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"Explore" is the first section listed in our website's navigation. It's intentional. The reason we prioritize exploring is, to us, it is a synonym for learning. We're all about learning!
Click explore and see what you'll learn. It's your gateway to:
Reading Ideas
Johnson County-specific Resources
Patron Spotlight: Sasha Smith
Library patron Sasha Smith is the mother of a four-year-old son, Wren, and a one-year-old daughter, Juna. Without a vaccine for very young children during the COVID pandemic, Smith has had to be quite cautious about their activities.
Still, she has found Johnson County Library to be an incredible help in keeping her family engaged with fun books and enriching materials.
“The Library is an essential part of our family life,” Smith wrote in response to a recent Library patron survey on Facebook. “We check out picture books, kids’ and adults’ novels and nonfiction, music CDs and audiobooks. We spend hours every day interacting with Library content.”
Before the pandemic, Smith frequently took Wren to read and play at the Cedar Roe and Antioch Libraries. They particularly enjoyed the Storytime at Antioch with “Miss Dorian,” (retired Antioch Youth Information Specialist Dorian Assenmacher).
Smith hopes to resume those in-person Library visits soon but says that even during the pandemic “the Library Is still a focal point of our lives and an incredible resource.”
Smith grew up in Ohio and fondly recalls going to Storytimes crowded with kids as a child. Whenever she moved, one of the first things she did was get a Library card.
She met her husband while attending a master’s program in Counseling Psychology. About six years ago, they moved to Johnson County. They use the Cedar Roe branch regularly to pick up Holds, and they are prolific readers.
“We usually have about 100 books at a time,” Smith said. Most of those are for the children but Smith and her husband are also avid Library users. She has too many personal favorite books to count, but particularly highlights Gilead, by Marilynne Robinson and Wise Child, by Monica Furlong.
Her daughter’s favorite books include Plinka Plinka Shake Shake, by Emma Garcia, all about musical sounds. Her son’s favorites include "The Boy Who Grew Dragons" series by Andy Shepherd.
She has signed the kids up to attend some virtual events being offered through the Library’s “Oceans of Possibilities” Summer Reading program.
Smith finds out about Library events via the printed guides, website, email and Facebook. She learned a lot from Johnson County Library’s online parent education classes with author Julie Bogart.
While she is currently a stay-at-home mom, Smith is still keenly interested in community mental health, child development and education, and she appreciates Johnson County Library’s commitment to all those services.
She sees the Library branches as places that nurture community mental health and wellness just as much as counseling centers do.
“I think it’s been such a great resource for us as parents and people living through a global pandemic,” she said. “And such an amazing resource for the community: a place to hang out, charge your phone, enjoy heating or air conditioning, get resume help or job support. They offer so many amazing programs.”
She is eager for the day when it’s once again safe for her to visit Cedar Roe’s cozy children’s area with her kids, and when they can take advantage of other in-person opportunities.
“Probably as soon as the kids are vaccinated,” she said, “the Library is the first place I want to take them.”
16 Civil War veterans - 1905
Museum Memories
It’s another grand Throwback Thursday when we encourage you to time travel through Johnson County's history. JoCoHistory is a collaborative presentation of the history from the Johnson County Museum, Johnson County Library and many JoCoHistory partners. Explore historical photographs and documents about the people, places and organizations of Johnson County, Kansas, from the 19th century to the present.
Collection spotlight: Johnson County Museum
About this collection: The Johnson County Museum has a wide range of images dating from the late 19th century to the current day. A major focus of the collection centers on individuals and groups of people in domestic, recreational, scholarly and business settings.
Blood Pressure Clinic
On the second Wednesday of each month, drop in to the Central Resource Library and a nurse from the Johnson County Department of Health and Environment will test your blood pressure.
Back to School: Everything You Need to Know in 20 Minutes!
NEXT MONTH:
In September we are so excited to bring you the Library Lowdown Quiz Showdown! We have a couple puzzles for you so you can play along:
THIS MONTH:
Are the kids headed Back to School? We have resource for them, for the little ones who aren't quite old enough yet, for you and for anyone who just wants to learn something new! We bring in the experts with the super Librarian knowledge and skills to give you and yours an advantage. We focus on eResources, and Kids and Teens resources.
