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Free Period Products Coming to Library Restrooms
Johnson County Library now provides period/menstrual products, free of charge, in restrooms within all 14 branches, for the public’s convenience and comfort.
On August 10, the Library Board approved an agreement with the Strawberry Week Society, a local nonprofit that collects and distributes free menstrual products to schools, hospitals, shelters and community organizations, to increase accessibility and combat period poverty.
Youth Information Specialists Emma Fernhout and Heather Miller advocated for this service and said Strawberry Week has been a great partner.
“My experience is, if I go to a gym or an airport and I see period products in the bathroom, especially if they are free, then I immediately feel like that organization cares,” Fernhout said. “I know the power that carries, and it just seemed in alignment with what the Library wants people to feel.”
Strawberry Week Founder and CEO Micheala Miller donates these products (tampons and pads) throughout the metro area, and had already seen how successful this initiative was in the 10 Kansas City Public Library branches. She was delighted to collaborate with Johnson County Library as well.
“They’ve been amazing to work with,” Michaela Miller said. Most community groups she works with help people for whom the cost of menstrual products is a hardship. But she notes that Libraries serve the broader public.
“Items like these are so mandatory for half the population to use, it’s something that is appreciated,” she said. “We believe that like hand soap and paper towels, period products should be readily available in public restrooms. Through this partnership, we are able to accomplish that.”
Strawberry Week will make its donations quarterly, for an annual total of about 10,000 pads and 6,000 tampons, saving Johnson County government more than $3,000 if it were to purchase the products. The Library will spend about $375 on containers.
Library staff said this project enhances customer service, fosters a welcoming and healthy environment and safeguards patron privacy.
Fernhout said the idea first came to her a few years ago and she put together a proposal to address the need.
“I think a lot of us have experienced a patron asking for products, or we’ve been that patron whether it’s at the Library or at another business, and just realizing that there were no products available,” she said. “That seemed like a huge barrier to accessibility and feeling welcomed and safe.”
Heather Miller eagerly joined Fernhout to explore a solution.
“We talked to branch managers, we talked to operations and administration, and everyone was very supportive,” Heather Miller said.
Serendipitously, Strawberry Week sent an email in early 2022 to Johnson County Library with information about its mission. Strawberry Week sponsors large collection drives and also gets grants to purchase products. Micheala Miller works in real estate professionally, but she devotes her volunteer time to combatting period poverty.
“It’s fulfilling and a passion project for me,” she said.
The email was passed along to Fernhout, and it felt like the answer to what she was seeking. Fernhout and Heather Miller met with Micheala Miller and Kansas City Public Library representatives, who were very encouraging. They reported that patrons didn’t take huge quantities of the products, but used them as needed, like paper towels or other hygiene items.
“They (KCPL) gave us the drive to keep going, saying you can do it in a big branch system,” Heather Miller recalled.
Fernhout said working with Strawberry Week on all the logistical details has been very rewarding.
“They really just want to serve their community,” she said, “in the best way they can.”
JoCoHistory Blog: Meadowbrook Park
New Blog Entry
Meadowbrook Park is a beautiful (and busy!) park in suburban Prairie Village today. But did you know that there were many different land uses in the area throughout history? Learn about the Indigenous populations, family farms, luxury estates, postwar suburbs, and “open membership” golf clubs that came before JCPRD’s public green space in a new #JoCoHistory Blog post from the Johnson County Museum.
No Wait Wednesday
Hello and welcome to #NoWaitWednesday, where we pick an item off the New Release shelf at one of our library branches that's available for a lucky reader to discover. There are always plenty of gems at the library to find that don't require a two-month wait on the hold lists, and the New Release shelves are always a great place to explore and find your next favorite read.
Medusa is a familiar figure in Greek mythology - a female monster with snakes for hair and a gaze that turns men to stone, usually presented as an antagonist to the hero Perseus, who then cuts off her head to use as a weapon. That's where her story usually ends, but there's plenty of background material that many casual mythology fans might not know: Medusa was one of three sisters - the Gorgons - along with Stheno and Euryale. Their story forms the basis of Lauren J. A. Bear's novel "Medusa's Sisters," which is today's #NoWaitWednesday selection.
