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The Past is Prologue: The Dockum Drugstore Sit-In
Join us for The Past is Prologue: The Dockum Drugstore Sit-In:
Thursday, March 10, 7 p.m.
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The Past is Prologue is a bimonthly program that highlights topics often left out, glossed over, or misrepresented in our history books. For our March program, Prisca Barnes will present on the The Dockum Drugstore Sit-in on Thursday, March 10 at 7pm. In July 1958, Black students gathered at downtown Wichita’s Dockum Drugstore to stage a peaceful protest against the unequal practice of segregation. Tired of being denied access to the city’s movie theaters and restaurants, students took action and turned their attention to the lunch counter at the popular drugstore. What happened during the three-week sit-in? What caused it to end? And why was its importance recognized by so few at the time? This presentation discusses the details of the sit-in, explores how these protests helped transform the struggle for racial equality in America, and considers contemporary non-violent protests.
Central's Reopening Marks New Chapter in Headquarters' Rich History
Central Resource Library’s reopening on Feb. 22, 2022, marks another milestone in the rich history of Johnson County Library’s headquarters branch.
Central Resource first opened its doors to the public on Aug. 29, 1995, with more than 750 people flocking to see the new branch in its first four hours of opening. Since then, the building has been renovated several times as Johnson County Library has adapted to changing public needs to remain a crucial community asset.
This latest $11 million renovation unveils a new and vibrant children’s area with wonderful natural light and a new Storytime room. Other improvements include a convenient drive-thru service, upgraded technology, modernized meeting rooms, a better collection layout, reorganized materials handling for maximum efficiency and renovated staff areas to promote excellent and collaborative administration.
“The Public Library has no agenda but to provide you the information that will support and enrich your life,” said County Librarian Sean Casserley. “Our community will face many new challenges in the future. Your commitment to education, lifelong learning and your love of reading is the recipe for our community to solve any problem. The Library is a space for you and your family to explore, discover and excite your imagination. Come visit the newly remodeled Central Resource Library. I think you’ll be surprised!”
Patrons praise the building as a fabulous setting for books, art, creative pursuits and public gatherings. But it didn’t start out as a Library. It was originally a Dolgin’s jewelry/appliance store and then a Best Products catalog showroom retail store. How it came to be Johnson County Library’s headquarters is a lively story in itself.
Johnson County’s libraries in the early 1950s were often bookmobiles or operated in homes and small storefronts by volunteers. The first official Johnson County Library was established in 1953 in Merriam. In 1956 it moved to Shawnee Mission Parkway and Antioch Road, the current Antioch branch location. A Central Reference Department was created there in 1968, and the Johnson County Genealogical Society added its collection in 1973.
In 1985, planning began for a larger headquarters building under County Librarian Roy Fox. Original plans called for a new, 160,000-square-foot building on Johnson County Community College property. Fox retired in 1988 and was replaced by County Librarian Mona Carmack. Negotiations for the new building on community college land faltered, as did a proposal for a site at College Boulevard and US-69.
Donna Lauffer, who was Deputy County Librarian at the time, recalls that Library administrators decided renovation would be more economical, and something smaller than 160,000-square-feet would provide more resources for other branches.
In 1992, Library administrators settled on a plan to renovate the vacant 90,000-square-foot Best Products building at 87th and Farley streets. But Johnson County commissioners required a public vote before the project could proceed.
On Nov. 3, 1992, a big presidential election, 72% of Johnson County voters approved a $12 million bond issue to purchase and repurpose the building. The overwhelming voter support reflected the community’s appreciation for Libraries.
“Johnson County has always loved its Library system,” said Lauffer, who went on to serve as County Librarian from 2007-2011.
Gould Evans architects designed the renovation and the groundbreaking occurred in 1994.
“They were just great,” Lauffer said of the architects and construction crew on the complex project. “It was a huge amount of work.”
Antioch closed temporarily and its collection was moved to Central Aug. 11-17, 1995. Cost came to $12.7 million, which was $2 million less than new construction. The collection came to 500,000 materials, the bulk of Johnson County Library’s 750,000 total materials.
At a time when the Internet was just taking off, Central offered public computers and meeting rooms that were in high demand. Staff offices included administration, collections, acquisitions and information technology.
In Central’s first month, more than 1,000 people visited each day. User visits grew by 75%, circulation by 34% and library card registrations by 165% with the new facility.
“We had a lot of students and a lot of people going back to college,” Lauffer recalled. “It was a great gathering place for all those people.”
