Bookmarkable

Quick—think of a book you loved as a kid. 

If you’re like many others, you thought about “Charlotte’s Web” or “The Giving Tree.” Maybe for you it was “A Wrinkle in Time or “Where the Wild Things Are.” Or maybe your family couldn’t get enough Dr. Seuss and story time was all about “The Lorax” and “Hop on Pop.”

Like so many other books that have been beloved in our society for years, all of these books have been challenged and banned in various places in the country. Between January 1 and August 31 of this year, 1,128 unique titles were challenged in libraries and schools across the country. Florida and Texas have the most challenges this year, but book challenges have happened in 41 states and 247 public school districts.

Banned Books Week was created in 1982 as response to a sudden surge in challenges to books in libraries, bookstores and schools across the country.  Challenges have continued to rise; The American Library Association reports that 4,240 unique book titles were challenged in 2023 across the United States. This is a 65% increase from 2022, when 2,571 unique titles were challenged, and a 128% increase over the number of books challenged in 2021. 47% of the books targeted for censorship in 2023 were titles representing the voices and lived experiences of LGBTQIA+ and BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and People of Color) individuals.

The intent of Banned Books Week is to highlight the value of free and open access to information—and to draw wide attention to the harms of censorship. Banned Books Week is typically observed in some way by libraries, schools, booksellers, writers, publishers and readers in all parts of the country, usually during the last week of September. 

Why does this observance matter to Johnson County Library? Because what you read and view is your business, not the Library’s. The Library’s job is to protect your right to read and view what you want, and to maintain your privacy at the same time. 

In order to do this, the Library does not determine the books and materials on its shelves based on the personal beliefs of our Board of Directors, Administration, management or staff. 

Rather, the Library’s Collections team abides by our Library Collection Policy to determine which materials will be purchased and available to patrons to borrow. The Library is also part of an Inter-Library Loan system that helps to procure materials that are not in our collection but are available from other libraries across the country. 

The policies that protect patrons’ right to read and view what they want are our Freedom to Read and  Freedom to View policies. Both policies say what we believe: that free communication is essential to the preservation of a free society and a creative culture; that these pressures toward conformity present the danger of limiting the range and variety of inquiry and expression on which our democracy and our culture depend; that every American community must zealously guard the freedom to publish and to circulate, in order to preserve its own freedom to read; and that that publishers and librarians have a profound responsibility to give validity to that freedom to read by making it possible for the readers to choose freely from a variety of offerings. 

Patrons also play an important part in the Library’s collection process. Through the Suggest a Purchase form, anyone can request that the Library add material that it currently doesn’t have to our inventory. And, if a patron objects to material currently in the Library’s inventory, they can submit a Request for Reconsideration, which will be reviewed by our Collection Development Manager. 

Resources:

There are resources if you want to learn more about banned books, censorship and the value of intellectual freedom. Some of these are Library resources, others are from outside organizations. 

Civics 101: Libraries and the Freedom to Read: a video panel discussion featuring veteran librarians discussing the freedom to read and to explore the issue of book challenges and censorship. They explore the significance of unrestricted access to information and the role of librarians as guardians of intellectual freedom. 

Most Challenged Books of 2021 & 2022: A List: a booklist including the most challenged books of 2021 & 2022

Banned book data for 2023

Top 10 Most Challenged Books 2001-2022

The Freedom to Read: Learn more about the freedom to read, the guiding principle of most public libraries, at this link that takes you to the American Library Association.

How Libraries Select Materials: Learn more about the American Library Association’s guidelines for libraries and the selection of materials. 

Banned Books Week website

We offer Storytime varieties carefully planned based on a child’s age group and developmental abilities. If you have children in different age groups, we encourage you to join us for a Family Storytime or the variety best suited for the youngest child. Older siblings are always welcome. Each child is unique, but we recommend the following ages for the different Storytime varieties: 

• Baby Storytime: Birth to 18 months and a caregiver 
• Movin' and Groovin' Rhyme Time: 12 months to 24 months and a caregiver 
• Toddler Storytime: 18 months to 3 years and a caregiver 
• Preschool Storytime: 3-6 years and a caregiver 
• Family Storytime: Fun for the whole family 

Johnson County Library has just launched a department entirely focused on continuing to develop its excellent program offerings to be even more robust, responsive and accountable to the community.

“We are adapting to a new model of designing and delivering library programs,” explains Angel Tucker, the new Program Department Manager, who will oversee the department of 22 people. “We see this as an opportunity to redefine and prioritize collaborative efforts as it relates to providing innovative services to the community.”

