Search Stories
Beloved Oak Park Branch Due for Improvements in 2023
Oak Park Library, located at 9500 Bluejacket St. in Overland Park, has been a cherished neighborhood branch since 1970. It has a cheerful, family-friendly atmosphere that’s popular with patrons who walk or drive in from nearby residential areas. But the building needs updating, which is due to happen later this year.
Oak Park Library will be closed for renovations beginning Monday, Aug. 7 through mid-December. In addition to infrastructure upgrades to electrical and HVAC systems, a few of the changes you’ll notice include paving and entry enhancements and remodeled public restrooms.
No services will be available at Oak Park during the closure period. Returns, holds pickup, public computers, printing and copying, meeting rooms and access to the collection are available at our other 13 locations across the county, including Central Resource Library (9875 W. 87th St., Overland Park). Central Resource is less than two miles from Oak Park and features a convenient drive-thru for holds pick-up and materials return.
Here are a few important dates to keep in mind:
- Friday, July 21 is the last day to request an item for holds or Interlibrary Loan pick up at Oak Park. After this date Oak Park will no longer show as an option for a holds pickup location.
- On Tuesday, Aug. 1, all not ready/pending holds with a requested pickup location of Oak Park will be reassigned for pickup inside Central Resource Library. You can also log into your Web Catalog account and change the pickup location, or suspend your hold until Oak Park reopens.
- Saturday, Aug. 5 is the last day of services at Oak Park. Available holds not picked up by close of business at 5 p.m. will expire.
Branch Manager Jared Harper said those renovations will help ensure a bright future for this wonderful branch. “What distinguishes Oak Park now is it is an older Library that has charm to it,” Harper said. “It is a branch that is really well loved in the community.”
Harper said many parents fondly recall visiting the branch as children and now enjoy bringing their own children there. One added amenity is its location adjacent to Overland Park community garden plots. Oak Park was built during a time of great population growth and new residential development in Johnson County. Voters approved a $1.5 million bond issue in 1967 to expand Antioch and Corinth and to build two new branches: Cedar Roe and Oak Park (originally called the Southwest Library and then renamed for the adjacent Oak Park neighborhood).
Oak Park opened Nov. 3, 1970 and held an open house dedication in February 1971. It expanded in 1982.
After Central Resource Library opened in the mid-1990s on 87th Street, just two miles north of Oak Park, Library leaders briefly considered closing the Oak Park branch in 1999. But countless patrons sent postcards, pleading to keep it open. They praised the convenient location, the collection, the friendly staff and the vibrant atmosphere. Oak Park stayed open.
“It’s such a fixture in the community,” Harper observed.
Oak Park is in the middle of the pack as far as busyness, but it has the largest circulation of any Johnson County branch without an automated sorter. In 2018, it recorded more than 197,000 visits and circulated more than 291,000 materials.
In the early 2000s, Oak Park was known as the hub for Latino services, including English Language Learner classes and other programs. Then-branch manager Maggie Vallazza was passionate about reaching out to the Latino community, as were Spanish-speaking staffers Christine Peterson, German Perilla and others.
In 2015, Harper explains, Spanish services were expanded throughout the system. Vallazza has retired and Peterson is now based out of Central, concentrating on youth Latino services. But Perilla continues to serve Spanish speakers who visit the branch, which retains the largest Spanish-language collection in the Johnson County Library system.
Now, Oak Park is known for serving young families, with a large and diverse children’s collection, heavily-used computer stations and a popular Holds service.
Last year, the branch shut down for about a week to remodel the circulation area for better work-flow and to update the staff break room. This year’s improvements will require a prolonged closure but are timed to come after the busy summer rush. Harper said patrons can visit Central Resource Library during that time. More changes are expected in 2024, when the branch is due to get new shelving and some new furniture.
“Getting new shelving next year would just really brighten up the space,” Harper said.
