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Volunteering is Living
Karen and Earl, you're golden! You know you'll catch more flies with honey than with vinegar. You're such cutups — you're the bee's knees! Your enthusiasm is infectious and you brighten the day of just about everyone you encounter. But, you can't do that sitting on your duff at home, right?! A rolling stone gathers no moss. Your duffs have no moss! You volunteer!!!
OK, let's not put the cart before the horse. Speaking of horses, we never look a gift horse in the mouth. A hearty THANK YOU is due to you both and not just because volunteer appreciation week is wrapping up. Volunteers like you help your Library with 60,000 hours each year! You understand that many hands make light work. We'd be in a pickle without you and all of the volunteers who help with:
- Process Donated Books
- Book & Media Sorting Volunteer
- Children’s Book Sorting Volunteer
- Children’s Book Sorting Volunteer Assistant
- Box Building Volunteer
- Shelve Books
- Book Distribution Volunteer
- Circulation Volunteer--Morning
- Circulation Volunteer--Afternoon
- Monticello Library Volunteer (Pre-Opening)
- Monticello Library Volunteer (Post Opening)
- Provide Books to Families & Kids
- Online Sales Research Volunteer
- Online Sales Inventory Volunteer
- Online Sales Listing Volunteer
- Online Sales Shipping Volunteer
- Bookstore Unpacking Volunteer
- Bookstore Stocking Volunteer
- Bookstore Cashier—Regular Schedule
- Bookstore Cashier—On Call Substitutes
- Used Book Sale Sign In Desk Volunteer
- Used Book Sale Door Greeter/Membership Checker
- Used Book Sale Ambassador
- Used Book Sale Floor Supervisor
- Used Book Sale Merchandiser
- Used Book Sale Cashier
- Used Book Sale Counter and Dolly Runner
- Used Book Sale Box Builder
- Used Book Sale Non-Profit Clerk
- Used Book Sale Packer/Unpacker
- Support Library Programs
- Civic Engagement Events Volunteer
- Colorin Colorado Volunteer
- English Language Learning Volunteer
- Maker’s Space Volunteer
- Reference Librarian Volunteer
- Summer Teen Volunteer
- Tech Tuesday Volunteer
- Young Adult Advisory Council Volunteer
- YS Materials Cleaning Volunteer
- Work in Library Offices
- Creative Services Volunteer
- Data Entry Volunteer
- Genealogy Research Volunteer
- Library Foundation Volunteer
- Program Management Volunteer
- Recruiting & Placement Volunteer
We don’t judge a book by Its cover! Karen and Earl, we know you're young at heart and still plenty spry. Do any of your friends want to help? Please have them fill out a Volunteer Application form. For full descriptions of each position, please contact Volunteer Coordinator Ron Zluticky and then hit the early-bird special!
Thanks again!
“Only a life lived for others is worth living.” — Albert Einstein
Karen and Earl, you're golden! You know you'll catch more flies with honey than with vinegar. You're such cutups — you're the bee's knees! Your enthusiasm is infectious and you brighten the day of just about everyone you encounter. But, you can't do that sitting on your duff at home, right?! A rolling stone gathers no moss. Your duffs have no moss! You volunteer!!!
OK, let's not put the cart before the horse. Speaking of horses, we never look a gift horse in the mouth. A hearty THANK YOU is due to you both and not just because volunteer appreciation week is wrapping up. Volunteers like you help your Library with 60,000 hours each year! You... Continue »
2018 Bookmark Design Contest Winners Announced2018 Bookmark Design Contest Winners
The Friends of Johnson County Library recently announced the winners of the annual Bookmark Design Contest. The contest commemorated National Library Week 2018 and the winners were presented to the Library Board at the April 12, 2018 meeting.
Sponsored by the Friends of Johnson County Library, the annual design competition contest accepts original illustrations in seven age categories from Preschool to Adult. Accepted media are colored pencil; marker; crayon; gouache; tempera; oil; acrylic; finger-paint; chalk; watercolor; pen-and-ink; on paper only. Designs, drawings and images must be made by hand only.
Jurors for the event included Friends of Johnson County Library board members and JCL Children’s librarians. The winning illustrations are printed as bookmarks and distributed during the year at the 13 – soon to be 14 – branches of the Johnson County Library and at the 3 Friends bookstores. More than 6000 bookmarks will find homes between pages by the end of the year.
“They’re so wonderful,” exclaims Friends president Julie Steiner, “and I collect a new set every year. They’re a great way to get creative people of all ages interested in our excellent Library system.”
Library patrons may begin collecting their new bookmarks now at their nearest Johnson County Library. The contest is generously supported by the Friends of Johnson County Library.
Pictured in photo:
Back: L-R: Julie Steiner, Friends President; Ron Shaffer, Board of County Commissioners, 1st District; Jack Warner, Adult category.
