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Genealogy Day

National Genealogy Day Resource Fair

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Register online or call 913-826-4600. No membership needed or cost to attend.

Attend Presentations and Workshops - Carmack Room

  • 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. - Let’s Start at the Beginning, Char Mitts
  • 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. - Getting the Most from Find a Grave, Deborah Heffley
  • 1:00 to 2 p.m. – Ancestry.com DNA Explained, Angela Fields
  • 2:00 to 3 p.m. – What is WikiTree? And Why You Should Care, Julie Miguel
     

Visit Exhibits and Displays – Main Aisle and Gallery

  • Midwest Genealogy Center
  • Photo scanning with Olathe Public Library
  • Sons of the American Revolution
  • Daughters of the American Revolution
  • Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War
  • Sons of Confederate Veterans of the Civil War
  • Society of Mayflower Descendants in the State of Kansas
  • Jewish Genealogy Society of Greater Kansas City
  • Hispanic and Military Research
  • America Historical Society of Germans from Russia
     

Talk with Members of Special Interest Groups

  • Family Tree Maker – Pickard Room
  • Roots Magic – Conference Room 2
  • Legacy and Family Search – Conference Room 1
  • DNA -- Gallery
  • Writers’ Group -- Gallery
     

Tour the Genealogy Area and Pick Up a Starter Kit

  • 30-minute guided tours start at 10:30 a.m., 11:30 a.m., 12:30 p.m., and 1:30 p.m.
  • Learn about resources and print publications
  • Get forms and handouts to begin your family genealogy projects
  • See completed family history projects
  • Meet the genealogy volunteers
     

Record your oral history in the MakerSpace – front of library

Get one-on-one research assistance on computers in the Learning Lab - hands-on experience with databases such as Ancestry, Heritage Quest, etc.

Learn About JoCoHistory – Gallery

Check out books on genealogy topics Library books about genealogy displayed in the center aisle may be checked out

Enter drawing and join the Johnson County Genealogical Society. Learn about the society, monthly programs and learning opportunities and win prizes

Got Questions? Ask the volunteers wearing the Got Relatives? yellow badges.

 

Presented with the Johnson County Genealogical Society.

Check out all of the upcoming Genealogy events.

 

 

Register online or call 913-826-4600. No membership needed or cost to attend.

Attend Presentations and Workshops - Carmack Room

  • 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. - Let’s Start at the Beginning, Char Mitts
  • 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. - Getting the Most from Find a Grave, Deborah Heffley
  • 1:00 to 2 p.m. – Ancestry.com DNA Explained, Angela Fields
  • 2:00 to 3 p.m. – What is WikiTree? And Why You Should Care, Julie Miguel
     

Visit Exhibits and Displays – Main Aisle and Gallery

  • Midwest Genealogy Center
  • Photo scanning with Olathe Public Library
  • Sons of the American Revolution
  • Daughters of the American Revolution
  • Sons
    • ... Continue »
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Central Resource Library
Free Lunch Ticket

Free Lunch. by artists m.o.i. (aka Minister of Information) and Sarah Star Wilkison

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There is such a thing as a free lunch, just not for everyone. Free Lunch. is an exhibition of works by the artist duo Father-Daughter Confessional where food is the central thought. In this new performance work by m.o.i., aka Minister of Information, and Sarah Star Wilkison, the intricacies of food security in a paradoxical world are examined. The artists create simple sack lunches packed with nutrition, tasty tidbits and a few surprises. Only a few are available - will you get to eat today? Come to the exhibit and find out.

See all of our coming food, food budgeting, and food insecurity-related programming »

 

There is such a thing as a free lunch, just not for everyone. Free Lunch. is an exhibition of works by the artist duo Father-Daughter Confessional where food is the central thought. In this new performance work by m.o.i., aka Minister of Information, and Sarah Star Wilkison, the intricacies of food security in a paradoxical world are examined. The artists create simple sack lunches packed with nutrition, tasty tidbits and a few surprises. Only a few are available - will you get to eat today? Come to the exhibit and find out.

See all of our coming ... Continue »

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Monticello Library

Learn Languages, Genealogy Day, and Clever Candy Lit!

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We dedicate this episode of Did you hear? to learning a new Language! Use your Library card to access Mango Languages or Rosetta Stone! Learn everything from Arabic to Yiddish on your computer, tablet or smartphone!

In today’s episode, Gregg Winsor & Melissa Horak-Hern sit down with Stefanie Estes to explain just what the heck Clever Candy Lit is in our “We Recommend” discussion! But first, it’s “What’s Happening.” Dave Carson hosts Amanda Wahlmier and her guest, Angela Field, to talk about Genealogy Day!

We dedicate this episode of Did you hear? to learning a new Language! Use your Library card to access Mango Languages or Rosetta Stone! Learn everything from Arabic to Yiddish on your computer, tablet or smartphone!