As the needs of diverse audiences grow and evolve, this focused approach to programming will allow the Library to better understand and serve their needs.  It’s all about providing children, teens, adults and seniors with ideas, information, and experiences to enrich their lives.

The programming staff will focus on important community interests and outreach, enhancing cooperation and coordination with other Library departments, county agencies, volunteers and myriad organizational partners.

Tucker said communication both internally and with the public will be key. The department will be doing a lot of listening to their colleagues and members of the public, with a goal of responsiveness, creativity, strategic thinking, relationship building and service orientation. 

The organization’s staffing structures were last evaluated about 10 years ago, when libraries and the world were very different. The need to take a step back and look at how to best meet patron and community needs became apparent during the pandemic, Tucker said.

“We started to think about the many challenges we are facing,” she said. “How can we make our efforts more sustainable?”

Change is hard, Tucker acknowledged, and it has proven to be disorienting for both staff and the public. “It will take time, training, and an intentional focus on cross-department collaboration,” Tucker said. “Johnson County Library staff are smart and creative and they want to be vested in impactful work.”

Patrons will see some changes to favorite providers of programs like Book Groups and Storytimes. But Tucker emphasized those popular and well-loved offerings will continue to be offered in pursuit of sustainability and growth. The ultimate intention is to balance process and outcome and to invest in relationships internally and externally. “We will center a co-design methodology that gives key stakeholders — the community, partners, and colleagues — a defined role in the program design process.”

Tucker brings 20 years of experience with Johnson County Library to her new role and has worked on successful initiatives throughout that time. She began as a part-time youth specialist at Central Resource Library and started a middle school creative writing class that evolved into the Library’s highly-praised teen literary magazine, elementia.

She eventually took a full-time Library position and in 2014 helped develop Race Project KC, a social justice project aimed at educating teens and the wider community about race relations in the Kansas City area and nationwide.

She says she’s been blessed with an incredible team of colleagues. “Everything I’ve accomplished, I’ve accomplished with my colleagues,” she said.

The new programming department includes veteran Library staff. In addition to 12 Program Services Specialists with decades of combined experience providing public programs, the department will be led by two Program Operations Managers and six Program Coordinators. Key program areas will include Pre-readers; Summer Reading; Reading Arts and Culture; Writing Arts and Language; and Community Matters (civic education and community engagement.)

Tucker said it’s exhilarating to forge even greater connections with the community, discovering their needs and wants and reaching people who don’t yet know all the Library has to offer. She’s excited about the possibilities and eager to get going with her team on this new initiative to carry the Library into the future.

Johnson County Library’s signature early literacy program, 6 by 6, Ready to Read: Six Skills by Six Years, has captivated children, parents and caregivers since 2009. With dynamic artwork, materials and programming, it has provided invaluable tools to prepare kids to love reading.   

As the Library celebrates the 15th anniversary of this hugely successful program, it is taking the opportunity for a rebrand, debuting a new look for the beloved characters that represent each of the six skills: Have Fun with Books (a monkey); Look for Letters Everywhere (a peacock); Notice Print All Around You (a kangaroo and joey); Take Time to Rhyme (a goat); Talk Talk Talk (a toucan); and Tell Stories About Everything (a turtle).  

The new artwork and this fall’s activities honor the original program’s excellence while recognizing the multimedia aspects of contemporary Libraries, to connect with a new generation of young readers.  

“Early literacy is more multidimensional now,” says Program Operations Manager Shannon Goebel, who was Early Literacy Coordinating Librarian from 2021 to 2024. “There are so many new ways to interact with Library resources, including Talking Books and eResources like BookFlix. It’s bringing the characters into a new generation of kids and Library resources, while still reinforcing the 6 by 6 skills."  

When children’s author and illustrator Brad Sneed was invited to illustrate the original program in 2009, he used animals and humor, hallmarks of his work, to bring each skill to life in a fun way.  

“As an illustrator I provide visuals,” he said. “I get people’s attention. They get curious and are inspired to read further and dig deeper.”  

Updating the characters has allowed Sneed to reflect the evolution of Library services and his own artistic journey. While the originals were watercolors, the new ones are drawn digitally, allowing for bolder colors and even more expressive creativity.  

He’s thrilled to be part of such an impactful initiative. “It’s just a very quality, thorough, interesting and well-researched program that lays it out for parents how to build a foundation for young readers,” he said. 

