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Learning More About Ukraine

"What do you do when calamity strikes the world yet again? How do you handle the confusion of trying to unravel the news?" Our librarian Bet has one strategy: "As someone who works at a library, perhaps it’s not surprising that I turn to...the library. What book or film can I find that connects me to someone’s story so I can more clearly see and hear the events from those involved?" 

Bet has created a rich list of recommendations for those who are looking to expand their knowledge of Ukraine and its people, culture and history. Her picks include fiction, nonfiction, DVDs and more! Explore Bet's recommendations »

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Meet the Authors: B.J. and Henry Hollars

Library events help tell the Story of Your Life

How do we conjure our long-forgotten stories? And how can we recall those details from the past that we thought had vanished? There’s a technique for that. On Saturday, March 26, author B.J. Hollars will provide a series of generative writing prompts that will be sure to spur your memory, bring your past to the present and help you write your life’s story.

The virtual workshop, presented by the Library’s Local Writers group, is one of a three-part program series featuring Hollars, an award-winning author of several books and English professor at the University of Wisconsin – Eau Claire. His most recent book “Go West Young Man: A Father and Son Rediscover America on the Oregon Trail” is the story of an eye-opening 2,500-mile road trip with his six-year-old son, Henry.

Make Every Mile a Memory: A Reading and Presentation with B.J. and Henry Hollars on “Go West Young Man.” 
Tuesday, March 22, 6:30 p.m.

Travel Writing for Dummies: On Rattlesnakes, Wagon Ruts and Making the World Feel Like Home 
Wednesday, March 23, 6:30 p.m.

The Story of Your Life: Writing Your Forgotten Past Workshop 
Saturday, March 26, 9 a.m.

Looking for more events along these lines? The Library loves writers just as much as readers! To support writers at every stage, from a casual hobby to a life’s calling, Johnson County Library has developed a suite of programs, resources and opportunities to develop your craft and grow your portfolio. If you are a writer, we want to meet you, read your work and celebrate you in the community.  There is even a writing contest with a $200 honorarium!

Visit For Writers for more information about the Library’s writing programming and go to Events to register for upcoming events and workshops, including the B.J. Hollars events.

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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!

Make Every Mile A Memory: A Reading and Presentation with B.J. and Henry Hollars  on Go West Young Man: A Father and Son Rediscover American on The Oregon Trail – Tuesday, March 22, 6:30-7:30 p.m.

When B.J. Hollars and his six-year-old son, Henry, began a 2,500-mile road trip retracing the Oregon Trail, their mission was to rediscover America, and Americans, along the way. While their adventure included the usual setbacks, their most compelling drama involved people, privilege and their attempt to find common ground in an all-too-fractured country. Join the father and son team for a reading and conversation on their reckoning with our nation’s founding, and their renewal of faith in America today.

Travel Writing for Dummies: On Rattlesnakes, Wagon Ruts and Making the World Feel Like Home with B.J. Hollars – Wednesday, March 23, 6:30-7:30

When it comes to telling true stories from the outside in, you must tread lightly, or be willing to pay the price. Join author B.J. Hollars for a craft talk on the behind-the-scenes lessons learned from his latest book, “Go West Young Man: A Father and Son Rediscover America on the Oregon Trail”. Learn from his missteps, mishaps and mistakes in the service of your own masterpiece.

Meet the Author: Julie Bogart – Thursday, March 24, 6-7 p.m.

Drawing on more than twenty years’ experience homeschooling and developing curricula, Julie Bogart offers practical tools to help children at every stage of development to grow in their ability to explore the world around them, examine how their loyalties and biases affect their beliefs, and generate fresh insight rather than simply recycling what they’ve been taught. Full of accessible stories and activities for children of all ages, Raising Critical Thinkers helps parents to nurture passionate learners with thoughtful minds and empathetic hearts. The first 50 registrants living in Johnson County will receive a copy of Julie's new book, Raising Critical Thinkers.

The Story of Your Life: Writing Your Forgotten Past Workshop with B.J. Hollars – Saturday, March 26, 9-11 a.m.  

How do we conjure our long-forgotten stories? And how can we recall those details from the past that we thought had vanished? There’s hope! And technique, too! Join author B.J. Hollars for a series of generative writing prompts at a workshop sure to spur your memory, bring your past to the present and help you write your life’s story.

