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Throwback Thursday: Donate that Dodge, Datsun or DeLorean
As you very well know, December is National Car Donation Month. What do you do? Donate a car to your favorite cause at MyRideMyCause.org or participate in the social media events to support your favorite charity. Follow #NationalCarDonationMonth and #MyRideMyCause on Twitter to see how folks are participating.
If you'd like to look at some old cars, remember, JoCoHistory is the place to time travel through local history. Search automobile for a fun adventure.
Happy Throwback Thursday! Some call it the best day of the week.
Our Librarian Katy and Table Top Games
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!
Katy talks about the beginning of Table Top Games at the Library
Since I was young, I remember playing games with my family, and that it was a special time that I always enjoyed. I remember taking great pride in beating my parents at Memory, and when I was older I enjoyed playing Sorry, Sequence, and a host of other games. Around high school I started noticing that big box stores didn’t really change their games out that much. They would just tweak Clue or Monopoly and put a different theme or cover on it, and I was getting tired of playing the same thing over and over again. Then when I reached college, I was introduced to Settlers of Catan, and I remember loving getting to play something new and unique, and I started looking for more games like it. After college, I realized there was a whole world of games that I had never heard of or seen before that were just waiting for me if I knew where to look.
With my growing passion for playing games and my blossoming collection, I started seeking them out at local game stores like 31st Century Games and Table Top Game & Hobby. Around this time, Wil Wheaton started his YouTube show, Table Top, and I realized that this new hobby that I was falling in love with was starting to have a major following. I started to dream about how I could bring Table Top games into my job at the Library. I approached one of my co-workers, Josh, about starting a Table Top program, and we got the approval to start a program at the Lackman Library in 2013. It turns out other people in our community enjoyed playing games as well, because we have run the program continuously until this March, when Covid-19 made meeting in person impossible. However, we look forward to the day when we can host more gaming programs again at the library and share our love of gaming with you!
Katy’s Favorite Games:
Sagrada, Ticket to Ride, Splendor, Ganz Schon Clever! (That’s Pretty Clever!), Wingspan, Camel Up!, Horrified, Dragon’s Breath (to play with my children), Kingdomino
Read our other Table Top Games Committee members' stories and favorite games »
Give the Gift of Friendship
This holiday season, give the gift that keeps on giving by purchasing a Friends of Johnson County Library membership for a loved one.
Present them with 20% off all purchases in our bookstores during December, the three yearly editions of the Library Guide mailed to their home, as well as Friends-only previews at Book Sales in 2021.
How to Use Social Media to Connect with Other Writers
One of the toughest parts of being a writer is the isolation. It can be hard to find other writers, beta readers, critique partners, or just a support group to help you when writing gets tough. In this workshop, you'll learn how to use different social media platforms to connect with other writers and make lasting relationships!
Our How to Use Social Media to Connect with Other Writers program will be hosted using the meeting software Zoom. Registrants will receive an email (via the email you registered with) on the day of the program with instructions on how to access the Zoom meeting. You do not need to download any software or create an account.
Ancestry Library Edition
No doubt you heard lots of stories about your family members during your holiday gatherings. Want to learn more?
Research your family history in Ancestry Library Edition, available from home for a limited time.
Normally only available for in-library use, Ancestry.com has allowed us to offer Ancestry Library Edition to our patrons for at-home use. They have extended this remote access through March 31, 2021 - yay!
Happy Thanksgiving!
Though it has been an eventful and unusual year, we have much to be thankful for at Johnson County Library: the support of our patrons, the resilience and creativity of our staff, and the dedication of our volunteers. It is always a privilege to serve the residents of Johnson County and the wider Kansas City community, but especially so during this challenging time. This holiday may look a bit different for many of us than previous years, but we wish you a day of joy, love and peace (and hopefully a few minutes to relax with a good book)!
Last Podcast Episode of 2020
Did you hear? host Dave presented on podcasting--specifically for Libraries and nonprofits--at the Kansas Library Association's annual conference. We share his presentation as a podcast episode. Enjoy.
Here's the description we provided for the program:
We believe subscribable communication is an effective and fun way to reach library audiences—even those you’d never think are podcast addicts. We want to share the lessons we’ve learned over the course of two years and counting while producing the Johnson County Library’s “Did you hear?” podcast. It’s been a twisting and turning journey. We’re ready to help you develop your own pod-voice! Find about strategies taken to engage listeners (and listeners-to-be), how to include library staff in unexpected ways, and why we don’t devote every episode to an upcoming library event. Don’t let the maze of equipment and platforms or time that might be involved intimidate you—we cover all that technical stuff too!
This is our last episode of 2020. Look for our return in 2021 with some fun changes!
Nothing can keep us from a good book
This year has been filled with challenges, but Johnson County Library continues to rise to meet them. Online resources have expanded to meet patrons’ interests, and the buildings are open with safe access to books, materials, and computers.
Your year-end gift to the JCL Foundation will have a profound impact on our community. Every dollar donated to the Foundation benefits all Johnson Countians through lifelong learning resources. The Foundation funds Library resources and educational programs that encourage curiosity, spark imagination and bring dreams to life.
Join JCL's Brian Berrens, for a behind the scenes look at a few of the programs and resources the Foundation and your charitable contribution supports:
The Johnson County Library Foundation’s mission is to build an endowment for the Library’s collection and secure support for lifelong learning programs offered at Johnson County Library. Please consider making a year-end donation,