Goebel said Sneed has succeeded in preserving the original characters’ whimsy and joy, while revamping them for a contemporary audience. 

Jennifer Taylor, graphics coordinator for Johnson County Library, was honored to work on the initial launch and is excited about the rebrand. She said the characters have always appealed to children from birth to age six, and these updated graphics make them even more compelling.  

“It was time for something new and fresh,” she said. “Just like what we’re looking for in these illustrations, the Libraries are more colorful and fresh now.” 

Early Literacy skills, based on the science of children’s brain development, were originally identified by the Public Library Association in partnership with the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. Johnson County Library customized the research to resonate with patrons and launched what became the enormously popular 6 by 6 program in September 2009. In 2012, the State of Kansas adopted 6 by 6 as its own early literacy program. 

It remains one of Johnson County Library’s premier services. Storytimes attracted more than 32,000 attendees in 2023. Another indication of 6 by 6’s impact is that, even 15 years on, the Library still gets countless requests from parents, grandparents and early childhood teachers for information on these proven approaches. 

Goebel praised the staff from 2009 to today for sustaining and growing the program, with book lists, activity kits, workshops and other resources.  

“6 by 6 is a collaborative effort supported by countless staff,” she said. “It’s a testament to the passion and expertise of Johnson County Library staff, and the rebrand is a way to carry it forward.” 

Johnson County will celebrate the 6 by 6 program throughout this fall. The Johnson County Commission has designated Sept. 15-21 as Early Literacy Week, special birthday-themed storytimes will be featured in branches the week of Sept. 16, and the 6 by 6 Birthday Bash is planned for Saturday, Oct. 5, at Central Resource Library. More details can be found in the Fall 2024 Guide, available at a branch near you and also available to view online. 

The Fall 2024 Guide is available at all locations! You can also browse the full Guide online. The Guide is your source for the latest Library information. Inside you’ll find upcoming events and programs, service highlights, branch updates, Friends of Johnson County Library and Johnson County Library Foundation news. The Guide is published trimesterly and covers forthcoming events for the next four months. 

The cover art was created by Kansas City, MO painter Kelly Meiners, whose artwork serves as a communication method for her to express emotions otherwise inaccessible because of a brain injury. Meiners’ art will be on exhibit at Lenexa City Center Library this fall. Make sure you pick up a copy of the Guide at a branch near you.

Johnson County Library and the Johnson County Museum each have a devoted patron base and a cherished community mission. But a partnership that began in 2004 has greatly enhanced both organizations, broadening their outreach and impact.

The most tangible result of that partnership is the JoCoHistory website that provides the public with an incredible array of digitized historical documents and thoughtful perspectives. It’s a vital resource for promoting the understanding of the area’s history and development.

Want to browse photos of schools, businesses and local landmarks dating to the late 1800s? Unearth maps and information about long lost Johnson County towns? Explore oral histories, obituaries and newspaper archives? Or search Shawnee Mission yearbooks featuring celebrities like Jason Sudeikis and Paul Rudd?

It’s all at JoCoHistory.org, along with lots of other weird and wonderful materials, painting a fascinating portrait of Johnson County’s transformation and place in American society.

Since 2017, this collaboration has been championed by Amanda Wahlmeier, Regional Librarian with Johnson County Library, and Andrew R. Gustafson, Curator of Interpretation for Johnson County Museum. They each write monthly blog posts for the website, providing rich analysis and context to the materials.

They emphasize how the partnership uses the strengths and expertise of each organization to mutual benefit.

“The Library, when it comes to history, is more about access than preservation. We are really looking for ways to provide access to the public,” Wahlmeier said. “It’s an invaluable partnership to have the Museum on board to provide that preservation aspect.”

Gustafson said the Museum benefits from the Library hosting the website and providing the technical infrastructure. He uses website materials regularly to inform his exhibits. Plus, the partnership connects the Museum to Library patrons. 

“The Library brings in a whole different audience that are able to see the Museum’s collections,” he said.

The initial phase of the project began in Fall 2004 and was made possible by funding from the Institute of Museum and Library Services and from the Johnson County Board of County Commissioners through the Heritage Trust Fund.

Initial contributors were the Museum, Johnson County and Olathe Libraries, and Johnson County Archives. Additional partners now include the Kansas School for the Deaf, the Shawnee Mission School District and the Lenexa, Olathe and Overland Park historical societies.

The website has been well used, especially during the pandemic, when it attracted nearly 110,000 users in 2021. It served more than 32,000 users in 2023. People frequently search for information about farming, suburbanization, historic preservation, famous people and places, and cultural and political change.