Middle: L-R: Thea Price, Grades 9-12; Ramona Lockridge, Grades 3-4; Molly McCartan, Grades 5-6; Avery Karl, Grades 5-6; Riley McConnell, Grades 7-8
Front: L-R: Katherine Feng, Grades 1-2; Lindsey Phipps, Grades 1-2; Olivia Wang, Grades 3-4.
Unavailable for photo: Isaiah He, Pre-K; Grace Bonifield, Grades 9-12
The Friends of Johnson County Library recently announced the winners of the annual Bookmark Design Contest. The contest commemorated National Library Week 2018 and the winners were presented to the Library Board at the April 12, 2018 meeting.
Sponsored by the Friends of Johnson County Library, the annual design competition contest accepts original illustrations in seven age categories from Preschool to Adult. Accepted media are colored pencil; marker; crayon; gouache; tempera; oil; acrylic; finger-paint; chalk; watercolor; pen-and-ink; on paper only. Designs, drawings and images must be made by hand only.
Jurors for the event included Friends of Johnson County Library board members and JCL Children’s librarians. The... Continue »
Tonight: East is East and West is WestEast is East and West is West
This program is sold out. Join the waitlist or watch the livestream.
Kansas City remains one of the most segregated metropolitan areas, both racially and economically, decades after housing discrimination and school segregation were outlawed. American Public Square and the Johnson County Library will explore the issue with a panel featuring
- Tanner Colby, author of Some of My Best Friends Are Black.
- Arthur Benson, Civil rights attorney, Kansas City
- Sly James, Mayor, KCMO
- Michelle P. Wimes, Chief Diversity and Professional Development Officer at Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart, P.C.
This program is sold out. Join the waitlist or watch the livestream.
Kansas City remains one of the most segregated metropolitan areas, both racially and economically, decades after housing discrimination and school segregation were outlawed. American Public Square and the Johnson County Library will explore the issue with a panel featuring
- Tanner Colby, author of Some of My Best Friends Are Black.
- Arthur Benson, Civil rights attorney, Kansas City
- Sly ... Continue »
This Summer, Libraries Rock!
Summer Reading for kids, teens and families
May 21 - July 31
Year-round readers have more fun! We're encouraging school-aged families - and everyone else - to read for fun this summer. Our special summer programs and events help Johnson County readers of every age to have meaningful (and sometimes meaningless) experiences.
Each Summer Reading participant receives a prize book just for registering with our program. Stop by any Johnson County Library location starting May 21 to pick-up your free book and a summer reading log to track your summer reading.
This program is generously supported by the Friends of the Johnson County Library and the Johnson County Library Foundation.
Summer Reading for kids, teens and families
May 21 - July 31
Year-round readers have more fun! We're encouraging school-aged families - and everyone else - to read for fun this summer. Our special summer programs and events help Johnson County readers of every age to have meaningful (and sometimes meaningless) experiences.
Each Summer Reading participant receives a prize book just for registering with our program. Stop by any Johnson County Library location starting May 21 to pick-up your free book and a summer reading log to track your summer reading.
This program is generously supported by the Friends of the Johnson County Library and the Johnson... Continue »
Libraries Rock!
The cover of our Summer Guide features art by local Gavin Snider. He depicted both Kansas City music legends and current musicians in our Listen Local collection.
By day, Gavin Snider is a designer at Jonathan Schloss / Architect. By night, he plays music and draws for Sad American Night, a band that doubles as a visual art project. Gavin also creates artwork (posters, albums, t-shirts, etc.) for a number of other local musicians and organizations. His illustrations draw on a strange reservoir of childhood memories, constant exploration of Kansas City and New York, mythology and anthropology uncovered in dusty library books, travel, a lifelong fascination with architecture and place-making, and perhaps most importantly, the storytelling and wonder inherent to the music that inspires his drawings.
Stop by any Johnson County Library location to pick up your free Summer Guide. It's full of lots of programs for the whole family and, plenty of music to go along with the theme: "Libraries Rock!" From Listen Local live performances with local Kansas City musicians, to Movies in the Park, to "Meet the Artists" events, the Library offers fun summer activities for readers of every age!
The cover of our Summer Guide features art by local Gavin Snider. He depicted both Kansas City music legends and current musicians in our Listen Local collection.
By day, Gavin Snider is a designer at Jonathan Schloss / Architect. By night, he plays music and draws for Sad American Night, a band that doubles as a visual art project. Gavin also creates artwork (posters, albums, t-shirts, etc.) for a number of other local musicians and organizations. His illustrations draw on a strange reservoir of childhood memories, constant exploration of Kansas City and New York, mythology and anthropology uncovered in dusty library books, travel, a lifelong fascination with... Continue »
A History of Segregation in Kansas City
Dividing Lines: A History of Segregation in Kansas City
Download the new Dividing Lines app on Android or iOS and journey through the history of segregation in the Kansas City metro, primarily through its real estate. The tour is designed so that you can safely drive through the city at your own pace while hearing stories about each area you travel through.
Nathaniel Bozarth, ethnographer and host of the “Wide Ruled” podcast, narrates this 90-minute drive, bringing in interviews from several area students and notable city figures Sid Willens, Bill Tammeus, Mamie Hughes, and Margaret May.
