Johnson County Library celebrated many highlights in 2022, most notably its emergence from COVID-19 pandemic precautions and a joyful return to in-person programming and activities.
The Library had a smooth leadership transition, as the torch passed July 1 from retiring County Librarian Sean Casserley to longtime Deputy Tricia Suellentrop, whom Casserley enthusiastically endorsed as his replacement.
Suellentrop has just named Kinsley Riggs, adult services manager and veteran branch manager, to the Deputy County Librarian position.
Looking back over the past year, Suellentrop says welcoming the public for in-person Storytimes, the Writers Conference and other programs was particularly memorable in 2022.
“That’s been wonderful on so many levels,” she said. “It’s great for the community. It’s wonderful to be in Libraries with kids and with book groups going on. Our English Language Learner programs are back. That vibrant use of the Library is back again. I have seen staff welcoming back patrons and families that maybe they haven’t seen for a couple of years, so that’s very heartwarming.”
Some projects that had been in the works for several years came to fruition or reached major milestones in 2022. Central Resource Library reopened in February with a new drive-thru, wonderful new kids’ space, modernized meeting rooms with the latest technology and redesigned staff offices to enhance efficiency.
“There’s so much more possibility for collaboration because there are similar groups that are together,” Suellentrop observed.
In September, Central hosted a capacity crowd of 500 for the Johnson County Library Foundation’s Library Lets Loose gala, a hugely successful fundraiser after two years of virtual gatherings.
Another major accomplishment came in May, with the migration of eBooks to the Libby platform, which followed years of planning.
“That’s been wonderful all the way around,” Suellentrop said. “That was a huge lift for our IT team but also for training staff and ultimately educating and training patrons.”
Suellentrop has heard only positive feedback about Libby, and she noted that digital materials circulation has remained quite strong even as in-person visits rebounded. Recent data show digital usage peaked in May 2020, but the next highest peak was August and September 2022. Physical visits were higher in 2018 and 2019, but 2022 had higher visits every month than 2021.
The Library also completed final design and land conveyance for a new Antioch replacement branch adjacent to the Merriam Community Center, anticipating a grand opening in 2024. Future projects call for making branches more accessible to people with disabilities and for refreshing the Spring Hill and De Soto branches.
Other key accomplishments:
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A great partnership with the Johnson County Elections office, including using the Lackman building as an advance voting site.
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A collaboration with County government on Johnson County’s first Juneteenth celebration.
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A new program to mentor up-and-coming Library staffers for leadership roles.
Suellentrop is especially proud that the Library's assistant branch managers were chosen to present at the American Library Association’s national conference this summer.
They provided insights on “overcoming a legacy structure,” explaining how to accomplish organizational change under challenging circumstances, especially with circulation functions. Suellentrop said their presentation was well received on the national level.
It’s been a whirlwind time for this new County Librarian, who admits it’s sometimes exhausting to contemplate everything the Library is doing. But for Suellentrop, it’s been enormously gratifying to be part of such a dynamic civic organization, with great colleagues.
“It’s just amazing how much work is accomplished at a pretty high level by a large group of people,” she said. “That’s a wonderful surprise, and very comforting.”