Most users are from Johnson County, but one of Gustafson’s favorite stories involves the discovery of a World War I soldier’s ID disc in a French farm field. The ID, uncovered by a metal detector, belonged to Frank Hagaman. The men who found the ID searched the internet in 2018 and traced Hagaman to Johnson County Museum through JoCoHistory.org. Hagaman was a decorated soldier and Johnson County legislator who also briefly served as Kansas governor.

Gustafson wrote a blog post about this wonderful discovery, and the ID became part of the Museum’s collections. 

Gustafson also selected website photos and documents to enhance recent exhibits about the old County courthouse’s 1951 time capsule and about a revolution in 1960s fashion. It’s also been invaluable for an upcoming 2025 exhibit about water as a critical Johnson County resource.

“I help people access their history. I help people learn their history and I help explain it,” Gustafson said. “This provides a way to do that through the blog, through old newsletter articles and through the collections.”

This collaboration has grown and blossomed over the past 20 years, and Wahlmeier said the Library is delighted to continue promoting and cultivating it. She said the website’s rich link to so many historical resources is exactly the type of access and outreach that Johnson County Library desires to provide.

Oluwatosin Babalola retrieves the Johnson County Library card from his wallet and points to its logo: “One Card. Unlimited Possibilities.”

For Babalola, that Library card has truly been a portal to possibilities and opportunities. He has found Central Resource Library’s staff, materials and study spaces to be enormously helpful as he pursued graduate degrees, first for a master’s in business administration, and now for a doctorate in information technology.

“I love this Library, its invaluable resources,” he says. “I love the space and the ambiance.”

As he shares his story, it is clear that Babalola is a voracious learner, placing great value on education for professional development and career advancement. Johnson County Library services have played a key role in his ongoing success.

He was born a member of the Yoruba tribe of southwestern Nigeria. In his native language, Oluwa means God and Tosin means to serve, so his name translates as “To serve God.”

He grew up in Ibadan, the capitol of the state of Oyo and home to Nigeria’s foremost university, where Babalola earned his bachelor’s degree in social science.

As he researched graduate schools, he discovered the University of Kansas had excellent academic programs in his areas of interest. He was also fascinated by the Jayhawk mascot. An uncle had lived in Lawrence in the 1980s and encouraged Babalola to attend.

That first winter of 2012 was a shock — he had never seen snow before — but Babalola excelled at KU, winning the prestigious Harry Truman Scholarship in International Studies. He graduated in 2013 with a master’s in Global and International Studies.

He worked in insurance and as a business analyst, became a U.S. citizen in 2015, and moved from Lawrence to Olathe in 2017. He desired to further his business knowledge with an MBA and enrolled in Grantham University’s online program.

That’s where Central Library became essential. A friend from church suggested it was a great place to study, and Babalola took that recommendation to heart.

As he prepared for the rigorous Project Management Professional Certificate exam in 2020, he found the primary course material, a huge tome called the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK), at Central.

“The Library helped me find it,” he said. “There were also all these project management Interlibrary Loan resources that the Library helped me find. Even when they don’t have something, they can talk to other libraries to get it for you. That really aided me to pass the exam in one sitting.”

As he worked on his MBA dissertation in 2021, he found he could accomplish more at the Library than at home. “This Library became my second home,” he said. Using Study Room 10, he recalled, “I would sit down in there and type and type and type, and read and read and read.”

Obtaining his MBA in 2021 helped him in his current project management position.

Babalola visited his parents in Nigeria a few years ago and is pleased with his native country’s progress under democratic rule. But now married with a family, he says Johnson County is his home and he loves it, including the snowy winters.

He’s still not done with his education. This year, Babalola began working on a doctorate in information technology and applied management through Walden University. He still relies on Central for materials and a quiet place to work.

“When you are doing a dissertation you consult a wide variety of sources,” he observed. “I don’t rely on what the school provides alone. I use the Library resources here, to get peer reviewed articles, scholarly articles.” 

It’s a great study environment, he said, with a wealth of relevant resources, plus clean and comfortable spaces. He is profoundly thankful for the Library’s role in his lifelong learning journey.

Johnson County Library is committed to providing all sorts of resources to help patrons live their lives. That includes sharing information about vital non-profit agencies and programs.

To that end, each of the larger Library branches has a bulletin board filled with flyers on everything from Johnson County government and social services to volunteer opportunities to fun and enriching events. Items of interest from Kansas City, Missouri and Kansas City, Kansas are also shared.