In today’s episode, Gregg Winsor & Melissa Horak-Hern sit down with Stefanie Estes to explain just what the heck Clever Candy Lit is in our “We Recommend” discussion! But first, it’s “What’s Happening.” Dave Carson hosts Amanda Wahlmier and her guest, Angela Field, to talk about Genealogy Day!
Throwback Thursday

Throwback Thursday

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Well, sometimes spring can be an ornery cuss! There are years it's just unwilling to come when called. Here in Johnson County, we just attach it to a tractor because, hey, the parade is waiting!

jocohistory.org is your place for Johnson County, Kansas history! Follow our hashtag on Twitter.  

Well, sometimes spring can be an ornery cuss! There are years it's just unwilling to come when called. Here in Johnson County, we just attach it to a tractor because, hey, the parade is waiting!

jocohistory.org is your place for Johnson County, Kansas history! Follow our hashtag on Twitter.  
  • L. L. McKinney
    L. L. McKinney L. L. McKinney
  • Ron Currie
    Ron Currie Ron Currie

2019 Writers Conference

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We are very excited to welcome L.L. McKinney to our 2019 Writers Conference faculty.

Leatrice "Elle" McKinney, writing as L.L. McKinney, is a poet and active member of the kidlit community. She’s an advocate for equality and inclusion in publishing, and the creator of the hashtag #WhatWoCWritersHear. Elle's also a gamer, Blerd, and adamant Hei Hei stan living in Kansas City. She spends her free time plagued by her cat Sir Chester Fluffmire Boopsnoot Purrington Wigglebottom Flooferson III, esquire, Baron o'Butterscotch or #SirChester. Random fact: Chester is a huge BTS fan, Elle has video proof. A Blade So Black is her debut novel, released fall 2018, with the highly anticipated sequel slated for later this year.

 

 

 

We also welcome Ron Currie to our 2019 Writers Conference faculty. Currie is a novelist and screenwriter. His books have been translated into fifteen languages and won awards from the New York Public Library, the American Academy of Arts and Letters, and the American Library Association. His short fiction, essays, and criticism have appeared in the New York Times, The Chicago Tribune, Salon, The Believer, and elsewhere. He's a native of Maine, where he still lives.

Enter our essay contest “Dinner with an Author”. Currie will pick the most compelling entry, and that writer and a friend will enjoy an evening out with Currie in November 2019!

 

 

 

The 2019 Writers Conference will be held Thursday, November 14 through Sunday, November 17.

Our conference will focus on craft, skill-development, and community building. Get your manuscript polished and submission-ready with how-to sessions, editing and critique, and community building. Thursday - Saturday is for adult and teen writers. Sunday is just for the kids.

Want to submit a session proposal? Head to our submittable page and use the Author/Artist Event Request tell us about your idea.

We are very excited to welcome L.L. McKinney to our 2019 Writers Conference faculty.

Leatrice "Elle" McKinney, writing as L.L. McKinney, is a poet and active member of the kidlit community. She’s an advocate for equality and inclusion in publishing, and the creator of the hashtag #WhatWoCWritersHear. Elle's also a gamer, Blerd, and adamant Hei Hei stan living in Kansas City. She spends her free time plagued by her cat Sir Chester Fluffmire Boopsnoot Purrington Wigglebottom Flooferson III, esquire, Baron o'Butterscotch or #SirChester. Random fact: Chester is a huge BTS fan, Elle has video proof. ... Continue »
  • Joseph Jurkiewicz
    Joseph Jurkiewicz Joseph Jurkiewicz
  • Joseph Jurkiewicz
    Joseph Jurkiewicz Joseph Jurkiewicz
  • Joseph Jurkiewicz
    Joseph Jurkiewicz Joseph Jurkiewicz

Now at Oak Park: Joseph JurkiewiczJoseph Jurkiewicz

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Monday, Jan 7, 2019 to Sunday, Apr 21, 2019 at Oak Park Library

Joe Jurkiewicz is a visual artist whose paintings explore themes of desire, loneliness, anxiety and exaltation. Pulling influences from street art and fashion illustration, he creates perplexing surreal imagery developed in sketchbooks, where he explores new ideas, mark making and surrounding influences. He graduated from the Kansas City Art Institute of May 2016 with a major in Illustration.

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What would you like people to know most about your art? 

That my work comes from my imagination. I find joy and catharsis while creating art and I want people to feel that in some way.

 

What is your creative process, and what is the most challenging part?  The most rewarding?

My creative process mainly comes from the element of play. I tend to have fun while creating art-not holding to any standards or having any fear of the end result. I simply allow my work to become what it is intended.

 

From where do you gain inspiration?  

Almost anything and everything. Talking to people, listening to music, playing video games, watching movies and drawing what I see.

