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Antioch Library is relocating to the Merriam Community Center campus, and we want to hear from you!

The Library is working with Dake Wells Architecture to design the new Library for the future, and to meet the changing needs of the community. Join us for a live input session where you will meet the architects, learn about the project, and ideate about your future library. 

When: Wednesday, July 7 from 6 - 7:30 PM*

Where: Future site of the Library @ Merriam Community Center campus

This open-house-style program will be outside in person. Travel to the Merriam Community Center parking structure, 6040 Slater St, Merriam, KS, and then join the team under the tents on the adjacent green space, the future site of the Library.

*Note: Due to wet site conditions and the chance of rain, this event was rescheduled from June 30.

Learn more about the Antioch Library Replacement project and additional ways of engagement via Library OnDemand. And, follow @jocolibrary on social media for project updates and photos. 

Construction will occur after the design is finalized with completion anticipated in 2023.

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We strive to host inclusive, accessible events and provide information online that enables all individuals, including individuals with disabilities, to engage fully with Library services. To request an accommodation or for inquiries about accessibility, please contact us info@jocolibrary.org or 913.826.4600.

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

Reminder: The Johnson County Library will be closed July 4 and 5.

Walk and Read – Daily, All Week, (The library will be closed July 5 but you can still enjoy this program.)

“Take a walk and read a book.” Not normally sound advice, but that is exactly what Johnson County Library is suggesting families do this week at Gezer Park, (13251 Mission Rd, Leawood, KS) and at Sar-Ko-Par Trails Park, (West 87th Street Parkway and Lackman Rd., Lenexa).   Walk and Read creates a family reading experience in the great outdoors! Families who participate will read two stories posted around the path, one going each direction. When you finish one story, you can flip around to the other side of the sign and begin the next story, which will lead you back around the path. 

Kids Summer Food Program  – Monday, July 5, 11 AM – Noon

Catholic Charities of Northeast Kansas will distribute free meals for ALL children 18 & under in the Central Resource Library parking lot. Parents and caregivers welcome! No cost! No sign-up required.

Table Top Games -  Wednesday, July 7, 6 – 8 PM

Board games have brought family and friends together for years, and we are now in a golden age of game choices! Join us online to enjoy virtual games, meet new friends and have new adventures. You can feed a hungry panda in Takenoko, build a dinosaur zoo in Draftosaurus or compete for the best collection of chameleons in Coloretto. All ages welcome.

Antioch Library Replacement Project: Information and Listening Session – Wednesday, July 7, 6 – 7:30 PM              

Antioch Library is relocating to the Merriam Community Center campus, and we want to hear from you. In this open-house style session, you will meet the architects, learn about the project, and ideate about your future library. 

Ask-A-Maker Session – Thursday, July 8, 5 – 5:30 PM

If you have a question about a Maker-related project you are working on (with hand tools, software or equipment) then register here to get one on one help with a MakerSpace Facilitator live via Zoom.

And much more …

Here at the Library we celebrate Independence Day by honoring all Americans and salute the freedom of information. Like you, we value life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.  

Johnson County Library will be closed on Sunday, July 4 and Monday, July 5 for Independence Day. Holidays are a great time to check out our eLibrary!

Family and friends of all ages are invited to join Johnson County Library for a walk in a park! Walk and Read creates a reading opportunity for all, in various locations throughout Johnson County like: 

• Strang Park
• Stoll Park
• Arts and Heritage Center

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 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. 

See the schedule »

To celebrate Juneteenth, we will feature two Juneteenth Walk and Read events all day, Saturday, June 10-Monday, June 19:

• Stoll Park  
  Two stories, "Opal Lee and What it Means to Be Free: The True Story of the Grandmother of Juneteenth" by Alice Faye Duncan and illustrated by Keturah A. Bobo and "Change Sings: A Children's Anthem" by Amanda Gorman and illustrated by Loren Long. 
• Arts and Heritage Center  
  Two stories, "Daniels Good Day" by Micha Archer and "A Flag for Juneteenth" by Kim Taylor will be posted. 

Summer is here and our Table Top committee has game recommendations that tie into our summer reading theme of Tails and Tales! There are so many different games to choose from, so we put together some lists to help you find a new favorite, whether you’re looking for a kids’ game, something for the whole family, or a more complex, strategic game. 