Patrons may walk by those bulletin boards without giving them a second glance, but the postings are extremely useful. Much of the information is available in both English and Spanish.

Since 2017, Johnson County Library information specialist Dylan Reiter has been assigned the community information board task, first at Antioch and now at the new Merriam Plaza branch. 

“The main desire is to provide access to assistance resources,” Reiter said. “I’m happy to fill that role.”

Eleven of the 14 Johnson County Library branches have these community information boards, and many also have tables for additional brochures, including career and finance information. The materials are available at all but the neighborhood Libraries of De Soto, Spring Hill and Edgerton.

In the older branches, the bulletin boards are often close to the entrance. In newer branches, they are positioned close to the restrooms.

Each of the larger branches has a designated person like Reiter maintaining the materials and making sure they stay up to date. These staff members have a lot of continuity in those roles, are very dedicated, and take that responsibility seriously.

They have a set of rules and criteria to determine what gets posted, giving priority to resources and programs available free of charge.

When they have more materials than space available, they are guided by Huber’s Hierarchy of Needs, explored in the book “The Purpose Based Library,” by John Huber and Steven Potter.

The pyramid of needs gives top priority to safety and security, followed in order by other basic needs of health and nutrition, functional literacy and access, community engagement, and functional skills development. If there’s room, they can also include materials pertaining to creative expression, advance knowledge and philanthropy.

At Antioch, Reiter had ample space for the bulletin board plus a separate area which included lots of career and finance information. He is also on the Library’s career and finance team, so he realizes how impactful those materials can be. Those brochures frequently disappeared quickly, providing an indication of patron interest.

At Merriam Plaza, which just opened March 20, Reiter is still waiting for a table. So the bulletin board serves that information function currently. 

In addition to posting assistance materials on behalf of other Johnson County agencies, Reiter also frequently posts items from the Kansas Department for Children & Families, Salvation Army, United Way, and blood drive announcements for the American Red Cross.  Senior Computer Users of Kansas City (SenCom), which conducts computers classes for seniors, is also a popular handout. 

Flyers, often written in both English and Spanish, also provide information about utility assistance, early childhood programs, domestic violence crisis hotlines, summer vaccination clinics, cultural events, literacy services, District Court help, and ways to volunteer for Hospice, Hillcrest or as a reading mentor.

Library branches are an ideal place to disseminate this community information, Reiter said. They are welcoming places, unlike some government buildings that can be intimidating.

The bulletin boards are a great way to provide information when people may have sensitive family situations and may be hesitant to ask in person.

“So these boards are a way for us to passively provide access to that assistance,” Reiter observed, “while keeping everyone’s dignity intact.”

Chrysalyn Huff is a successful businesswoman, a busy mother and grandmother, and is active in local civic affairs. She has also just been appointed to the Johnson County Library Board, bringing passion and energy to the role.

Her mother and an elementary school teacher instilled in her a profound appreciation for books and reading. Throughout her childhood and adult life, Huff has found Libraries to be havens for knowledge and inspiration.

“The Library for me has always been a safe place,” says Huff, who was born in Kansas City but grew up in many places as her family traveled for military and ministry work.

Her mother was a voracious reader and Huff inherited that enthusiasm. She struggled a bit in elementary school but a teacher praised her reading ability.

“That really built up my self-confidence,” Huff recalled. “It really empowered me in school. Books became a love language for me.”

Judy Blume’s books showed her all that girls could be. She also was captivated by history books and biographies about John F. Kennedy, Queen Latifah and other influential difference-makers. She reads about 30 books a year and recently finished Kristin Hannah’s best-selling novel “The Women,” about Army nurses during the Vietnam War.

Huff met her husband Jeffery at Southwest Baptist University in Bolivar, Mo. They married 36 years ago and moved to Johnson County. They now live on a small farm near Lake Olathe, with chickens, a greenhouse and a large garden.

They have three grown children: Ryne, Joshua and Arrianne and three grandchildren. Huff is very involved in their lives and deeply proud of them.

She especially enjoys taking her grandchildren to Libraries and has been impressed with how each Johnson County branch has its own welcoming personality. She is familiar with the Corinth and Central Resource Libraries and looks forward to visiting other branches soon.

For many years, Huff had a national event planning business before she took a break in 2007 while her sons were active in high school and college sports. She started painting and refurbishing vintage second-hand furniture, which led to her creating Restoration Emporium in 2012, in the West Bottoms.

