Our History

The story of our Library! It's really the story of our community. Travel through time with us. See how the library grew from the ground up. 

Our Story: From Basement Shelves to Community Cornerstone

Johnson County Library began in the 1950s, born from the passion and determination of local families. Long before public funding, volunteers ran grassroots libraries from wherever they could—basements, schoolhouses, a barbershop, a plumbing company, even a shopping center and a traveling bookmobile.

Thanks to their dedication, the first official Johnson County Library opened its doors in Merriam, Kansas, in 1952.

Today, Johnson County Library proudly serves more than 1.8 million people across 14 branches throughout northeast Kansas. What hasn't changed is the community spirit: each year, over 900 volunteers continue to support our work each year, contributing more than 40,000 hours of their time to support our work.