We also encourage you to attend one of our evening Table Top Game events this summer on the first Wednesday night of each month. We are also offering a Take Home Game Kit, where you can get some fun animal-themed print and play games good for the whole family! There are opportunities to play the games in the kit online with other people on July 17. 

Best Animal Themed Kids’ Games:

• Animal Upon Animal - See who can stack all their animals first 

• Dragon’s Breath- Help some young dragons collect jewels by predicting what will fall next 

• Sequence for Kids- Collect animal cards to try to get 4 in a row 

• The Tortoise and the Hare- Try to collect cards to push your favorite animal to victory 

• Hoot Owl Hoot-Work together to get the baby owls back to their nest by dawn 

• Orchard-Harvest the fruit before the Raven can snatch it away 

• Outfoxed!- Gather clues with your detective pals to catch that crafty fox before it skips town! 

• Feed the Kitty- Roll the dice but don't lose your mice! 

• Rhino Hero-Help Super Rhino stack buildings as tall as you can 

• Snail Sprint-Race magnetic snails along a metal playing board  

• Ice Cool-Flick penguins around to collect fish and to catch other penguins 

Best Animal Themed Family Games:  

• Camel Up- Bet on camel racing craziness 

• King of Tokyo - Smash monsters in a battle for the city 

• Takenoko - Grow bamboo to feed an adorable, hungry panda 

• Hey, That’s My Fish - Compete between penguins to grab as many seafood snacks as possible 

• Cat Lady-Collect the most cats. The trick is feeding them all to collect the points.  

• Hive - Feels a bit like playing chess, but all the pieces are bugs 

• Scooby Doo Betrayal at Mystery Mansion - Team up with some meddling kids to stop the monsters from getting away with their dastardly plans 

• Coloretto- Surprisingly competitive chameleon collecting 

• Gods Love Dinosaurs - Create a delicately balanced successful ecosystem... so dinosaurs can eat everything! 

• Pass the Pig - Throw pigs and score points for how they land! 

• Dinosaur Tea Party - Ask questions to deduce the identity of your fellow dino partygoers 

• Agricola: All Creatures Big and Small - Two-player competitive animal husbandry, with strategic decisions 

• Kariba - Fast-paced card battle between animals for a thirst-quenching drink 

Best Animal Themed Strategy Games:

• Wingspan-Create the best bird sanctuary by creating a habitat that works together 

• Everdell- Use resources to build a village of critters and constructions in this woodland game 

• Root- Decide the fate of the forest as woodland factions fight for contrasting goals.  

• Isle of Cats- Rescue as many island cats as you can before Lord Vesh comes to destroy their home. 

• Mice & Mystics- After being turned into mice, a prince and his allies experience giant-sized stories. Great first role playing game! 

• Bärenpark- Build your own bear park by carefully placing polyominoes. 

• Mariposas- Guide monarch butterflies on their journey along eastern North America 

• Bunny Kingdom- Adorable bunnies build cities, harvest carrots, and go on missions to be "Big Ears!" 

• Calico-Create the right quilt pattern combinations to attract cats to your quilt 

Enter your work to be included in our Volume 4 Notebook to be distributed at our Writers Conference this fall.

This year will include five pieces of writing from our monthly contests, and five pieces of art from our Artists in Sight interviews. We’ll also include one piece of writing and one piece of art from the prompts below. We’re excited to see your work! Submissions will be accepted through July 25.

Prompt: Look at a scene from a public library. What’s happening on the surface? What’s happening if we look below the surface. For example, from our perspective, we might see an adult reading to a child in the kids area. From their perspective, they may see themselves as a group of adventurers trudging their way through an unexplored jungle and coming face to face with various animals or maybe they are astronauts taking the first steps on Mars. It all depends on what they are reading and it could be anything!

Here’s another: An older gentleman is scrolling through genealogy websites. He looks like he’s simply filling out his family tree. Or is he really meeting a family member for the first time, reconnecting with an old friend, or searching out his lost love?

Study groups, 3D printing, stolen laptops, children’s storytime, book groups, people sleeping, washing in the bathroom, job searches, teens playing video games, the shushing, author visits . . . look past the obvious and tell us what you see.