The one-of-a-kind home décor business was an instant sensation and even thrived during the pandemic, with a huge online presence. It’s now rebranded as RE, with a retail store in Zona Rosa. Joshua runs the day-to-day operation but Chrysalyn is still very involved.

As a businesswoman, Huff has been active for years in the Olathe Chamber of Commerce. She also graduated from Olathe and Lenexa civic leadership programs. She became friends with longtime Olathe Mayor Mike Copeland and other community officials, including Shirley Allenbrand, who took office as Johnson County District 6 commissioner in 2021.

Allenbrand urged Huff to consider a Library Board post, which was immediately appealing.

“My eyes lit up,” Huff recalled. “That was the most exciting thing anybody had ever asked me.” She was appointed by Commission Chair Mike Kelly after the two had a good conversation. She told him how books have been so instrumental in her life and in teaching her business fundamentals. 

Huff has attended one Library Board meeting and is already impressed. “I was blown away by how professional it is, how well run. The preparation for the meetings is amazing.”

She’s determined to help Johnson County Library maintain its stature as an outstanding Library system, providing unfettered access to information and free resources, to great programming and to beautifully-preserved spaces.

“I’m super excited to learn more about the digital services,” she said. “The political coffees, I’m excited about. There’s so much that they do. I am fascinated.”

Johnson County Library invites people of all ages to join the adventure of Summer Reading 2024!

The Library will serve as a community hub, highlighting local groups that provide all sorts of enrichment, excitement and fun.

Events kick off Saturday, June 1 at 10 a.m. with award-winning musician and author Mr. Stinky Feet providing a rousing dance party at Central Resource Library. From 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., Central will host a Community Connections Fair, introducing patrons to organizations that focus on activities ranging from kayaking and ukulele jam sessions to juggling and choral music instruction, plus art and science galore.

Johnson County Naturalists and the Audubon Society will do bird watching in the park behind Central Library. A portable planetarium in the Carmack Room will demonstrate the wonders of the solar system. A bus on site will introduce people to Johnson County’s transit system.

Summer Reading is a chance to expose everyone to the joys of books. The Community Connections Fair adds an extra dimension, says Melanie Fuemmeler, program operations manager at the Library.

“We also want to highlight all the other ways that Summer Reading brings people together to learn beyond books — through play, through exploration, through discovery, through community collaboration,” Fuemmeler said. “We really see Summer Reading as an opportunity to think beyond what people may perceive as the typical boundaries of a Library.”

This year’s theme is “Adventure Begins at Your Library,” which reveals how the Library is the portal to a world of exuberant experiences. The Summer Reading theme is a nationwide campaign provided by the Collaborative Summer Library Program, featuring dazzling graphics by illustrators Juana Martinez-Neal and Rob Donnelly.

Program Services Specialist Christin Devonshire is excited about the possibilities with this year’s theme and community connections.

“It’s just such a delightful time,” she said. “For me, it’s really cool to see that people of all different ages come to the Library for that moment of discovery.”

The Library is eager to lean into the adventure theme and introduce patrons to the amazing activities the County can provide. At last year’s inaugural Community Connections Fair, participants came away with plans to pursue new hobbies or to learn a musical instrument.

“Those are the moments that it feels like the Library really is this magical thing,” Devonshire said.

The Library will host free book distributions in all branches beginning June 3. It has ordered 25,000 adventure books from vendor Children’s Plus, including picture books, Easy Reader, J Fiction, Non-Fiction and Teen selections.

During April and May, thousands of free books were distributed through Johnson County’s elementary schools and through community partners like Merriam Parks and Recreation, the Jewish Community Center, Catholic Charities and Shawnee Mission Parents as Teachers. This Library outreach began during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic and has been hugely successful, particularly for reluctant readers.

“We get continual positive feedback from teachers regarding the outreach book distribution,” Fuemmeler said. “This was a way for us to get a book in the hands of kids before they got out of school.” It shows students how much fun books can be and builds their enthusiasm for a lifelong reading habit.

This summer, the Library will have 13 key event offerings throughout June and July, including a STEM music program, art therapy, Read to a Dog, and Operation Wildlife’s raptor program.

The ever-popular bookmark contest is back, with submissions accepted through the end of July. 

Fuemmeler said the 12-member Summer Reading team includes reference librarians and branch staff, plus creative services and communications professionals. They work hard all year to make summer a unique and wonderful time. 

“It’s all about providing positive patron experiences and interactions,” she said. “It’s what makes each year memorable in its own way.”