JoCoLibrary Uncovered

There is a lot of good in Johnson County. Our schools, libraries, parks, cultural diversity and community. Those things don't happen without the vision and hard work of unsung heroes who fight the good fight and overcome odds. On this episode of the JoCoLibrary Uncovered podcast, Andrew Gustafson—Curator of Interpretation, Johnson County Museum, Arts and Heritage Center—presents the fascinating stories of three individuals who trul...

Did you know that Romance is the most popular fiction genre out there?  It's true! According to WordsRated—a research group that focuses on the book industry—romance novels sold 39 million volumes from 2022 to 2023, bringing in $1.44 billion. 

This is probably not news to those readers out there trying to request some best-selling romance novels and finding long holds lists for authors like Colle...

Have you ever been confused by a word that looked like another word? You know, like bear and bare or idol and idle?   Today's episode of JocCoLibrary Uncovered isn't about homophones or false cognates. But it is about how words can seem like one thing but mean something else, particularly in Spanish, and especially the words "Biblioteca" and "Libreria."   We're a bit past the mid-way mark of Hispani...

In his writing blog, Find Your Creative Muse, Dave Hood provides a great summary definition of Creative Nonfiction:

“A historical text presents the facts and causes and effects, and significance. Creative nonfiction does the same, but also adds narrative, including storytelling, dialogue, setting, character development. Writing Nonfiction History relies on an authoritative tone and is written in the third perso...

It’s National Preparedness Month which is an observance each September to raise awareness about the importance of preparing for disasters and emergencies that could happen at any time. So, get prepared:

1. Get informed (we suggest registering at NotifyJoCo for emergency alerts.)
2. Make a plan
3. Assemble a Kit
4. Maintain your kit

And, make sure there's a good book in that kit! Can we suggest a Post-apocalyptic fiction title?

We wel...

In honor of Labor Day, we invited five staff members with very different behind-the-scenes jobs to answer three simple questions. You’ve heard the saying, “That’s like comparing Apples and Oranges” right? Well, Dave and Charles take it one step further with Apples, Oranges and Bananas. We picked staff with jobs that touch every part of the Library system—Josh: the Warehouse Manager, Patti: the Executive Assistant, Bryan: a Courier,...

"Like most cities during Prohibition, Kansas City had illegal alcohol, bootleggers, speakeasies, cops on the take, corrupt politicians and moralizing reformers. But by the time the Eighteenth Amendment was repealed, Kansas City had been singled out by one observer as one of the wettest cities, as well as the wickedest.“      ~ Prohibition in Kansas City, Missouri: Highballs, Spooners & Crooked Dice by John Simonson 

Your hist...

What is the difference between thrillers and mysteries? What are good recommendations in each of these genres? Readers Advisory Librarian Gregg is back with colleagues Piepie and Bet to do a deep dive into thrillers and mysteries and titles that are a good mixup of the two genres.

Our Thriller and Mystery Recommendations:   Charles’ Choice: Hell is Empty, Craig Johnson Dave’s Double-feature: No Country for Old Men and Memento in...

Bonus Episode!

In June of 2020, we produced a podcast episode about J. Robert Oppenheimer. It was part of a series we called "Author Research in Action" where we invited two guests—one an award-winning author, and the other a subject matter expert. We stepped back let them interview each other and we recorded their conversation. Considering the movie Oppenheimer—The story of the American scientist and his role in the development of...

What is a hobby? Some say it's any activity you might engage in during your leisure time for pleasure. We disagree. Vehemently! We say it has to have some personal enrichment component. Why? Well mostly because we have so many great leisure time resources that we couldn't fit them into one episode! 

Last month we talked about fun activities that bring you pleasure. ...

July is National Anti-boredom Month. We combat boredom with fun!

If you listen to public or community radio, or you watch PBS, you are very familiar with “The Fund Drive"—that's "fund" with a "D." We’re not going to do that! Instead, we’d like to introduce a NEW concept—an annual FUN drive—that's ‘fun’ without a ‘D’. That's right: “Fun Drive” 

See, while a “Fund Drive” garners funds, a “Fun Drive” gathers what our Librarians and P...

“Hope is the thing with feathers that perches in the soul and sings the tune without the words and never stops at all.” – Emily Dickinson

If you look up the term "hopepunk" online, the first definition offered up describes it as "A branch of speculative fiction featuring characters fighting for positive change, radical kindness, and communal responses to challenges." But, we can't just leave it at that. We need examples! Readers...

Individuals faced with temporary detention at the Adult Residential Center (ARC) in New Century, KS, rely on access to Johnson County Library materials on their road to recovery. Incarcerated Services Librarian Melody Kinammon introduces us to members of the ARC therapeutic community, Phil and Dia. They share how exploring books and using the on-site library has helped them.

Also, Youth Services Librarian Jayma Zook shares her exp...

Acclaimed author Jacqueline Woodson—who will join Johnson County Library to launch the All Together Now 2023 Summer Reading program—talks about her writing and reading with Readers Advisory Librarian Gregg Winsor. Woodson discusses how she navigates jumping between genres and audiences, her writing process, collaborating with illustrators, and connecting with communities through outreach. She even gives us a glimpse into her upcom...

Our librarians are back and this time Gregg Winsor brought a couple friends along—librarians Caitlin Perkins and Wendy Gish—to talk in-depth about their favorite weird and wild science books! "Microhistories" are a genre of nonfiction books dedicated to a deep-dive on one particular topic, like snails, psychedelics, or communication amongst trees.    Our recommendations: Charles’ Choice: American Serengeti by Dan Flores Dave’s...

It’s almost time for Summer Reading and who better to recommend kids titles than kids?! We attached googly eyes to our mighty handheld recorder and took to the stacks to ask over 20 children which books they love and what they like about them. We also asked adults what their favorite books were when they were kids. This episode is 20 minutes of pure joy that will leave you with a list of gems, and just might remind you of what spa...