Over the years, Central added an art gallery and other amenities. In 2016, the Library unveiled key public improvements to the facility, including a more prominent front service area, a 150-seat Carmack community room and a hugely popular expansion to the Black & Veatch MakerSpace studio, with 3D printers, laser cutters, a sound booth and more.
Prior to the Coronavirus pandemic, Central Resource Library hosted more than 450,000 visitors in 2018 and saw circulation of nearly 737,000 materials.
All the renovations, including this latest phase, have been done with an eye to creating a vibrant Library of the future. But despite all the changes, Central Resource Library’s mission remains the same: to serve as the hub of a vital organization that provides superb public service, answers questions, locates materials and supplies the resources to educate and enrich patrons’ lives.
First commercial building: grocery, cigar store and confectionary.
Overland Park's Past in Pictures
It’s another grand Throwback Thursday where 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: Overland Park Historical Society
About this collection: Over 1,300 photographs documenting Overland Park life with special emphasis on local businesses, the Strang Line interurban railroad and school personnel.
De Soto, Edgerton, and Spring Hill Renewal Study
Johnson County Library invites you to share your thoughts on how our community branches in De Soto, Edgerton, and Spring Hill can better serve you and your families, friends, and neighbors.
Your honest feedback during the De Soto, Edgerton, and Spring Hill Library Renewal Study will guide the conceptual designs our Library Board will review and approve later this year, with construction anticipated to begin in 2023.
Share your thoughts in one of two ways:
- Join us for our virtual event:
Join our Information and Listening Session 6-7:30 p.m. on Thursday, March 3. You will hear from Library leadership and representatives from our design team Clark & Enersen about the project before splitting into breakout rooms for the individual branches. Registration is encouraged but not required.
- Take a survey:
Tell us about your experiences with our Library services and facilities in this quick survey. The survey will take approximately five to 10 minutes to complete and contains a mix of multiple choice and open-ended questions.
Please contact us with any questions regarding this study. Thank you in advance for your time, and we look forward to seeing you soon at the Library!
Triumph Over Your Taxes
Need to print a form, find a resource, or get some assistance with filing? The Library and AARP are here to help.
Federal tax forms and instructions are available to pick up at the Central Resource Library.
The Tax Help Guide contains tons of resources compiled by our librarians. You'll find:
- Federal and State forms. (We're happy to help you print any form at any location for 15 cents per page.)
- Ways to file your taxes for free.
- Resources for tax help.
- Formularios de impuestos (taxes) y ayuda en español.
- Book lists full of tax-related titles.
AARP Kansas Tax Aide provides free tax assistance and preparation for low- and middle-income taxpayers with special attention to those ages 50 and older. You do not need to be a member of AARP or a retiree to use this service. To make an appointment, go to www.kstaxaide.com or call the AARP at 913.735.5489. AARP provides this service at several Johnson County sites, so be sure to explore other locations for the best availability.
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!
News & Views – Tuesday, Mar. 1, 10-11 a.m.
Join other members of our community to discuss timely topics popping up in books, newspapers, podcasts, television shows, and more. Read a book or an article, listen to a radio show or a podcast, watch a documentary or news segment on the topic at hand and come ready to discuss. This discussion will focus on the relationship between race and the media. We've curated a list of titles that address how race is portrayed in stories, representation in the newsroom, and why this subject matters. Pick one from our list or read your own!
Public Service Loan Forgiveness: The Time is Now – Tuesday, Mar. 1, 6:30-7:30 p.m.
The PSLF program grants tax-free loan forgiveness of borrowers' entire federal student loan balance after making 120 monthly payments while working for a "qualifying" employer. The U.S. Department of Education recently announced major changes to the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program which temporarily relaxed requirements allowing many people to receive credit for past payments if certain criteria apply. The relief is time-sensitive with a deadline of October 31st, 2022. If you work for a 501(c)3 nonprofit, the government or military, this is a session you won’t want to miss! Presented by Jason Anderson, CPA, CFP, Senior Consultant at Gradmetrics.
Book Discussion: Station Eleven – Wednesday, Mar. 2, 6:30-7:30 p.m.
The only thing better than a good book is talking about it! This Spring we're offering both in-person and virtual book discussions. Register to save your spot. Registrants will receive a copy of the book that they will then return to us at the end of the session. Wednesday, March 2 we're discussing Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel. Register for this program online or call 913.826.4600.