 

What wisdom/insight would you share with your past self if you could?

Haha I would tell myself to draw more and work harder. I was young, lazy and didn’t know that hard work would pay off.

 

If you could recommend a book, musical artist/track/album, and movie what would they be?

Book I would recommend “start with why” by Simon Sinek. Japanese DJ producer Nujabes. Movie to watch is “Requiem for a Dream”. A must!

Joe Jurkiewicz is a visual artist whose paintings explore themes of desire, loneliness, anxiety and exaltation. Pulling influences from street art and fashion illustration, he creates perplexing surreal imagery developed in sketchbooks, where he explores new ideas, mark making and surrounding influences. He graduated from the Kansas City Art Institute of May 2016 with a major in Illustration.

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What would you like people to know most about your art? 

That my work comes from my imagination. I find joy and catharsis while creating art and I want people to feel that in some way.

 

What is your creative process, and what is the most challenging part?  The most rewarding?... Continue »
CO Read Winner

Corinth's READ Poster Winner

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Each of our locations draws a name from the pool of kids who participated in Summer Reading to win a READ poster photoshoot. Here is Corinth Library's winner!

Corinth Library hosts many wonderful events, such as An Edible Discussion, Read to a Dog, and much more »

Each of our locations draws a name from the pool of kids who participated in Summer Reading to win a READ poster photoshoot. Here is Corinth Library's winner!

Corinth Library hosts many wonderful events, such as An Edible Discussion, Read to a Dog, and much more »
Joe Rubeo

Music Monday Local SpotlightJoe Rubeo

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Rubeo is Joe Rubeo, a mostly self-taught musician and songwriter who describes his music as having a "unique nostalgic feel with heavy 80s synth bass and swirling melodies that make you want to get down on the dance floor." This only begins to describe the immersive and warm quality of music that according to Rubeo himself emanates in large part from a phone app called Auxy. Rubeo's music proves that in the right hands the tools right under our thumbs can help produce remarkable art. in this interview Rubeo describes his creative process, musical background and what's been inspiring him lately.

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Introduce yourself. Describe your music for new listeners.

I am Rubeo. The best way to describe my music as I have been told is that it is music that you want to dance and make love to. The Rubeo sound has a unique nostalgic feel with heavy 80s synth bass and swirling melodies that make you want to get down on the dance floor. 

Continue »
Louder Than a Bomb KC

Louder Than a Bomb Kansas City

Louder Than a Bomb Kansas City gives a teenager a pen, a page, a mic, and a stage and steps out of the way to watch a poet emerge and a community grow. It's an annual city-wide youth poetry festival with a hip-hop aesthetic celebrating young poets in the Kansas City metro. This Spring, more than 15 teams representing schools and community organizations compete for the crown and a spot at national festival Brave New Voices 2019. Join us for a series of preliminary bouts with schools from across Kansas City. Bouts start at 11 a.m., 12:30 p.m., 2 p.m. and 3:30 p.m and are free and open to the public.
 

Full schedule and participating schools »

Louder Than a Bomb Kansas City gives a teenager a pen, a page, a mic, and a stage and steps out of the way to watch a poet emerge and a community grow. It's an annual city-wide youth poetry festival with a hip-hop aesthetic celebrating young poets in the Kansas City metro. This Spring, more than 15 teams representing schools and community organizations compete for the crown and a spot at national festival Brave New Voices 2019. Join us for a series of preliminary bouts with schools from across Kansas City. Bouts start at 11 a.m., 12:30 p.m., 2 p.m. and 3:30 p.m and are free and open to the public.
 

Full schedule and participating schools »

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Central Resource Library , Carmack Community Room

Food Insecurity, Romance Novels, and 6by6 ...

Did you hear

Did you hear about 6by6, Food Insecurity and Romance Novels?

We dedicate every Did you hear? episode to one of our many Library services. This time, it's 6 by 6: Ready to Read! It’s our early literacy program. Discover the 6 skills all kids should develop by age 6.

In this episode, Beth Atwater sits down with Melissa Horak-Hern and Gregg Winsor in our “We Recommend” section to discuss Romance novels! But first, It’s “What’s Happening.” Helen Hokanson, Amanda Wahlmeier and Dave Carson talk about food insecurity.  

Did you hear about 6by6, Food Insecurity and Romance Novels?

We dedicate every Did you hear? episode to one of our many Library services. This time, it's 6 by 6: Ready to Read! It’s our early literacy program. Discover the 6 skills all kids should develop by age 6.

In this episode, Beth Atwater sits down with Melissa Horak-Hern and Gregg Winsor in our “We Recommend” section to discuss Romance novels! But first, It’s “What’s Happening.” Helen Hokanson, Amanda Wahlmeier and Dave Carson talk about food insecurity.  

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