And much more happening this week »

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eResources for Students

Let's face it, if you're reading this, you're probably not a kiddo! But, you know the African proverb, “It takes a village to raise a child.” So, if you have children or you know any school age children, help us spread the word about our bounty of learning materials conveniently located online for easy access! Like what, you ask? How about:

eRESOURCES FOR STUDENTS OF ALL AGES
jocolibrary.org/HomeworkHelp
Biography (Gale In Context): Comprehensive biographies on the world’s most influential people with related content from periodicals and multimedia to provide context.
Brainfuse HelpNow: Live online tutoring daily 2-11 p.m. Professional tutors can guide you through academic subjects from kindergarten through AP and college level classes. Writing Lab to get feedback within one business day. SkillSurfer for study resources and test prep (AP, PSAT, SAT, ACT, ASVAB, GED and citizenship tests.) Send Question to get a response within one business day.
CultureGrams: Explore the culture, history and people of each U.S. state and country of the world. Encyclopedia Britannica: School, Library, Academic, Escolar and Moderna versions of the encyclopedia offer articles for students of all ages.
Funk & Wagnalls New World Encyclopedia: Online encyclopedia for students.
Khan Academy: Khan Academy provides a free world-class education for anyone everywhere on topics like math, science, history, economics, humanities, programming and test prep.
LearningExpress Library: Tutorials and quizzes for elementary to adult for a variety of subjects.
Lightbox: Nonfiction eBooks that integrate multimedia into each page.
TOPICsearch: Articles from a variety of national and international newspapers and magazines.

JUST FOR ELEMENTARY SCHOOL STUDENTS
jocolibrary.org/research/homework-help-kids
Kanopy Kids: Curated streaming video collection of children’s programming.
National Geographic Kids: Great for kids interested in science, space, animals, history, geography and fun. Enjoy the full magazine with all the illustrations online.
Primary Search: Articles from popular elementary school magazines.

JUST FOR MIDDLE & HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS
jocolibrary.org/research/homework-help-teens
Middle Search Plus: Popular magazines for middle and junior high school students.
MAS Ultra – School Edition: Articles from popular magazines and journals for high school students.
Explora: Articles and multimedia covering a wide variety of subjects like biography, business, current events, health, history, literature, science and more. Easy to browse new topics or search for specific information.
NewsBank Hot Topics: Concise summaries of the month’s major news topics with links to relevant newspaper articles, blogs and more.
Primary Sources (Gale): Digital historical documents including books, manuscripts, letters, newspapers, photographs, maps and more ranging across topics of national and global relevance.

These resources will have kids running home from school to study!

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This calls for a parade!

Happy St. Patrick's Day! A holiday that is absolutely parade-worthy! Unfortunately, if you like to time-travel through local history at JoCoHistory.org you won't find much about the history of the Irish in our county. Though, there is a wonderful short piece entitled An Irish Legacy that traces the immigration of the McCarthy family from County Cork, Ireland, to a house they built from native Kansas limestone northeast of Edgerton.

But if parades are what you really want, then JoCoHistory won't disappoint! You will find parade pictures of all sorts. You'll just have to put on green glasses and bring your own shamrocks.   

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Why I Give: Leigh Anne and Bill Neal

The Library has always been a valued and important place in my life.  My earliest and happiest memories of the library are from childhood when my mother would take me to the Corinth Library to the children’s area in the lower level where we would select as many books as we could carry to take home and share together.  My parents nurtured a love of reading from as early as I can remember.  Inside those books were adventures, places, and lessons that would help shape me as I grew up. They also were the foundation, not just my love of reading, but also set me on a course for success with a strong foundation. On many evenings after dinner all through elementary, middle, and high school, my parents and I would go to the library and seek out the books or materials each of us liked to read – the library was the setting for time spent together.  As I grew up, the library continued to be the place for study and research all through school.  As a working adult, the library has been a place where I could go to research or write to support my work in education and post-graduate studies.  My husband grew up in a small town in Kansas, and his mother, who was an avid reader, shared a passion for reading and the value of the library with their family.  Today, Bill and I enjoy finding great books to read and enjoy at our local Johnson County branch.

Through my lens as an educator, daily I see the value of our Johnson County Library as a place of support for children and families.  The six-by-six program offers families with young children tools and information to encourage early literacy development.  Story times, interactive exhibits and book walks that families can enjoy together are so important to instilling a love of reading in children and helping parents partner in shared literacy with their children.  The Homework Help program along with wonderful youth-focused library initiatives like elementia that allow students leadership experience and a platform through which to hone their creative writing and storytelling talents positively support young people in our community. 

Johnson County Library continues to evolve to support the needs of a changing society and community.  The Library as community hub where people can come to support their needs no matter their age or stage in life is a mission to which our library has been very committed.  Offering access to technology for those who may not have it for workforce needs or to connect with critical resources can be lifechanging.  The Black & Veatch Makerspace provides opportunity for individuals of all ages to explore a hobby, create an invention, or launch a small business concept.  It is the diversity, not only of who the library serves but also what the library offers that makes our Johnson County Library such an important part of our community.  It is not only a love of books and the library and nostalgic memories of special times spent with family, but it is also the valuable programs and services offered that are making a difference in our community that inspire my husband and I to support the Johnson County Library Foundation. 

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