Caregiver Workshop Series
Would you like to learn about the benefits of Process Art for young learners? Join us, as an art educator from the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art helps us explore how children can use everyday household items to engage in an artistic process that promotes language development, innovation and confidence.
Caregiver Workshop: Power of Play in Process Art with the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art
Tuesday, March 8, 7 p.m.
Register »
After this event, you'll be able to watch the program on Library OnDemand, where you can also watch the other programs in the Caregiver Workshop series »
Artist Loves Serving Community as Lenexa Library Clerk
Lisa Jacobs-Haberstroh has worked in the insurance industry and has had her own business as an artist. For five years, she was an enthusiastic roller derby competitor in her spare time.
But she has really found her niche working for Johnson County Library, first at the Gardner branch and now as a clerk at the Lenexa City Center branch.
“I have very much enjoyed my time. I basically have been put on this planet for camaraderie and collaboration,” Jacobs-Haberstroh says. “That’s what I’ve learned about myself. The people that work at the Library are amazing. They are creative and nice and great to be around.”
Jacobs-Haberstroh’s father was in the Army and the family moved around a lot. She was born in Germany and also lived in New Mexico, New York and Florida. After graduating from an arts magnet high school and community college in Florida, she moved to Kansas City to attend the Kansas City Art Institute, where she studied printmaking and art history.
She had a passion for drawing and for printmaking (linoleum cuts and wood cuts) but had student debt and knew she needed to make a living. So after graduation she got an insurance company job.
As a kid she had enjoyed roller skating. Some Art Institute friends talked her into joining them in the Kansas City Roller Warriors, a roller derby league at the Winnwood Skate Center.
“That’s what I did for fun and relaxation, for release, camaraderie,” she now says. It was a lively sport, complete with fake fights. It’s where Jacobs-Haberstroh met her husband, Ryan, who was a roller derby referee and would “break up my fights.”
Injuries forced her to quit, but she has kept in touch with those good friends and now does yoga to stay fit.
After she got married in 2013, she left the insurance company and created her own printmaking business, called Shorticorn Studios. But doing art by herself in her Shawnee home was lonely.
Several roller derby friends had enjoyed being Library clerks in Kansas City, Kan. Jacobs-Haberstroh had always loved to read, so she looked for Library job openings and was delighted to be hired as a page at Gardner Library in 2015.
Ultimately she became a clerk at Gardner, went to Oak Park, and then was hired on the team that helped open the Lenexa branch in 2019.
She really enjoyed interacting with patrons on the desk. Clerks now work mostly back office, and Jacobs-Haberstroh cherishes her colleagues. She also loves helping patrons at Lenexa’s drive-thru and while she’s shelving books.
“It’s a really beautiful space,” she says about the Lenexa branch.
Even during the pandemic, Lenexa has remained busy. “We’ve been really excited seeing how the public will use the space,” she said. “They can finally come in and start getting comfortable.”
She now pursues art for enrichment, not business, and has a stockpile of prints to share with friends who visit. Her home studio is called “The Glitterdome” because she glittered the floor with 16 pounds of gold glitter and floor epoxy so it shines like a diamond.
Her husband enjoys wood-working, and she sometimes accompanies him when he flies his model planes. She has four cats to cuddle with in winter and enjoys gardening in summer.
Working for the Library feeds her soul. “I really believe in Libraries, in what they give to the community,” she said. “The way we are open and there for whatever the public needs us to be.” 
1911 Kansas School for the Deaf football team
KSD Archived in Images
It’s another grand Throwback Thursday where 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: Kansas School for the Deaf
About this collection: Over 4,000 images documenting the history and culture of the Kansas School for the Deaf. The photographs depict student life, faculty and staff gatherings, school buildings, athletic teams and auxiliary deaf activities in the region.
Travel the World with CultureGrams
No passport? No problem! Explore bite-sized information from CultureGrams about history, culture and geography of states and countries around the world.
World Edition contains reports on 209 countries and territories—including every United Nations member state—focusing on categories like language, personal appearance, greetings, visiting, family, life cycle and more.
States and Provinces Editions feature colorful, easy-to-read reports that describe the diversity and history of each U.S. state, the District of Columbia and all 13 provinces of Canada. Each report includes maps, flags and symbols, as well as sections on history, economy, geography, population, indigenous peoples and recipes.
Kids Edition teaches kids more about the world around them. Each report contains images, historical timelines and fun facts, along with sections on history, population, “life as a kid,” games and sports, education and more.