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Bend Sunds (in orange shirt) on a UN mission trip to Mali with a Chinese Army unit.

Bend Sunds (in orange shirt) on a UN mission trip to Mali with a Chinese Army unit.

Army Veteran's Career of Service Continues at Johnson County Library

Over the last few years, Johnson County Library has closed (and then reopened) during a global pandemic, then faced a cascade of subsequent challenges — from locating personal protective equipment (PPE) to navigating supply chain issues. Throughout this time, the Library has been able to call on the skills of Ben Sunds, the Library’s associate director for customer experience since 2018, whose previous military experience provided the training needed to help navigate these tricky situations.

Before joining the Library, Sunds had a previous 32-year career with the U.S. Army, mostly in special operations. That included command of a battalion at Fort Bliss, Texas from 2013 to 2015. During that time, Fort Bliss was the base where soldiers who had helped contain a deadly Ebola outbreak in West Africa quarantined on their return to the U.S. 

“No one got sick,” Sunds says, recalling that successful quarantine operation.   

“We all had to go through the PPE training. I thought that was a very military term. Now it’s in people’s common vernacular,” he said. “We all had to learn all the protocols.” 

He never imagined he would experience the fallout from another epidemic as has happened in recent years with the COVID-19 epidemic. 

“But I’m very thankful for the training experience,” he says now. “It breeds a lot of resilience and perspective.”   

Sunds had a fascinating and fulfilling Army career that took him to 26 different countries. He did combat tours in Afghanistan and Iraq but most of his work involved civilian/military cooperation, forging good relations with diverse cultures, including remote villages in Pakistan. One United Nations mission involved helping Tajikistan, in Central Asia, to make sure it maintained a stable government. 

“I liked the adventure part of stumbling into something and not being able to communicate. I find that part exhilarating, not frightening,” he said.  

He and his wife Shannon always knew they would wind up back in the Midwest; he grew up in Iowa and she grew up in Nebraska and they met at Northwest Missouri State in Maryville. He finished his Army career as deputy director for the special operations education department at the Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth. 

The family, including daughter Jessica and son Garrett, settled in Shawnee. When Sunds retired from the military in January 2018, he still craved a public service-oriented job and landed in his new position at Johnson County Library in May 2018. He has discovered that, like with military special operations, Johnson County Library is full of “very highly educated people but very united in a common cause.”  He enjoys supervising the staffs that handle internal and external communications, in-house support training, and information technology. He appreciates these employees’ skills and strengths and how everyone has risen to the occasion during the recent COVID-19 pandemic.  

One of the first things that attracted Sunds to Johnson County Library was the fact that the organization had a strategic plan, and he was impressed with its specific mission and vision. That was familiar to him, coming from a military background, and he’s found this job to be a great fit. He was looking for a culture that embodied community engagement, service and lifelong learning and caring.

“And I think I found all that,” he says, “in the Library.”

More than 26,000 veterans reside in Johnson County, and 200 Johnson County Government employees working in 19 departments have self-reported their veteran status. In honor of Veterans Day, the Johnson County Board of County Commissioners issued a proclamation to recognize all veterans, military members on active duty and reservists in the Armed Forces. The County will observe Veterans Day today at 11 a.m., at the Lenexa National Guard Armory, 18200 West 87th Street Pkwy., located just west of Renner Road.

The event recognizes veterans from all Armed Forces for their military service. It’s open for the public to attend and will also be livestreamed on Johnson County’s Facebook page and online at jocogov.org/JoCoHonorsVets. Johnson County employees who have served in the Armed Forces are part of a veterans slide show featured on that page.

You can also find Library materials related to Veterans Day with one of these lists:

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Tudor style dwelling

An example of Mission Hills architecture.

Cities and Towns of Johnson County

Time travel through Johnson County's history on this beautiful throwback Thursday. Did you know JoCoHistory.org is the best place to explore historical photographs and documents about the people, places and organizations of Johnson County, Kansas, from the 19th century to the present? JoCoHistory is a collaborative presentation of the history from the Johnson County Museum, Johnson County Library and many JoCoHistory partners.

If you want to probe for information on places like “cities and towns of Johnson County,” there’s simply no better place than JoCoHistory.

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No Wait Wednesday: Esme Cahill Fails Spectacularly by Marie Bostwick

Hello and welcome to #NoWaitWednesday, where we shine a spotlight on a book in the New Release section of one of our Library branches that's just sitting there ready for a lucky patron to check it out. Since we're getting deeper into November, some of you might be looking for a title that will bring some warmth into your lives, since the winter months are growing both shorter and darker. Esme Cahill Fails Spectacularly by Marie Bostwick, this week's pick, will please readers who love warm, syrupy, emotional southern fiction novels by the likes of Mary Kay Andrews, Jill Shalvis or Susan Mallery.