Stories About a Wicked Past
KC True Crime
"Like most cities during Prohibition, Kansas City had illegal alcohol, bootleggers, speakeasies, cops on the take, corrupt politicians and moralizing reformers. But by the time the Eighteenth Amendment was repealed, Kansas City had been singled out by one observer as one of the wettest cities, as well as the wickedest.“
~ Prohibition in Kansas City, Missouri: Highballs, Spooners & Crooked Dice by John Simonson
Your history-loving hosts, Charles "T-Bone" Hower and the "Jackalope"—AKA Dave "Curtains" Carson—spill the beans and sing like canaries to reveal the darkside of Kansas City history. It's Kansas City True Crime on the JoCoLibrary Uncovered Podcast.
Join us as we explain how a lawless culture that began before the Civil War evolved into political and criminal empires that ultimately drew the FBI's focus as they fought to put an end to decades of crime and violence. We bring in special guest Erik Stafford who is a historian, storyteller and a Kansas City History Tour Guide to shed some light on stories that have lived in the dark for too long.
KC True Crime Recommendations:
Booklist, websites and resources mentioned in the episode.
This Week at the Library
Library OnDemand – Available anytime you like.
KC Covid Art Recession: Who thrived, who survived, who still needs help?– Tuesday, Aug. 22, 6:00 – 7:30 p.m.
Join us at Central Resource Library for a town hall discussion led by a panel of art leaders whose organizations and artists thrived, survived and still need help in recovering from the art recession. In 2020, KC Rising reported that of 24 industries, the arts had the greatest downturn and will take the longest to recover. Let’s help the arts recover with our support and ideas. This program is presented in partnership with GUILDit, whose mission is engage, educate, and empower art entrepreneurialism.
Tabletop Games – Tuesday, Aug. 22, 6:00 – 7:45 p.m.
Join us at Monticello Library for a fun-filled event with family and friends and become a part of the Johnson County tabletop gaming community. Discover new games from our collection or bring your personal favorite to share – you might get creative with a round of Dixit, collaborate to escape the Forbidden Island or strategize your way to victory as King of Tokyo! Come and go as you please. Refreshments are provided.
Two Chapters Book Club – Wednesday, Aug. 23, 4:00 – 5:00 p.m.
Come read with us at Central Resource Library! A librarian will read aloud the initial chapters of a favorite book and you can decide to check out a copy to take home if you like it. If the chapters are short, we might sample more. We'll have snacks and activities related to the book as well. Let's read together. Ages 7-11.
Open Mic – Friday, Aug. 25, 6:30 – 7:30 p.m.
Johnson County Library is teaming up with Bear Necessities Coffee Bar (9609 W 87th St, Overland Park, KS 66212) to bring you an Open Mic from 6:30 – 7:30pm on the 4th Friday of every month. Bring poems, short stories, essays, and excerpts to share on the stage. Or come just to listen. We’ll feature readings from our contest winners and the rest of the time is for you.
Sign up at the event, 3-minute limit.
Johnson County Genealogical Society Monthly Meeting – Saturday, Aug. 26, 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Enjoy a genealogy program and visit with JCGS members about your research and family history. Free and open to the public. Meets in the Carmack Room at Central Resource Library.
This month’s topic is Civil War Medicine: Local and National Surgeries and Medical Treatments of the Mid-Nineteenth Century - Sarah Bader-King, Curator and Director of Programs, Wornall/Majors House Museums
Open Mic Night
Johnson County Library is teaming up with Bear Necessities Coffee Bar (9609 W 87th St, Overland Park, KS 66212) to bring you an Open Mic from 6:30–7:30 p.m. on the 4th Friday of every month. Bring poems, short stories, essays, and excerpts to share on the stage. Or come just to listen. We’ll feature readings from our contest winners and the rest of the time is for you.
August's event is on Friday Aug. 25, 6:30-7:30 p.m.
Sign up at the event, 3-minute limit.
Gardner Information Specialist Celebrates Performance of Her Opera
The true-crime thriller centers on Jane “Jolly Jane” Toppan, an amiable nurse-turned-serial killer in 19th-century Boston.
But as an opera, you won’t find “The Murderess” on the shelves of the Johnson County Library However, you can find the composer, Allison McIntosh, working as an information specialist at the Gardner Library.
McIntosh collaborated with librettist/playwright Trip Venturella. The Landlocked Opera staged two performances of “The Murderess” in July at the Simpson House in Kansas City, Missouri.
A three-story mansion built in 1909, the Simpson House was a perfect setting for the opera. Audiences followed the action as it shifted from the large front room, then to a foyer by the staircase and back to the front room.