It's the Back to school episode. It's everything you need to know in 20 minutes!
This Week at the Library
This week at the Library, you can join us at:
Library OnDemand – Available anytime you like.
Your doorway into live and archived programs. Arts & Culture, Career & Finance, Community Matters, Writers and more!
Personal Branding and Networking – Tuesday, Aug 2, 11 a.m. – noon
How do you present yourself? Join an ICG Professional Certified Coach as she talks about personal development, networking strategies, and ways to best highlight the qualities that make you an excellent employee and coworker.
How to Make LinkedIn Work for You – Wednesday, Aug 3, 1:30 – 2:30 p.m.
Do you have a LinkedIn profile? Does yours need an update? Learn how to set up a profile and get tips and tricks on how to get the most out of LinkedIn. Stay connected to career opportunities and attract employers with a stellar profile.
Managing Conflict in the Workplace – Thursday, Aug 4, 1:30 – 2:30 p.m.
It's inevitable that we will run into conflict in the workplace - how can you best handle it?
Friends of the Library Donation Drop-off – Saturday, Aug 6, 9 – 11 a.m.
Do you have gently used books to donate to the Friends? We hold Drive-up Donation Events every Saturday (except during inclement weather). Volunteers will be available to accept your donations on Saturdays from 9:00 am to 11:00 am at Friends Headquarters - 8279 Melrose Dr., Lenexa, KS 66214.
At 53 years old, Cedar Roe Remains Treasured Neighborhood Branch
The Cedar Roe branch of Johnson County Library opened June 2, 1969, so it marks its 53rd year in 2022. It remains a cherished branch serving northeast Johnson County residents, plus patrons who come from Wyandotte County and even Kansas City.
“What’s special about Cedar Roe is it’s so integrated into the neighborhood,” said Assistant Branch Manager Megan Clark. “A lot of our locations are more visible off the street. This one, it’s kind of like a secret.”
Located at 5120 Cedar St. in Roeland Park, it’s tucked behind a Walmart shopping center. Patrons drive and even walk from close-in neighborhoods. The branch caters to long-time residents, young families, and home schoolers.
“We get a lot of regulars here,” Clark said. “In the smaller branches you get to know some of your patrons. You see them more frequently and it’s just a smaller setting so that’s kind of a fun thing.”
In recent years, the building has had important capital improvements, including a new roof, new HVAC system, and all new shelving.
“It’s amazing how much more natural light comes in. It brightened the place up,” Clark said. “Patrons have responded really positively to those upgrades.”
The Library was closed for several months in 2021 for those improvements. New curbside pickup service allowed patrons to retrieve holds during that time and has remained a popular convenience.
The Library also recently purchased new furniture for the 6 by 6 Ready to Read children’s area, thanks to a generous legacy donation from James Deberry, a lawyer and long-time Library patron who died in June 2020 at age 87.
Youth Services Librarian Mary Beth Ricks said the bequest was much appreciated and really helped spruce up the children’s area.
“It’s comfy seating, but it’s very stable for kids climbing on,” she observed. “We had mis-matched tables and chairs before. Now everything is colorful and matches.”
A painting of Cedar Roe that staff found in an upstairs storage area has been framed and is now prominently displayed, to celebrate the Library’s reopening and the Deberry bequest.
Cedar Roe was part of a 1960s system-wide expansion. Johnson County Library had started in 1952 and by 1965 consisted of the Antioch headquarters, Corinth, Mission, Lenexa and Gardner. As the population grew, those branches became over-crowded. In February 1967, voters approved an expansion plan with 69% in support.
That $1.5 million plan called for expanding Antioch and Corinth, while a new “Northeast” branch would replace Mission and a “Southwest” branch would replace Lenexa.
The “Northeast” branch site was selected just west of Roe Avenue on Cedar Street. A naming contest was held, and “Cedar Roe” was chosen.