“Dividing Lines” was created as a part of the Johnson County Library’s “Race Project KC.” The Library’s Civic Engagement Committee and Tanner Colby’s book “Some of My Best Friends are Black: The Strange Story of Integration in America” inspired much of the ongoing work of Race Project KC. This tour was made possible by support from Johnson County Library and the Kansas Humanities Council. It was produced by Brainroot Light & Sound. Written by Nathaniel Bozarth and Christopher Cook. The tour features music from Hermon Mehari and KC Jazz LP.
The content of this tour may contain controversial material; such statements are not an expression of library policy.
Get more information and download the app now.
More from Race Project KC:
Our upcoming panel, East is East and West is West on April 19 at 6:30pm, is sold out. You can join in the waiting list, or watch Facebook during the event for a livestream. Thanks to American Public Square for cosponsoring this event, which includes panelists Mayor Sly James, author Tanner Colby, civil rights attorney Authur Benson, Chief Diversity and Professional Development Officer Michelle Wimes, and moderator Steve Kraske of the Kansas City Star and KCUR.
Dividing Lines: A History of Segregation in Kansas City
Download the new Dividing Lines app on Android or iOS and journey through the history of segregation in the Kansas City metro, primarily through its real estate. The tour is designed so that you can safely drive through the city at your own pace while hearing stories about each area you travel through.
Nathaniel Bozarth, ethnographer and host of the “Wide Ruled” podcast, narrates this 90-minute drive, bringing in interviews from several area students and notable city figures Sid Willens, Bill Tammeus, Mamie Hughes, and Margaret... Continue »
Books to Go!
We've got Books to Go kits on a lot of topics, so when you're in a hurry to grab some fun reading and activities for your little ones, we've got your back! Books to Go kits include audiobooks, books, activity suggestions and more all in one. Whether your little one's current obsessions is weather, opposites, or bugs, we've got those fun topics and many more!
We've got Books to Go kits on a lot of topics, so when you're in a hurry to grab some fun reading and activities for your little ones, we've got your back! Books to Go kits include audiobooks, books, activity suggestions and more all in one. Whether your little one's current obsessions is weather, opposites, or bugs, we've got those fun topics and many more!
Tonight: Poetry and ProsePoetry and Prose
Listen to locally and nationally known writers present their poetry and prose. The Thomas Zvi Wilson Reading Series is cosponsored by The Writers Place.
April: HC Palmer and Kevin Rabas
Listen to locally and nationally known writers present their poetry and prose. The Thomas Zvi Wilson Reading Series is cosponsored by The Writers Place.
April: HC Palmer and Kevin Rabas
In honor of Children's Day on Monday, April 30Jane Christison
Don't let the 'children's music' label fool you. Coming to us from Lenexa, Kansas, Jane Christison is a serious musician, performer and songwriter -- seriously fun, silly and experienced. While at UMKC working on a Bachelor of Music degree in Accordion Performance, Christison had the opportunity to travel internationally as part of the USO. For this edition of Listen Local Christison shares stories from her extensive touring experience, how she tailors the music she writes for both children and senior audiences, and her advice for aspiring professional musicians.
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Tell us about yourself. How did you get interested in music and performing?
When I was nine years old, my Mom received a phone call asking, “Would you like to give your child a free musical test?” She said “Sure, come on over.” Since I was the oldest kid in the family, I got to take the test.
I don’t remember much about it other than the man told my parents that I got a good score. He then signed me up for six weeks of accordion lessons and rented us a little accordion.
At the end of the six weeks of lessons, I was given another test. My parents were told, “Oh, Mr. and Mrs. Christison, your daughter is so talented!” I’m guessing they told all the parents that because that’s when they sold us an accordion, and I’ve been playing the accordion ever since.
I loved playing the accordion right from the first lesson, but I wasn’t all that excited about performing. When people would come over to our house, my Dad would always say, “Janie, get out your accordion and play something.” I’d trudge down the hall to get my accordion and a music stand and a chair, then head back toward the living room thinking, “Don’t make me do this.”
I was really shy, and I would get so nervous. And recitals, oh my gosh, I’d get nosebleeds from nerves. Yet, despite all that, I ended up moving to Kansas City to study accordion with Joan Sommers at the University of Missouri - Kansas City Conservatory of Music.
While at UMKC, I had no choice; I had to do performances. And the more performing I did, the easier it became. Now, performing and sharing my music with others is something I really enjoy doing.
Continue »
This Week at the Library
Did you know each of our locations has book groups? We also offer more than 40 storytimes each week across all of our libraries. We have events for Makers from beginners through specialists, and if you're a job seeker or looking for some help with your tech questions, we've got your back, too. See you at the Library!
Did you know each of our locations has book groups? We also offer more than 40 storytimes each week across all of our libraries. We have events for Makers from beginners through specialists, and if you're a job seeker or looking for some help with your tech questions, we've got your back, too. See you at the Library!