Bird's-Eye Views of Johnson County
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: Johnson County Museum Aerial Photographs
About this collection: More than 8,000 color slide transparencies that are aerial views of Johnson County. The collection consists of 45 dated sets. The sets range in quantity from just a few transparencies to several hundred, dating from April 1980 to July 2002, and each set systematically documents the county from west to east. The sets were typically taken twice a year, in the spring and fall, to document agricultural land-use. Each transparency centers on two square miles.
U.S. Obituaries from 1704-today
Genealogy Research Gem
HeritageHub is NewsBank's collection of U.S. obituaries and death notices for in-depth genealogical research from 1704 to today. Includes deep coverage from all 50 states, hard-to-find content from the mid-1900s and original obituary images. Easily identify relatives, uncover new information and locate potentially unknown family members.
You can find HeritageHub under the topic “genealogy” in the research section of our website.
Cozy Read Staff Pick: The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches
Our librarian Michelle recommends The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna.
Michelle says: "I loved The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches sooooo much! Everything about it sparkles with stardust. Found family, sweet romance, slow-smile humor and magical mayhem are all here for your enjoyment. The main characters are wonderfully developed and even with their secrets and flaws you want to serve them tea, give them hugs and wrap them up in soft blankets. If the villain is a bit stereotypical and the foreshadowing is occasionally obvious, these things are easy to overlook because you'll be too wrapped up in warm fuzzies to care. Highly recommend!"
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!
Young Adult Literary Council – Tuesday, March 14, 5 – 6 p.m.
Teens are invited to join the Young Adult Literary Council at the Lenexa City Center Library to share favorite books, pick up advanced reader copies of teen books to read and review, and participate in other fun activities such as author visits, game days, event planning and more. Meet new people and receive volunteer credit hours for your time with us.
Tabletop Games – Tuesday, March 14, 6 – 7:45 p.m.
Join us for a fun-filled evening at the Central Resource Library with family members and friends, old and new, and become a part of the Johnson County tabletop gaming community. Kids, teens and adults can enjoy a variety of games together, including collaborating to escape the Forbidden Island, getting creative with a round of Dixit, or strategizing their way to victory as King of Tokyo! Discover and learn new games from our collection or bring your personal favorite to share. Come and go as you please. Refreshments are provided. This month our featured game is Barenpark.
Maintain Your Ride – Thursday, March 16, noon - 1 p.m.
Get your hands dirty and learn to keep your bike in tip-top shape with this free class from Johnson County Library and BikeWalkKC. Live and in-person at the bicycle fix-it stand in front of Central Resource Library, our instructors will teach you how to keep your bike in good working order with a few basic tools and some practical know-how. You will learn how to clean and lubricate your chain, fix a flat, adjust shifting and braking, and other basic bike maintenance skills. We’ll also show you how to use the Library’s bicycle fix-it stand. This is a hands-on class!
Legislative Coffee – Saturday, March 18, 10:30 – 11:30 a.m.
Discover what’s percolating in the Kansas Legislature at the Central Resource Library. Representatives and Senators with constituents in Johnson County will discuss the new legislative session, followed by Q&A. You bring the questions; we provide the coffee and doughnuts. Registration is not required to attend in-person.
Can't join us in-person? This event will be streamed live on YouTube. Register for this event and a Johnson County Library staff member will contact registrants via email the day before the meeting with instructions on how to attend virtually. You do not need to download any software or create an account.
Attendees will include:
- Senator Cindy Holscher, District 8
- Senator Dinah Sykes, District 21
- Representative Lindsay Vaughn, District 22
- Representative Jarrod Ousley, District 24
- Senator Ethan Corson, District 7
Outreach Kits Enable Staff to Efficiently Share Library Resources
When Johnson County Library information specialists visit community groups and local gatherings, they now have a convenient tool for sharing Library resources.
New outreach kits hold Library cards and applications in English and Spanish; Library guides and bookmarks; office supplies, tech devices if needed and fun promotional giveaways for patrons. The materials go into a tub that’s carried in a fold-up cart. It all fits in a car for easy transport.
