Kansas City Public Library facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Kansas City Public Library |
|
|---|---|
| Established | 1873 |
| Location | Kansas City, Missouri |
| Coordinates | 39°06′10″N 94°35′02″W / 39.1027°N 94.5839°W |
| Branches | 10 |
| Collection | |
| Size | 1,215,875 |
| Access and use | |
| Circulation | 1,990,444 |
| Population served | 218,765 |
| Other information | |
| Director | John Herron |
The Kansas City Public Library is a public library system. It is located in Kansas City, Missouri. The main building is called the Central Library.
This library system has a main library and several smaller branches. These branches are found in Kansas City, Independence, and Sugar Creek. The library started on December 5, 1873. It is the oldest and third largest public library system in the Kansas City metropolitan area.
The Central Library has special collections. The Missouri Valley Room holds local history items. These include old photos, maps, and city guides. The Ramos Collection focuses on African-American history and culture. It has books, articles, and other materials.
Contents
Exploring the Library System
Library Locations
The Kansas City Public Library has 10 different locations. These are called branches. Each branch helps people in its neighborhood.
Here are the main branches:
- Central - 14 West 10th Street
- L.H. Bluford - 3050 Prospect Avenue
- North-East - 6000 Wilson Road
- Plaza - 4801 Main Street
- I.H. Ruiz - 2017 West Pennway Street
- Southeast - 6242 Swope Parkway
- Sugar Creek - 102 South Sterling Avenue - (Sugar Creek)
- Trails West - 11401 East 23rd Street - (Independence)
- Waldo - 201 East 75th Street
- Westport - 118 Westport Road
The Community Bookshelf
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The Community Bookshelf is a cool part of the Central Library. It was built in 2004. This giant bookshelf is actually the side of the library's parking garage. It is on 10th Street in downtown Kansas City.
The idea was to make the parking garage look interesting. It helps show off the library's fun side. The "book spines" are huge, about 25 feet tall and 9 feet wide. They are made from special material over concrete.
The bookshelf shows 22 different book titles. These books were chosen by Kansas City readers. The library's board then picked the final titles. It's like a giant reading list for the city!
Here are some of the books you can see:
- Kansas City Stories Volumes 1 and 2
- Catch-22 by Joseph Heller
- Silent Spring by Rachel Carson
- O Pioneers! by Willa Cather
- Cien Años de Soledad (One Hundred Years of Solitude) by Gabriel García Márquez
- Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston
- Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
- The Republic by Plato
- The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
- Tao Te Ching by Lau Tsu
- The Collected Poems of Langston Hughes by Langston Hughes
- Black Elk Speaks by Black Elk, as told to John G. Neihardt
- Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison
- To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
- Journals of the Expedition by Lewis and Clark
- Undaunted Courage: Meriwether Lewis, Thomas Jefferson, And The Opening Of The American West by Stephen Ambrose
- The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien
- A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
- Charlotte's Web by E.B. White
- Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare
- Truman by David G. McCullough
- a volume of children's books with the following:
- Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown; Harold and the Purple Crayon by Crockett Johnson; Winnie the Pooh by A. A. Milne; Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss; What a Wonderful World by George David Weiss and Bob Thiele; Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder; The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum; M.C. Higgins, the Great by Virginia Hamilton
Helping the Community
The Kansas City Public Library tries to help everyone. They have programs for different needs. One program is called Coffee & Conversations. It started in 2016.
This program helps people who are experiencing homelessness. The library shares information and resources. They also create a safe space for people to talk about social issues. This idea came from a similar program in Dallas.
The library also helps immigrants and refugees. Their RISE program (Refugee and Immigrant Services & Empowerment) provides useful information. It helps people learn about becoming citizens.
The library also hosts special events called edit-a-thons. During these events, people work together to add information to Wikipedia. They focus on topics important to Kansas City. Past topics include Kansas City Black History and Kansas City Jazz.
Library History
The Kansas City Public Library started in November 1873. The Kansas City Board of Education wanted to buy books. They held a series of lectures to raise money.
Dr. James Michlejohn Greenwood was the school superintendent. He chose the very first books for the library. A history of the library was written in 1892. It was called A history of the Kansas City Public Library from 1873 to 1893.
Dr. Greenwood believed the library would be great. He said it would bring "great credit" to the city. He thought it showed how smart and determined the people were. This was especially true because the library started during a tough financial time.
Awards and Recognition
The Kansas City Public Library has won many awards. These awards show how well the library serves its community.
Some of their awards include:
- Library Journal gave the library a five-star rating in 2013, 2016, and 2018. This means it was one of the top libraries in its budget size. They looked at things like how many books were borrowed and how many people visited.
- In 2017, they received the Paul Howard Award for Courage from the American Library Association.
- The American Library Association also gave them the Excellence in Library Programming award in 2014.
- In 2008, First Lady Laura Bush gave the library the National Medal for Museum and Library Service. This award recognized their "Books to Go" program and free public events.
