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With Toolkit Tuesday, we share Library tools you might not know about! This week's tool: Our Mobile App.

Johnson County Library’s Mobile App makes it easy to use the catalog to find and discover titles, manage your account and get the location and title availability information you need. It's super-handy, but there are pros and the cons to using the Mobile App as opposed to visiting our website, jocolibrary.org. 

The cons are few, but you will not be able to access website-exclusive content.  Our front page featured stories and all past features are not available on the app. You will also miss out on our Explore, eLibrary, Research, more detailed location pages, and sections for birth to six, kids and teens. 

That said, if you simply would like to:

• Search the collection
• Get details on any title
• Check a title's availability – even map the locations where it is currently available
• Place holds
• Renew titles
• See upcoming due dates
• Add titles to your For Later list
• Browse bestsellers, new titles and recent reviews
• Check your neighborhood library hours and get directions to the nearest location

then, consider the Mobile App! 

Our Spring Trimester is filled with events to help you plan your career, college education, and retirement. See events below to register.

Great Jobs KC Tuesday, Jan. 23, 6:30–7:30 p.m., online

It's Never Too Early to Start Planning for College Tuesday, Feb. 6, 7-8 p.m., online

Navigating the Entrepreneurial Ecosystem: Unlocking Opportunities with KC SourceLink Tuesday, Feb. 20, 7-8:00 p.m., online

Permission to Withdraw: Enjoying Your Retirement Savings without Outliving Them Tuesday, Feb. 27, 10-11 a.m., online

The Library is marking a milestone this year for what seems to have become a rarity these days — the opportunity for civil political discourse.

The Saturday morning Legislative Coffee series, which begins this month at the Corinth Library, is in its 10th year of bringing together Johnson County’s state lawmakers and their constituents for coffee, doughnuts and discussions.

“We felt like this was a missing piece in our community,” explained Ashley Fick, civic engagement librarian, who initiated the program along with the League of Women Voters of Johnson County.

The main focus, she said, is providing a free, nonpartisan forum run by a neutral party.

Started as a pilot at three branches, the coffee series now runs from January to April at six branches throughout the Library’s service area. To see a full schedule and register, you can visit the Library’s events page or call 913-826-4600.

The series went online for three years during the COVID-19 pandemic, but before that, the series drew nearly 600 attendees total to five coffees. Last year was the first year back in person.

As the moderator, Fick said that setting ground rules for decorum at the outset has worked well as the program has grown and drawn more attendees.

“I think a lot of people are waking up to the fact that most laws are passed at the state level or the local level,” she said. “So it behooves us to pay attention to what’s going on there.”

In providing a space for lawmakers and their constituents to interact, the coffees are one of Fick’s favorite programs. She routinely hears positive feedback from the legislators and the attendees.

“I want people to feel like, even if they've never attended something like this, they can come in and it's not scary,” Fick said. “You can sit back and just listen if you don't want to ask a question. Or if you do have a question, you can ask it. It's not an intimidating environment.”

One state lawmaker even told Fick that attending a forum was the inspiration for running for office.

The history of the forums has coincided with the legislative terms of state Reps. Stephanie Sawyer Clayton, an Overland Park Democrat, and Jarrod Ousley, a Merriam Democrat. Both have routinely participated in the coffees.

Clayton and Ousley both said it’s a bonus whenever they can hear from their constituents.

“I can go and give a speech anywhere,” Clayton said. “It's their questions that are most valuable to me because that way I know what they care about, what's on their mind, what they're concerned about, and that helps me be a better legislator.”

Ousley said he appreciated that the coffees bring together panels of lawmakers from the Johnson County delegation. Clayton has seen that from both sides, having started her legislative career as a Republican but switched parties about six years ago.

Clayton vividly recalled the 2016 forum she participated in for its large crowd and the anger among the constituents as the state was facing budget problems precipitated by tax cuts championed by then-Gov. Sam Brownback.

Both lawmakers, though, noted the overall civility of the audiences at the legislative coffees.

Perhaps that has something to do with the ingrained mentality of being on one’s best behavior in a library and hoping to avoid a disapproving look from a librarian, Ousley said.

Clayton agreed that the Library provides the perfect atmosphere to listen to all viewpoints.

“It’s doing what America does,” she said. “It's the exchange of free ideas and thoughts in an open, safe, civilized, and dignified space.” 

Registration is still open!

The Past Is Prologue is a bimonthly program that highlights topics often left out, glossed over or misrepresented in our history books. 

For our January topic, journalist C.J. Janovy will present on her book No Place Like Home: Lessons in Activism from LGBT Kansas.

How often have you heard someone exclaim, “I didn’t know the Library had that!” We get the enthusiasm. We also understand why it can be an epiphany—the Library has so much to offer, but sometimes it’s hard to be in-the-know. With our Tuesday Toolkit, we share Library tools that you might not know about that make your life so much better.

This week’s tool: Bulk Renew.

This one is so simple. Do you have several items checked out coming due? Does the mere thought of renewing each item one at a time mentally exhaust you? Do not fret! We got you. When you login to your account via the blue button in the upper right corner of jocolibrary.org, or on the app, look for "Checked Out" under "My Borrowing." There you will find a list of all items you have checked out currently. You'll see which items are due now or how soon items are due. Next to each item in the checked out list is a checkbox. Simply check the box and click the "Renew selected" button. Now, you can do that for each and every title you want to renew. Or, look for the checkbox at the top of list with the accompanying text: "Select 13 items" (or how ever many titles you have checked out.) Then, click the "Renew selected" button. Voila! You just renewed everything all at once!
 

Library OnDemand – Programs available anytime you like on our YouTube channel. 

Your doorway into live and archived programs. Arts & Culture, Career & Finance, Community Matters, Writers and more!

Tabletop Games – Tuesday, Jan. 16, 6 – 7:45 p.m.

Join us for a fun-filled event with family and friends at the Oak Park Library and become a part of the Johnson County tabletop gaming community. Discover new games from our collection or bring your personal favorite to share – you might get creative with a round of Dixit, collaborate to escape the Forbidden Island or strategize your way to victory as King of Tokyo! Come and go as you please. Refreshments are provided.

Homework Help – Wednesday, Jan. 17, 3:30 – 5 p.m.

Join us at Central Resource Library for help with homework. This program specifically focuses on literacy support for grades 2-5. Students are encouraged to bring specific homework assignments from school, such as book reports, writing projects, vocabulary, spelling, science or social studies reading, math word problems, or any other work related to their specific literacy needs. English Language Learners (ELL) are welcome. Students will be served on a first-come, first-served basis, and busy times may require a wait. Additional online tutoring resources are available and include BrainFuse, Lightbox, and Khan Academy among others.

Friends of the Library Pop-Up Book Sale – Saturday, Jan. 20, 11:30 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Shop gently used books and items from the Friends of the Library at the Friends headquarters!
20% Friends members discount all day! Follow the Friends on Facebook for holiday exceptions to the sale and other announcements.

Teen Book-ish Club – Sunday, Jan. 21, 1 – 2 p.m.

Come visit the Teen Book-ish Clubs at Blue Valley Library! Let’s get together to share our love of reading and chat about our current reads. Register online for some or all sessions. Discover new favorites, releases or fandoms from other readers in your community.

And much more happening this week … 

Need to print a form, find a resource, or get some assistance with filing? The Library and AARP are here to help.

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:  Free tax preparation assistance 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.  The AARP Appointments Calendar will go live in mid- to late-January, 2024.  To make an appointment at that time, go to www.kstaxaide.com or call the AARP Call Center at 913-735-5489.