The novel begins with Esme believing that she has, indeed, failed spectacularly - she was recently fired from her high-profile big city publishing gig and just went through a tough divorce. In short, her life is completely different than what she expected it to be. When she hears about the sudden death of her grandmother, Adele, Esme packs her belongings and seizes on an opportunity to return to her childhood home in North Carolina to both help her family and to lick her wounds.

There, she discovers that the previously bustling lakeside resort run by her family is falling apart, bit by bit, as her grandfather is unable to keep up with repairs. Esme soon rolls up her sleeves and gets to work, not only helping her grandfather restore the small resort, but reestablishing tentative ties with her estranged mother, Robyn, with whom she has a checkered relationship and discovering that the new mysterious yet talented chef, who is living out of his van, might be more than he appears. 

She also discovers a box full of museum-quality vintage quilts left over from her late grandmother, along with some letters that shed much-needed light on long-thought-forgotten family lore. The narrative then shifts, telling the story from Adele's point of view, filling in many of the cracks in the family's history. Does Esme finally get some sort of redemption and find a path forward? Esme Cahill Fails Spectacularly is a heartwarming novel about different kinds of family - both the natural and found types - and how the decisions we make can still lead us home. Marie Bostwick lovingly paints the picture of an Asheville, North Carolina, that readers will fall in love with and excels at the gentle humor, wit and exploration of the deep personal relationships that tug at the heartstrings and make readers feel both comforted and enlightened. Brew yourself a nice, tall glass of sweet iced tea - well, since this is November in the Midwest, maybe a mug of hot tea will have to do - and place this one on your holds lists if you can't snag it off the New Release shelf. 

Thanks for checking in with us on #NoWaitWednesday, and we'll see you next week!

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This Week at the Library

This week at the Library, you can join us at:

READ to A Dog with Pets For Life – Tuesday, Nov. 7, 3:30 – 5 p.m.

Join us at the Antioch Library for this program. The Reading Education Assistance Dogs (R.E.A.D.) program improves children’s reading and communication skills by employing a powerful method: reading to a registered therapy dog or cat! These animals volunteer with their owner/handlers as a team. Please note: space is limited for this program; kids will get a ticket at arrival and wait their turn to read to one of several animals.

Family Storytime at Lenexa Public Market – Wednesday, Nov. 8, 6 – 6:30 p.m.

Join us for a fun Storytime at Lenexa Public Market! Hearing stories is a great way to spend time with your kids and help them foster a love of reading. Stories, songs, fingerplays and movement activities foster pre-reading skills. Fun for the whole family! The address of the Lenexa Public Market is 8750 Penrose Ln, Lenexa KS, 662119

Scribbler Society – Wednesday, Nov. 8, 4 – 5 p.m.

Young writers ages 10-14 are invited to this one-hour collaborative writing club at Central Resource Library. Writing prompts, activities, and encouragement will be provided as we confront the blank page and build a community of writers with monthly meetings. Registration is required each month.

And there’s much more happening this week … 

Already have a busy week?  Remember, you can watch recordings of many of our programs at your convenience with Library OnDemand

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Election Day is November 7

Overview of upcoming dates for voters in the November 7th General Election: 

  • Nov. 6, 2023 – Advance voting in person closes at noon 
  • Nov. 7, 2023 - General Election - Polls open 7 a.m. - 7 p.m. 

If you're looking for information on candidates, advanced voting, and polling locations, check out our FAQ »

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Why I Give: Amanda Vega-Mavec

I donate and volunteer for the Johnson County Library Foundation because libraries and books have always played an important role in my life. I want to help provide that opportunity for others. My first memory of a library is of the one from my grade school, where the librarian, Mrs. Sanchez, nurtured my love of reading and learning. She and my teachers realized that as long as I had a book in my hand, I was less likely to cause trouble. So, I always had a book in my hand. (And I was even allowed to shelve books as a reward!)

Those educators along with my parents also nurtured my desire to learn about all types of topics. No topic was off limits, but they created a safe opportunity for me to ask questions about and discuss any topic. This directly impacted my analytical and critical thinking skills. And, my ability to think for myself. I am so grateful they gave me these opportunities and think they should be available to every child.

