“Libraries are trusted places for people to become more informed and more engaged in their communities.”
~ Portland (Maine) Public Library
Keeping with our Mission and our Core Values, it is our Vision of Johnson County Library to sustain environments where people can safely and respectfully learn, explore, enjoy, create and connect. Civic life and political discourse sometimes become energized and fragmented, as we see today.
We choose to regard these moments as opportunities to cultivate discussion and to create pathways toward shared meaning. Especially when the times seem unsettled, our staff members serve with a watchful eye and a community-centered listening ear. Such a combination permits us to balance the ongoing necessities of security and watchfulness with the Library’s ambition to be a neutral and safe resource where people can ask questions and grapple with complex issues.
We invite you to use our spaces and materials to respectfully explore multi-faceted topics like freedom of speech and hate speech, racism and social change, conflict management and protest movements. You can also examine data from the National Criminal Justice Reference Services in a Spotlight on Hate Crime as well as reports from Pew Research Center on Discrimination and Prejudice.
This is the beginning of a community dialogue with roots that start from within. Aligned with the American Library Association's Library Bill of Rights, our librarians are eager to connect you with an array of resources "provided for the interest, information and enlightenment of all people of the community."