A Visit with Jeanie and Zachary Botkin New Board member and Teen Representative

How long have you been Friends members?

We’ve been Friends members since going to our first summer book sale after moving to Kansas City. We had so much fun digging through the piles at the Metcalf Mall finding treasures to take home.

What do you want to learn by serving on the Friends Board?

I [Jeanie] thought it would be a great way for Zachary and me to share our passion for the Library and a valuable opportunity for Zachary to learn about the inner workings of a board. We are both focused on increasing the community’s awareness of the great services and look forward to helping the Library connect with youth.

Why should someone join the Friends of Johnson County Library?

Our elevator speech: Since Benjamin Franklin opened the first library in America, we all know how important libraries have become to our education and way of life. We go there to explore our most-challenging questions with unlimited freedom. But our Library is so much more than that . . . bringing the community together to a place where people can cut CDs, use a 3D printer, practice being a newscaster, design and cut out chess pieces, get help with homework, and learn a new language. And, the best part . . . our Library is open to anyone!

What are you reading right now?

Zachary is reading Gödel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid, written by Douglas Hofstadter who won a Pulitzer Prize for the book in 1979. The book explores common themes in the lives and works of logician Kurt Gödel, artist M. C. Escher and composer Johann Sebastian Bach. Jeanie is focusing on books that show how companies are using design thinking to innovate their products and services such as Design to Grow: How Coca-Cola Learned to Combine Scale and Agility (and How You Can Too) by David Butler and Linda Tischler.

About Jeanie Botkin: After spending 20+ years as an attorney at Polsinelli, Jeanie now heads up the firm’s Professional Development Department. She especially loves working with new attorneys who are transitioning from backpacks to briefcases. She spends every spare second with her family and loves to play Munchkin Legends with her son Zachary.

About Zachary Botkin: Zachary is a freshman at Mill Valley High School. After finishing a rigorous semester of debate, he is now figuring out his signature events in forensics. When not studying, he relaxes with video games, loves to program computers and reads up on the latest scientific discoveries.