Bookmarkable

Library OnDemand – Available anytime you like.

Spooky Story Youth Contest – Sept. 5 – Oct. 5, online, All Day 

Submissions accepted September 5-October 5 Dark nights. Abandoned cabins. Eerie noises. What restless spirits will you bring to life in your spooky story? All youth writers in grades 3-12 are welcome to submit a spooky story. Winning writers will receive a prize and their stories will be featured on the Library’s website for all to enjoy. Winners will also have the opportunity to read their stories aloud at our “Night of Fright” on October 30th. Guidelines: Open to writers in grades 3-12 this fall and one submission per writer, please.

Two Chapters Book Club – Tuesday, Sept. 5, Oct. 3, Nov.7, Dec. 5, 4 - 5 p.m.

Join us at Central Resource Library to hear a librarian read aloud the first two chapters of a favorite book and then decide to check out a copy if you like it. If the chapters are short, we might sample more. Snacks and activities related to the book will be provided. Ages 7-11.

Teen Book Club – Sept. – Dec., Sept. – Dec, Different dates and times at three locations.

We are proud to present the Library’s first ever Teen Book Club at three locations! Let’s get together to share our love of reading and chat about each month’s books. No registration necessary. Come join us at Antioch, Blue Valley and Lenexa—or mix and match! Bring your own book or check out the month’s book ahead of time from the Library—each title is offered in the catalog as a physical copy and eBook.

Walk and Read at Sar-Ko-Par Park – Saturday, Sept. 9 – Sept. 17, All Day

Family and friends of all ages are invited to join Johnson County Library for a walk in at Sar-Ko-Par Park! Walk and Read creates a reading opportunity for all, in various parks throughout Johnson County. Those who participate will read two stories posted around a path, one going each direction. When you finish one story, you can turn around to the other side of the sign and begin the next story, which will lead you back around the path. The stories are Books Aren’t For Eating by Carlie Sorosiak and Once Upon a Goat by Dan Richards.

 The Walk and Read program encourages physical activity, literacy and family time. The paths are stroller and wheelchair friendly, allowing for all to join in the fun! Dates are subject to adjustment due to inclement weather conditions. 

And much more happening this week … 

It would be an understatement to say that the Library’s MakerSpace had humble origins.

Its original home was not much bigger than a closet, said Shelley O’Brien, executive director of the Johnson County Library Foundation. But now the area at the Central Resource Library serves almost as a branch within a branch — offering state-of-the-art capabilities like 3D printing and providing space where creators of all types mingle.

The upgraded surroundings have “really amplified the program and amplified what we can do,” O’Brien said, putting the Library on the cutting edge of the experiential learning that will define the library of the future. “This is not a trend,” she said. “This is not going away.”

And none of that would be possible without the more than $30,000 a year that Overland Park-based Black & Veatch provides as the sponsor of the MakerSpace, she said. The global design and engineering firm’s commitment to the Library extends to serving this year as the presenting sponsor of the library foundation’s annual fundraiser. 

As an international corporation, Black & Veatch has no shortage of potential causes to back, O’Brien said. “It means a lot to us for them to say they want to invest their philanthropic dollars into a local nonprofit like the Foundation, and a local organization like the Library.”

Outside support is critical to providing a range of services to patrons, and O’Brien said Black & Veatch’s financial commitments play a significant role in allowing the Library “to have innovation and creativity, and to provide the community with these great tools.”

There is perhaps no better spokesman for Black & Veatch and its commitment to the Library than Pete Barth, an Illinois native who moved here from Davenport, Iowa, in 2014 with his wife.

He is the company’s engineering partnerships leader and serves on the board of the Library foundation. Barth is also the son of a teacher who preached the value of reading and is an active patron of Olathe’s Indian Creek Library as the father of three kids ages 8 and under.

The parent in him loves that libraries now have playgrounds and cool indoor activities that excite kids to just be at the library as a first step to gaining a love of reading. He knows that is the case with his children.

In his professional role, Barth welcomes the opportunity for the company to support a free public resource that provides equitable access to all members of the community. Black & Veatch is also happy to help students cultivate an interest in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields.

Library Lets Loose provides essential funding for the extras the Library offers, O’Brien said, including the varied programming that keeps people coming back to the branches. Barth said Black & Veatch’s role as the presenting sponsor is a way to help “amplify the event and the importance of the library system in general.”

“I think it’s fair to say that the library is an integral part of every community,” he said. “We are just glad to be a part of it and help to support the growth of both the MakerSpace and the library infrastructure in Johnson County in general.

“We are proud of our community, we want to be a part of the community, want to be visible in the community, and want to give back to all those communities that support our professionals and our business.”

Barth was not exactly a bookworm as a teen, but it seems his mom’s prodding planted a seed for adulthood because reading is now a welcome stress relief. “It’s a good way for me to escape and displace,” he said. 

Library OnDemand – Available anytime you like.

Healthy Heart Nutrition Seminar – Tuesday, Aug. 29, noon – 1 p.m.

Community health workers from Johnson County Department of Health & Environment will be onsite in Conference Room 20 to provide healthy heart nutrition guidance.

In Conversation: Diana Goetsch & Ryan Bernstein, Moderated by Stuart Hinds – Friday, Sept. 1, All Day 

In This Body I Wore, Diana Goetsch recounts her late-in-life gender transition. Ryan Bernsten’s 50 States of Mind chronicles the author's journey through America, with an aim to discover if it really is divided. Stuart Hinds, Curator of Special Collections & Archives, and Co-founder of the Gay and Lesbian Archive of Mid-America, will moderate a discussion, exploring how Goetsch and Bernsten approached writing about personal stories and explorations of democracy. Available in Library OnDemand Friday, September 1.

This Body I Wore with Diana Goetsch – Friday, Sept. 1, All Day

Poet and essayist Diana Goetsch presents her acclaimed memoir, a 2023 ALA Notable Book, hailed as “achingly beautiful” by The New York Times Book Review. This Body I Wore chronicles the budding trans communities of the late 20th century, and sheds light on today’s struggle for trans equality. The book is also a love letter to New York City and a meditation on subjects ranging from education to Buddhism, to becoming an artist and surviving child abuse. Available in Library OnDemand Friday, September 1.

Walk and Read at Antioch Park – Saturday, Sept. 1 – Sept. 10, All Day

Family and friends of all ages are invited to join Johnson County Library for a walk in at Antioch Park! Walk and Read creates a reading opportunity for all, in various parks throughout Johnson County. Those who participate will read two stories posted around a path, one going each direction. When you finish one story, you can turn around to the other side of the sign and begin the next story, which will lead you back around the path. The stories are Old Friends by Margaret Aitken and Kitty by Rebecca Jordan-Glum.

 The Walk and Read program encourages physical activity, literacy and family time. The paths are stroller and wheelchair friendly, allowing for all to join in the fun! Dates are subject to adjustment due to inclement weather conditions. Sponsored by Shawnee Mission Parents as Teachers. 

And much more happening this week … 

Are you interested in learning more about the school board candidates on your ballot? Join us for a Meet and Greet with the candidates. You'll have the opportunity to introduce yourself, ask questions and learn more about their stances on the issues impacting your local schools over coffee and donuts.

• Saturday, Sept. 30, 10-11 a.m. 
  Meet and Greet Blue Valley Board of Education Candidates @ Blue Valley Library
   
• Saturday, Oct. 28, 10-11 a.m.
  Meet and Greet Gardner Edgerton Board of Education Candidates @ Gardner Library