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Digital Inclusion Week
Digital Inclusion Week is an annual campaign that recognizes local digital inclusion organizations and special events that promote digital equity across the country.
Explore these resources for device and internet access:
This Week at the Library
This week at the Library, you can join us for:
Money Mondays: Budgeting & Saving – Monday, Oct 4, 6:30 – 7:30 p.m.
A good budget works when you build it yourself. Knowing where you want to be financially in six months or five years begins with a budget and a commitment to save. Join Ginger Ellsperman, Lead Financial Counselor for Housing and Credit Counseling, Inc, to learn how to create a personalized budget based on your short-term goals, track spending and curb those urges to splurge, save for emergencies, and plan for non-monthly expenses like repairs, gifts, insurance.
Facebook Live Book Party – Wednesday, Oct 6, Noon – 1 p.m.
Facebook Live Book Parties are live events where library staff members will booktalk a short list of titles around a certain genre or theme and staff will interact with patrons in real time. This program features Best Horror Novels of 2021 with Gregg. This Book Party will be held on Facebook live. Visit JoCoLibrary on Facebook and be sure to ‘follow’ us to get notifications when we go Live if you have a Facebook account. You do not need a Facebook account to watch our Book Party.
Moving is Learning for Preschoolers – Wednesday, Oct 6, 1 – 1:45 p.m.
A moving child is a learning child. Grounded in best practices and current research, this session helps connect the dots that link brain activity, motor and sensory development, movement, and early learning. Movement experts from Johnson County Parks & Recreation District will lead 45 minutes of activities, exercises, and games this week at Meadowbrook Park, Shelter #1, (9101 Nall, Prairie Village). Best for ages 3-6 and a caregiver.
Making the Move to Medicare – Thursday, Oct 7, 2 – 3:30 p.m.
Learn more about Medicare and walk through the maze of coverage options. This presentation by Denise Dias, M.S., Family and Consumer Sciences Agent from the K-State Research and Extension Office, covers Parts A, B, C (Medicare Advantage), D and Medicare supplements (Medigap.) Benefits and costs of each part will be discussed. The enrollment process, enrollment periods and various options to choose from when you become entitled to Medicare coverage will be explained.
Día de los Muertos
El Día de los Muertos (The Day of the Dead) is a beautiful Mexican holiday celebrating the memories of the people we have lost. This tradition of honoring the dead is believed to keep them with us in spirit and this holiday is becoming widely popular in the United States. Johnson County Library invites all our patrons to join in the celebration.
For many years some of our Library branches have hosted community ofrendas decorated with the artwork of area students celebrating el Día de los Muertos. Although the past year and a half have been filled with losses of all kinds, and it is difficult to change the ways that we practice beloved traditions, we are unwilling to let go of this one, so a new idea is born!
Open to patrons of all ages, we invite you to honor those you love who have passed away. You can create and photograph your own ofrenda, make artwork inspired by this tradition, send us a photo or a poem or a written memory of your loved one. Submit your creation to us for us to share on the Johnson County Library website and social media platforms.
Step-by-Step Instructions:
1. Create! Make an ofrenda in your home, write a poem or a memory, or select a photo in honor of someone who has passed away.
2. Submit your jpeg photo or Word document (any time between Oct. 15 and Nov. 15) by sending an email to JCLEducators@jocogov.org. Please include “Día de los Muertos” in the subject line.
3. Watch Johnson County Library’s website, Instagram, Facebook and Twitter accounts to see and read the memories shared by our whole community.
El día de los muertos es una bella tradición mexicana que celebra la memoria de las personas que hemos perdido. En esta tradición para honrar a los muertos, se cree que los espíritus de las personas que han fallecido vienen a visitarnos. Esta celebración se está convirtiendo en una festividad muy popular en los Estados Unidos. Queremos invitar a todos nuestros usuarios a que nos acompañen en este evento.
Por muchos años algunas de las bibliotecas de Johnson County han organizado ofrendas de la comunidad decoradas por usuarios, y estudiantes del área. A pesar de que este último año y medio hemos tenido muchas pérdidas, y es difícil aceptar que tenemos que cambiar muchas cosas, entre ellas la manera en que celebramos nuestras tradiciones, no estamos dispuestos a dejar de celebrar el día de los muertos. ¡Así que se nos ocurrió una nueva idea!