Total cost of the land and construction on the 17,000-square-foot building was $470,950. It opened in June 1969 and the official dedication took place Nov. 16, 1969. In 1970, Cedar Roe received the Excellence in Design Medal from the Kansas City Chapter of the American Institute of Architecture. With a pleasing mixture of wood, brick and large banks of windows, its interior remains one of the most attractive Library facilities.
The building will close for a few weeks this summer for some ADA-compliant improvements to the front walkway, new LED lighting and other cosmetic changes.
Staff hopes to see some programming resume later this year.
“We’re kind of getting back into what might be the new normal,” Clark said. “We’re discussing bringing back some programming. That will help us bring foot traffic in a new and different way.”
There are tools and then there are research tools.
JoCoHistory Research Tools
Welcome to another fabulous Throwback Thursday! You know that JoCoHistory is the place to time travel through local history with its Blog and collection of photos and historical documents. But did you know, about the JoCoHistory Research Tools? Here you'll find a portal to local history projects, local history on the web, a comprehensive list of Johnson County museums and historical sites and other regional museums.
JoCoHistory Projects
On the Web
- Kansas Memory - Johnson County
A project of the Kansas Historical Society, this site contains digital images of letters, diaries, photographs, government records, maps, museum artifacts and much more. - Missouri Valley Special Collections Digital Gallery
Over 11,000 images of archival material such as letters, photographs, postcards, advertising cards and maps from Missouri Valley Special Collections at Kansas City Public Library. - Territorial Kansas Online
A virtual repository of archival documents dating from Kansas' territorial period, 1854-1861. - Missouri Digital Heritage
Digitized collections from libraries, archives, historical societies and museums all across Missouri (formerly Virtually Missouri). - Map of historic sites
Map of local historic places, museums and historical societies.
Local History Museums and Sites
In Johnson County:
- Gardner Historical Museum
The museum occupies the 1893 Folk Victorian house built by Herman B. Foster. Exhibits feature topics important to Gardner history: the Grange, the Overland Trails, schools, a turn-of-the century kitchen, as well as historical memorabilia and photos of Gardner's past. - Johnson County Museum
Includes the Johnson County Museum of History, the Lanesfield School, and the 1950s All Electric House. The museum also features a research room with access to documents, maps, photographs and manuscripts related to the history of Johnson County, Kansas from 1820s to present. - Legler Barn Museum
The Legler barn was built by Adam Legler in 1864, razed in 1972 and restored in 1983 as a community Museum. It features permanent and temporary exhibits about Lenexa and the surrounding area. - Mahaffie Stagecoach Stop and Farm
Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the Mahaffie Stagecoach Stop & Farm Historic Site is the last remaining stagecoach stop on the historic Santa Fe Trail still open to the public. Three original buildings are preserved: The Mahaffie Family Home/Stagecoach Stop, two-story Ice House, and Wood Peg Barn. - Oxford Schoolhouse
Built in 1877, this one-room schoolhouse operated until 1955. In 2003 it was moved from 135th and Mission to its current location at Ironwoods Park. The school is now restored and interpreted as a circa 1910 schoolhouse. - Shawnee Indian Mission
The manual training school attended by Shawnee, Delaware, and other Indian children from 1839-1862. The Shawnee Mission also served as an early territorial capitol, a supply point on the Santa Fe and Oregon Trails, and as a camp for Union soldiers during the Civil War. The Mission was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1968. The Mission also has a research library that is open to the public by appointment. - Shawnee Town Museum
Shawnee Town is a living history museum that opens a window to life in a small farm community in the years leading up to the Great Depression. Visitors can stroll through the 3-acre park and visit historic buildings that include a school house, farmstead, chapel, fire station, local businesses and gardens.
Other Regional Museums
- Kansas Museum of History
Museum operated by the Kansas Historical Society in Topeka. - Kansas City Museum
Located within the Corinthian Hall mansion, the Kansas City Museum offers exhibits on regional history and natural history, as well as a planetarium and authentic 1910 soda fountain.