemwide Programming, Outreach, and Information Services staff.

New site, new building

In 2017, the City of Merriam approached the Library to consider relocating Antioch Library to the new Merriam Community Center campus, at the 6000 block of Slater. After a study with the city, the Library Board approved this path. The new library is anticipated to be approximately 15,000 square ft. single story building and include a drive-thru for holds pickup and material return. Like Lenexa City Center Library, the Merriam Plaza Library will utilize the nearby parking structure and pay for a portion of the upkeep costs.

The Library and the City of Merriam have been meeting to discuss design, planning, and construction and recently the City of Merriam has transferred the land for the new building to the Library.

Public engagement and design

In March 2021, the Library Board and Johnson County Board of County Commissioners approved the selection of Kansas City-based Dake Wells Architecture to design the facility. In spring and summer of 2021, the Library conducted public engagement sessions both virtually and at the new site. Design for the new library was completed in fall 2022

Construction

The project’s construction contract was approved by the Library Board and Public Building Commission in November 2022 and you will see construction activities ramping up in 2023. Construction is expected to wrap up in early 2024 with opening anticipated later that year.

We know you probably have questions about what to expect during this building process, so we’ve put together an FAQ that addresses more details about the project. Stay tuned to our Merriam Plaza Library page and follow @jocolibrary on social media for construction updates and photos. You can also drop us a line if you have any questions.

 

Cedar Roe Library Turns 50!

 

Join the celebration!

 

Happy 50th Birthday!

Read about the history of this well-aged Library!

Plan out your next visit to Cedar Roe Library!

Be sure to listen to a few memories of this branch in our podcast!

Lenexa City Center Library is Now Open!

Welcome to Lenexa City Center Library! Our newest branch is now open. We could go on and on about all of its great features, but go see for yourself!

Art Work at Lenexa City Center Library

Interconnections by Stephen T. Johnson

Stephen T. Johnson is a Caldecott Honor children’s book author/illustrator who lives and works in Lawrence, KS. He has exhibited his artwork both regionally and nationally. He has created works of art for Love Field Airport in Dallas, TX and subway stations in Brooklyn, NY and Los Angeles, CA.

Interconnections is a set of three mosaics, each 23-1/2 feet tall x 5-1/2 feet wide. This work is installed and on public display at the new Lenexa City Center Library.



Words from the Artist

"We rearrange the notes of a scale to generate musical compositions, we mix the colors of a rainbow to create visual works of art, and we reorder the letters of an alphabet to form words and texts.

As with a triplet of stained glass windows or three lines of a Haiku, Interconnections is a triptych that celebrates the twenty-six letters of the English alphabet through a profusion of typographic fonts, both uppercase and lowercase, intermixed with images from my books — Alphabet City, Alphabet School, and A is for Art: An Abstract Alphabet.

Reading from left to right, the first panel celebrates the letters A to I, the second panel J to Q, and the third panel R to Z. The goal of Interconnections is to inspire visitors to the library to view our world in a fresh and playful way, and in so doing, discover for themselves juxtapositions of scale, color harmonies, rhythms in surface textures, and joy in what may seem unremarkable or ordinary, by transcending the mundane and unearthing its hidden beauty."



Technical notes

Artist Stephen T. Johnson worked with the German company Franz Mayer of Munich to fabricate these works. This company works with artists from all over the world to interpret their designs from the original medium into architectural glass and mosaics. Johnson created digital designs for these artworks and emailed them to the fabricators. The company used Johnson’s designs as guides for how to arrange the many individual glass pieces used to compose the mosaic.

In this mosaic there are 4 different kinds of tesserae:

•          Flat marbles/glass gems – small round glass pieces that have an entirely smooth surface

•          Glass cake – large flat pieces of mosaic glass that can be cut or broken into regular or irregular shapes, used to make both kinds of smaller pieces listed below

•          Italian Smalti – small, regularly-sized, machine cut and broken mosaic glass pieces that has an identical surface quality on all facets

•          Mexican glass – small, irregularly-sized hand-cut and broken mosaic glass pieces that can have different surface qualities and colors on different facets

This work of art is part of the Johnson County, KS Public Art Collection. Learn more at jocogov/dept/facilities/public-art-commission.