Libraries serve many roles; I feel like I am always learning new things. For me, at this stage of my life, it’s about being a meeting place for the community. I go to the library for meetings for other groups I am involved with almost as much as I go to pick up books. Not too long ago we invited some family friends to join us for a library event. They ran into several friends, including a beloved staff member I also know well. In that moment the library was the mutual friend that brought us all together.

I am currently finishing Radical Candor: Be a Kick-Ass Boss Without Losing Your Mind and on deck are Entre Guadalupe and Malinche: Tejanas in Literature and Art and Book Collecting Now: The Value of Print in a Digital Age. I always have a “next up” pile of books going. I will even start carrying around my next book before I finish the one I’m reading.

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Meet the 2023 Writers Conference Planners!

Hopefully we’ve met you at one of our previous programs or at a past Writers Conference, but if not we’d love to meet you! Planning the annual Writers Conference is a joy and total labor of love. If you’d like to get to know the conference planners a bit more, continue reading below. We can’t wait to see you at this year’s Writers Conference!

You can register for the conference here. Registration isn’t required but is appreciated, and your RSVP includes both days of the conference, Nov. 3 and 4. Sessions are available on a first-come first-serve basis. We will also be hosting a Writers Conference Kickoff on Thursday, Nov. 2.

Helen Hokanson has worked at the Library for 25 years. She found her niche as the Local Writers Librarian in 2014 and leads our committee not just in planning the Writers Conference, but in envisioning and planning year-round programming, readings, and writing contests. Currently reading: Blindsided: Essays from the Only Black Woman in the Room by Dawn Downey.

Joseph Keehn is the Events & Programs Coordinator for the Johnson County Library, where he plans, develops, implements, evaluates and manages programs and events that meet the diverse needs of all patrons. He has been with the Writers Conference since its beginning. 

Lisa Allen started at the Library in 2019 and joined the Local Writers Committee that same year. She is the Social Media Coordinator for the Library. This year at the conference Lisa will be offering one-on-one critiques on reading your work aloud at one of our drop-in activity tables.

Cindy Frazer has been at Johnson County Library since 1985 and has been on the Writers Conference committee for 7 years. Thanks to Cindy, we have signage and schedules and all those didn’t-think-of-that essentials that make the conference successful. 

Diane Haner has worked at the Library since 2001 and joined the Local Writers committee in 2016. She is an Information Specialist. Currently reading: Black Oscars: From Mammy to Minny, What the Academy Awards Tell Us about African Americans by Frederick Gooding Jr. Favorite book: “One of my favorite books is The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley.” TBR: “On my TBR pile is Pines by Blake Crouch and Bibi: My Story by Binyamin Netanyahu.”

Eden Pierce is an Information Specialist with Johnson County Library and the newest member of the Local Writers committee. It’s been a pleasure for her to get to know the community of writers in Kansas City and see how such different people can come together to share their writing and support each other. Her educational background is in English and creative writing, where she helped found an art and literature journal and worked as a newspaper copy editor. Eden will be available at the conference to discuss and hone your elevator pitches, helping you pinpoint and present the heart of your work. Currently reading: “I’ve been reading a ton of graphic novels this fall. I love the way your mind can fill in the blanks between comic panels to bring a story to life. At the moment, I’m reading Fun Home by Alison Bechdel, a bitter-sweet “tragicomic” memoir of Bechdel’s family.” Favorite book: “I like recommending Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott for its solid advice for both writing and life. Sometimes it’s helpful to be reminded to take your writing “bird by bird,” one thing at a time.”

Jesseca is an Information Specialist at Johnson County Library. She joined the Local Writers Committee in 2022 and has loved getting to work with so many local writers. Currently reading:  Louise Penny’s Inspector Gamache series. Favorite book: “So hard to narrow it down! I guess I’ll pick Tell the Wolves I’m Home by Carol Rifka Brunt.”

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Photo from the early 20th century of the Missouri Pacific Railroad depot in Stilwell. Johnson County Museum

Photo from the early 20th century of the Missouri Pacific Railroad depot in Stilwell. Johnson County Museum

New JoCoHistory Blog Story on Trains has Arrived at the Station

Railroad-Inspired Johnson County Placenames

For anyone who hasn’t had the chance to visit the Johnson County Museum’s special exhibit, TRAINS: Transportation and the Transformation of Johnson County, you might be thinking: how much change did railroads really bring to a county that today has a modern, suburban, automobile-centered landscape? The TRAINS exhibit makes it clear that railroads transformed elements of Johnson County’s landscape, economy, society, and population. Access to the railroads held the fate of whole towns – including town names. Here are five examples of Johnson County, Kansas towns (past and present) named as a direct result of the railroads.

Read the full story on the JoCoHistory blog »