Todos pueden participar, este programa está abierto para los usuarios de cualquier edad, los invitamos a honrar a esas personas queridas que han fallecido. Pueden crear y fotografiar sus propias ofrendas, elaborar un arte inspirado por esta tradición, mandarnos una fotografía, o poema, o una memoria escrita de su persona querida que ha fallecido. Envíe sus creaciones para compartir en nuestro sitio de web de la biblioteca Johnson County y en nuestras plataformas sociales.
Instrucciones:
1.Creen una ofrenda en su casa, escriban un poema o una memoria, o seleccione una foto en honor de alguna persona que ha fallecido.
2.Envie su fotografía en formato jpeg o como un documento de Word (del 15 de octubre al 15 de noviembre) al correo electrónico JCLEducators@jocogov.org Por favor agregue “día de los muertos” en el tema del correo electrónico.
3.Visite los sitios web de la biblioteca de Johnson County en Instagram, Facebook y Twitter para ver y leer las memorias compartidas por la comunidad.
TBT: It's Hip to be Square
As you very well know, September is National Square Dance Month. 'Do si do' and 'swing your partner' over to Jocohistory, where you can enter the search term "square dancing." It's a fun glimpse into a different time as we celebrate this Throwback Thursday.
Remember, Jocohistory is the place to time travel through local history. Be sure to follow our hashtag on Twitter!
Some call TBT the best day of the week.
Virtual Table Top Games
Board games have brought family and friends together for years, and we are now in a golden age of game choices! Join us online to enjoy virtual games, meet new friends and have new adventures. You can feed a hungry panda in Takenoko, build a dinosaur zoo in Draftosaurus or compete for the best collection of chameleons in Coloretto. All ages welcome.
Register for Table Top Games
Wednesday, Oct. 6, 6 - 8 p.m.
Caregiver Workshop Series
Whether it's getting them to eat their vegetables or understanding what's going on inside their heads, being a caregiver of littles can be challenging. Each month's caregiver workshop explores a different topic to support and enrich relationships between kids age birth to 6 and their caregivers.
- September: Resiliency and Self-Care for caregivers with Johnson County Mental Health
- October: Your Preschooler's Big Feelings and understanding them with Johnson County Mental Health
- November: Food Play with kids cookbook author and blogger Amy Palanjian
- December: Decoding Strategies for practicing early literacy with Dr. Marnie Ginsberg founder of Reading Simplified
This Week at the Library
This week at the Library, you can join us for:
Walk and Read – Daily, All Week
“Take a walk and read a book.” Not normally sound advice, but that is exactly what Johnson County Library is suggesting families do this week at Veterans Memorial Park, Pawnee Lane, Gardner, KS) and at various locations throughout Johnson County. Walk and Read creates a family reading experience in the great outdoors! Families who participate will read two stories posted around the path, one going each direction. When you finish one story, you can flip around to the other side of the sign and begin the next story, which will lead you back around the path.
Rethinking Aging with Janine Vanderburg – Tuesday, Sept 28, 6:30 – 7:30 p.m.
Janine Vanderburg, Initiative Director at Changing the Narrative, is a driving force in changing the way people think, talk and act about aging and ageism. In this lecture, Janine will share her experiences and commitment to leveraging the talents of people of all ages to benefit community. Janine currently chairs the Encore Network Leadership Council. Her favorite saying: “We are the leaders we are looking for.”
Moving is Learning for Babies and Toddlers – Thursday, Sept 30, 1 – 1:45 p.m.
A moving baby is a learning baby. Grounded in best practices and current research, this session helps connect the dots that link brain activity, motor and sensory development, movement, and early learning. Movement experts from Johnson County Parks & Recreation District will lead 45 minutes of activities, exercises and games at Stoll Memorial Park, 12500 W 119th St, Overland Park. Best for ages 1-3 and a caregiver.
Build Your Resilience Circle with Elizabeth White – Saturday, Oct 2, 9 – 10 a.m.
In this workshop, Elizabeth White will lead participants through questions to help identify trustworthy community members with whom to form Resilience Circles. Participants will walk away with the tools to form their own Resilience Circle support groups, where members can support each other and discuss issues related to aging and living a good life on a limited income. Before attending the workshop, we recommend watching "55, Underemployed, and Faking Normal with Elizabeth White" in Library OnDemand or reading the book.