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During this pandemic, board games have been a valuable pastime for many people, whether it's breaking some out with the family and friends or learning how to play games on new online platforms. At Johnson County Library, our Table Top Games Committee has been trying to think of ways that we can share our passion with our patrons even if we can’t meet in person. We are looking forward to online gaming events starting next year, so if you are interested in playing games, please stay tuned for our first program starting January 6th!

Courtney shares her favorite games throughout her life

Hey there! I’m Courtney and I work and host Tabletop Games at the Antioch branch. I got involved with board gaming at the library just as the program began expanding from being hosted at just one location, to eventually five locations, which gave me the opportunity to join this awesome team. My favorite thing about Tabletop Games at the library is the community of people it brings together and the connections we make while playing games with each other.

I have enjoyed board games for as long as I can remember enjoying anything. So, it’d be hard to tell you how I got into board gaming, but what I can tell you is what some of my favorite games have been, starting from the beginning.

Cooties: This is the first game I can remember. As a small kiddo, being able to build a cute little critter while playing a game was super exciting to me. Fun stuff!

Guess Who: I played this a lot as an elementary-aged kid. At the time, I liked that I could be all smug about figuring out JUST the right question to ask to knock down as many possible people as I could manage. As an adult, I appreciate the introduction to deductive reasoning that I got while doing it.

Clue: My affection for games seems to have grown hand-in-hand with my affection for mysteries. I loved it when I got to figure out who did it!

Scattergories: This is the first game I played with my whole family that everyone seemed to be interested in (in contrast to the kids’ games that I knew weren’t being played for the benefit of the adults). I learned how neat party games can be with the right group!

Trivial Pursuit: I played this frequently with my high school friends. It was our default plan when we were looking for free things to do with our time indoors. My friend group was a bit nerdy, so this was right up our alley.

Settlers of Catan: This is the first “Eurogame” I ever played. I was introduced to it while I was visiting, in college, one of my nerdy friends from high school. I remember being excited the idea that there were all these other board games out there like this that I had never even heard of.

Stone Age: Still my favorite worker-placement game! I feel like the mechanic for gaining resources, with its mix of strategy and randomness, is both creative and very appropriate to the theme.

Race for the Galaxy: My favorite thing about this is how everyone is always engaged in playing; there’s very little waiting for other people to finish their turn. Also, space is really neat!

Love Letter: This is a current go-to standby for my gaming friends. The rules are super easy, it can be played really quickly, and you can put as much strategic thinking as you want to into your playing. Also, it’s a good game for having fun while being a bit of a jerk.

Camel Up: It’s about betting on racing camels, which is as absurd as it sounds and makes for lots of boisterous interactions. This is currently my favorite game for large groups with players of varying ages. It’s got crazy camel fun for everybody!

Azul: A quiet, strategic game with beautiful art that has been nice to play during such a chaotic year. The pieces are really lovely and it’s a nice experience even when you lose, which is definitely something I can appreciate, especially right now.

Read our other Table Top Games Committee members' stories and favorite games »

A timely rebroadcast of one of our best shows ever! No lie. After listening, your life may change forever. Our eLibrary is just that big of a deal. The "e" is for electronic. We explore our digital Library collection with special guests Hope Harms and Amy Field. If you look at our physical collection at any of our locations, think about this: we just might have that book, audiobook, magazine, newspaper, DVD in a digital format to access on your computer, tablet, phone, and maybe even your smart TV. In fact, you'll find titles in our amazing digital collection you simply won't find anywhere else! So, Did you hear about our eLibrary? 

• eBooks
• eAudiobooks
• eLearning
• eMagazines
• eMusic
• eNewspapers
• Streaming Video
• Mobile App

When the Lenexa City Center Library opened its doors to the public on Sunday, June 2, 2019, among the remarks from public officials, there was a recitation of a work commissioned for the occasion from the Poet Laureate of Kansas Emerita, Wyatt Townley.

Townley’s poem "The Library" was then etched onto a steel plate; the installation was recently unveiled at the Lenexa City Center Library. Visitors can now view the poem on the market level of the library.

In 1985 preliminary planning began for a larger centralized Library building. In 1992, a location was selected. The former Best Products retail building at 9875 W. 87th St. was chosen. August 29, 1995, the Central Resource Library opened its doors to the public. Check out some of the photos from that time period in this special Throwback Thursday slide show.

Fast forward to today. We again are working to upgrade this building to make the Central Resource Library even better! 

We know you probably have many questions about what to expect over the next year as upgrades occur. So, we’ve put together a Construction FAQ that addresses the status of popular services like the Black & Veatch MakerSpace and Genealogy resources, more details about Little Central and where to find alternate services.

Stay tuned to our blog and @jocolibrary on social media for construction updates!

If you haven't viewed the Fly Through of Central Resource Library animated video, what are you waiting for?

And finally, remember that jocohistory.org is the place to time travel through local history. Search the Johnson County Library's historic photo collection for a fun adventure. You'll find over 100 images from the early years of Johnson County Library, mostly the mid-1950s. Be sure to follow our hashtag on Twitter! Have a Happy Throwback Thursday!