“The audience seemed really receptive to it,” McIntosh said. “They seemed to enjoy it, so I'm really happy with how it went.”
McIntosh, 29, has had her music performed around the country, including by the Grand Teton Festival Orchestra in Grand Teton National Park and Washington Masters Chorale in Washington, D.C. But “The Murderess” is her first opera, which she wrote for her dissertation while earning a musical arts doctorate from the University of Kansas. She met Venteruella in Lawrence.
Building an opera around Toppan, whom one author described as the “most prolific fiend” in an era of “vicious female sociopaths,” was not as far-fetched as it might appear, McIntosh said. The idea emerged from brainstorming with friends who were true-crime aficionados.
“Opera is often about larger-than-life characters, and of course, opera is extremely dramatic typically,” McIntosh said. “So anything that can create high drama can be a good subject for an opera.”
Similarly, McIntosh said, a composer is not an odd fit for an information specialist — especially for one like McIntosh, who also teaches remote music composition classes for Missouri Western State University in St. Joseph, Missouri.
“Music has taught me to be creative, and that comes up a lot at the Library, whether it's making displays, or creative problem solving with patrons,” she said.
McIntosh also utilizes her teaching skills by working with staff as part of the Library’s reader advisory classes and gets the opportunity to “scratch the research itch” when patrons have complicated questions.
She had a terrific experience recently when a display she built using old video games captivated a young visitor to the Gardner Library, who was thrilled to meet the creator when McIntosh happened to be working the desk. The boy showed McIntosh his Pokémon collection and seemed ready to talk with her about video games for the rest of the day.
McIntosh wants to keep her hand in opera and would like to write her own at some point to continue telling women’s stories that, she said, are underrepresented in opera.
As a native of Idaho, and as someone who did a lot of her college work in Boston, McIntosh was not necessarily looking to stay in the Midwest upon completing her doctorate. McIntosh would love to someday be a professor of composition and music theory at a small liberal arts college.
She’s now almost two years into her role at the Library, and she enjoys the tight-knit staff and community in Gardner. “It’s just a really happy place to work,” she said.
Meet the 2023 Writers Conference Presenter: Dawn Downey
Have you ever read something and wondered, how did this author know my story so well? Dawn Downey is such an author. Her love of people and love of writing go hand-in-hand. It comes as no surprise when Dawn explains in one of her blog posts, “I write to spread kindness.” Her compassion for her readers and her love of craft both shine in her work.
In addition to an active online presence on her blog, Dawn has published four books of essays: Stumbling Toward the Buddha: Stories about Tripping over My Principles on the Road to Transformation, From Dawn to Daylight, Searching For My Heart: essays about love, and Blindsided: Essays from the Only Black Woman in the Room, a 2022 Book of the Year Finalist from Independent Author Network.
Dawn’s passion for writing is deeply intertwined with a passion for mindfulness and spirituality. She practices yoga every morning before pen hits paper. Dawn spends most of her time participating in craft workshops that aim to amplify marginalized voices, something she is deeply passionate about. She currently lives in Kansas City with her husband.
We are pleased to announce that Dawn Downey will be presenting a lecture with her editing partner and Writers Conference veteran, Jessica Conoley, on developmental editing.
We look forward to seeing you Nov. 2-4 to write, network, and talk books with us! You can register to attend the Nov. 2 Kickoff here and you can register for both days of the Writers Conference here. For the Conference, your RSVP is for both days and sessions will be on a first-come, first-serve basis.
You can catch up with Dawn on her blog here, and you can also keep up with her on her Youtube channel here.
We asked Dawn a few questions inspired by this year’s conference book, By the Book: Writers on Literature and the Literary Life from The New York Times Book Review, to get to know her better:
- What's in your TBR pile?
Abaddon's Gate by James Corey; Hunger by Roxane Gay; The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson
- What are you reading right now?
Soil by Camille T. Dungy; Women, Race, and Class by Angela Davis
- Do you have a favorite book you love to recommend?
The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix Harrow
- Do you have a favorite bookstore?
- Answer the question you wish we had asked.
What do you want to tell other writers? Be kind to yourself.
Long Ago at the Library
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: Johnson County Library
About this collection: Over 100 images from the early years of Johnson County Library, mostly the mid-1950s. Photos depict patrons, staff, buildings and collections.