Central Resource Library’s reopening on Feb. 22, 2022, marks another milestone in the rich history of Johnson County Library’s headquarters branch.
Central Resource first opened its doors to the public on Aug. 29, 1995, with more than 750 people flocking to see the new branch in its first four hours of opening. Since then, the building has been renovated several times as Johnson County Library has adapted to changing public needs to remain a crucial community asset.
This latest $11 million renovation unveils a new and vibrant children’s area with wonderful natural light and a new Storytime room. Other improvements include a convenient drive-thru service, upgraded technology, modernized meeting rooms, a better collection layout, reorganized materials handling for maximum efficiency and renovated staff areas to promote excellent and collaborative administration.
“The Public Library has no agenda but to provide you the information that will support and enrich your life,” said County Librarian Sean Casserley. “Our community will face many new challenges in the future. Your commitment to education, lifelong learning and your love of reading is the recipe for our community to solve any problem. The Library is a space for you and your family to explore, discover and excite your imagination. Come visit the newly remodeled Central Resource Library. I think you’ll be surprised!”
Patrons praise the building as a fabulous setting for books, art, creative pursuits and public gatherings. But it didn’t start out as a Library. It was originally a Dolgin’s jewelry/appliance store and then a Best Products catalog showroom retail store. How it came to be Johnson County Library’s headquarters is a lively story in itself.
Johnson County’s libraries in the early 1950s were often bookmobiles or operated in homes and small storefronts by volunteers. The first official Johnson County Library was established in 1953 in Merriam. In 1956 it moved to Shawnee Mission Parkway and Antioch Road, the current Antioch branch location. A Central Reference Department was created there in 1968, and the Johnson County Genealogical Society added its collection in 1973.
In 1985, planning began for a larger headquarters building under County Librarian Roy Fox. Original plans called for a new, 160,000-square-foot building on Johnson County Community College property. Fox retired in 1988 and was replaced by County Librarian Mona Carmack. Negotiations for the new building on community college land faltered, as did a proposal for a site at College Boulevard and US-69.
Donna Lauffer, who was Deputy County Librarian at the time, recalls that Library administrators decided renovation would be more economical, and something smaller than 160,000-square-feet would provide more resources for other branches.
In 1992, Library administrators settled on a plan to renovate the vacant 90,000-square-foot Best Products building at 87th and Farley streets. But Johnson County commissioners required a public vote before the project could proceed.
On Nov. 3, 1992, a big presidential election, 72% of Johnson County voters approved a $12 million bond issue to purchase and repurpose the building. The overwhelming voter support reflected the community’s appreciation for Libraries.
“Johnson County has always loved its Library system,” said Lauffer, who went on to serve as County Librarian from 2007-2011.
Gould Evans architects designed the renovation and the groundbreaking occurred in 1994.
“They were just great,” Lauffer said of the architects and construction crew on the complex project. “It was a huge amount of work.”
Antioch closed temporarily and its collection was moved to Central Aug. 11-17, 1995. Cost came to $12.7 million, which was $2 million less than new construction. The collection came to 500,000 materials, the bulk of Johnson County Library’s 750,000 total materials.
At a time when the Internet was just taking off, Central offered public computers and meeting rooms that were in high demand. Staff offices included administration, collections, acquisitions and information technology.
In Central’s first month, more than 1,000 people visited each day. User visits grew by 75%, circulation by 34% and library card registrations by 165% with the new facility.
“We had a lot of students and a lot of people going back to college,” Lauffer recalled. “It was a great gathering place for all those people.”
Over the years, Central added an art gallery and other amenities. In 2016, the Library unveiled key public improvements to the facility, including a more prominent front service area, a 150-seat Carmack community room and a hugely popular expansion to the Black & Veatch MakerSpace studio, with 3D printers, laser cutters, a sound booth and more.
Prior to the Coronavirus pandemic, Central Resource Library hosted more than 450,000 visitors in 2018 and saw circulation of nearly 737,000 materials.
All the renovations, including this latest phase, have been done with an eye to creating a vibrant Library of the future. But despite all the changes, Central Resource Library’s mission remains the same: to serve as the hub of a vital organization that provides superb public service, answers questions, locates materials and supplies the resources to educate and enrich patrons’ lives.