This was an outgrowth of events opening back up after the COVID-19 pandemic, as the Library began to receive invitations again in 2022 to visit service organizations, the Arts & Heritage museum, parks and other venues. The materials hadn’t been refreshed since 2019, so the Communications Department seized the opportunity to create a full-service kit.
“There was a need to create more updated materials,” said External Communications Manager Elissa Andre. “We were thinking about different ways to reach audiences. How do we take this back to the in-person event? Not only is it marketing, but it’s building that relationship with the Library.”
When Central Resource Library reopened in February 2022, staff set up a Library card station separate from the front desk. Then staff recognized the need for a mobile Library card signup kit, with a laptop and mobile hot spot, to visit remote locations.
Andre said Creative Services Coordinator Cindy Frazer was instrumental to this project. Frazer used her graphic design skills and also figured out materials to include. Banners proclaim the Library’s DISCOVER campaign. Frazer also gave kudos to the IT Help Desk for assistance with mobile hot spots that staff may request.
Sarah Askew, a Lenexa City Center information specialist, said the kits are wonderful. Prior to the pandemic, when she visited community groups, she would scramble to assemble her own materials in a box. Now she fills out a form a few weeks ahead of time and picks up the kit at Central Resource Library.
“This just makes it easier to have the kit ready to roll,” Askew said. “It has everything you need. It’s in a nice cart so I don’t have to carry a box. You check it out, and return it, and they restock it for the next person.”
Askew used the kit several times in 2022, including for a senior living center presentation in November. One woman mentioned that her husband was immunocompromised and not able to attend. She said her husband had received a Kindle as a gift but didn’t know how to retrieve the Library’s eBooks on it.
Askew visited the couple’s room and provided a personal demonstration of the Library’s Libby eBook collection.
She later received an email from the woman saying her husband was loving the eBooks. “This brings happiness to my heart to see him enjoying books once again,” the woman wrote.
At another event, Askew provided seniors with magnifier sheets (like magnifying glasses, but plastic sheets that increase print size on a page) printed with the Johnson County Library logo. They were very popular, so Askew recommended providing those sheets in the kit.
Andre said Library staff visited over 25 events in 2022, issuing more than 40 new Library cards. At one event, a lady confessed that she felt so guilty about losing a Library book 30 years earlier that she hadn’t had a Library card since. Librarians reassured her and signed her up with a new card.
“We’re just excited to grow this,” Andre said. “Our goal is to have a suite of products to customize these kits, to really bring the Library to the public and meet the specific need of the audience.”
Jocolibrary Uncovered Podcast
New Name. New Format. New Season!
Did you hear? We’re creating a whopping 16 episodes for our 2023 season! The “Jocolibrary Uncovered” podcast will release two episodes a month alternating between subject deep dives and collection deep dives. Johnson County Library’s podcast uncovers our collection and reveals the behind the scenes stories at the Library. The new season begins April 5 and runs through November.
Subscribe
How? Visit one of these popular podcatchers:
Or, wherever you regularly listen to podcasts, you can find us by entering "jocolibrary" into the search bar. You'll find "JOCOLIBRARY UNCOVERED" Then click subscribe.
Too complicated? No worries. You can find all of our 2023 season podcast episodes below. Click and listen. It's that easy!
2023 SEASON Begins April 5!
- The Arts Extravaganza
- Books About Book Lovers
- Library Kids on Library Books
- Fun, Weird, Wild and Wonderful Science
- Incarcerated Services
- Hopepunk
- Fun Drive
- Hobbies
- KC True Crime
- Thriller, True Crime and Horror
- Apples, Oranges and Bananas
- Post-apocalyptic
- “Libreria” vs “Biblioteca”
- Romance
- Unsung Heroes
- Momoirs
Episode Archive
With the exception of early episodes that were published to YouTube exclusively, all episode are available at our Podbean podcast hosting site. There you will find some gems like our seven part "Discover your Library" episodes, poetry, music, interviews and more.
Long Ago at the Library
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: Johnson County Library
About this collection: Over 100 images from the early years of Johnson County Library, mostly the mid-1950s. Photos depict patrons, staff, buildings and collections.