Library Feature Stories Blog

Keep informed about library happenings and read feature stories of human interest. Information about activities, services and library materials that you, the library customer, care about, but the media might not.

Recent Library Feature Stories Blog Posts

Senior Fair Offers Helpful Information for Older Adults and Caregivers

On January 18th, 2012 the Topeka & Shawnee County Public Library hosted a Senior Information Fair. Our goal was to inform older adults and their family members in our community about the variety of local services and businesses that cater to the needs of aging populations. The 250 attendees explored booths that focused on numerous topics ranging from health, nutrition, veterans’ benefits, legal, finance, volunteering, realty, tax assistance, athletics, and in-home care to maintain one’s independence.

If you missed the fair, you can still check out the list of exhibitors below and see what products, services, and information they offered to the attendees.

Topekans Benefit from our Computer Training Classes

More than 300 individuals each month use the library to sharpen or to learn computer skills. For Kay Coward and her husband, Terry, it’s a little bit from column A and a little bit from column B. Kay has been using a computer for years, but her husband has not. The couple was motivated to [...]

The Award Winning Mysteries of Reed Farrel Coleman

Secrets can fester and grow, and Moe Prager’s secret hovers over him like death waiting to drop. He and his brother own wine shops, but in Moe’s heart he is still a cop. Though he had to leave the force, he occasionally works as a private investigator. It’s through his work as a PI that he met his wife; it’s also how he got his secret.

The Time Bending Thursday Next Series

The evil villain, Acheron Hades, has stolen the manuscript of Chuzzlewit by Charles Dickens. The authorities want to capture him before Hades kills one of the characters and makes the character disappear from the story. So Special Operations contacts one of the few people who have seen Hades, Thursday Next, the gun toting Special Ops from the Literary Division.

He popped the question! She said YES! Now what?

You’re engaged and the world seems like such a lovely, wonderful place! Once you come back down to earth, here’s a list of items to get you started on your path to Happily Ever After.

Do You Want to Keep Reading “The Hunger Games?”

Of course you do! And now you can, sort of, by reading The Hunger Games Companion: The Unauthorized Guide to the Series by Lois H. Gresh. Gresh provides character profiles and examines plot elements such as oppressive governments, survival strategies, weapons, and reality television. Here are some of the things you can read about in this book: [...]

Mother/Son Time at the Library Nurtures Reading Skills

Reading is the basis for everything. Whether it’s success in school or in day-to-day stuff like grocery shopping or ordering at a restaurant. School isn’t that far off for ShaMecha Simms’ 4-year-old boy, Tatum. They frequently use the library to work on his reading skills, and she credits the library with many of Tatum’s reading [...]

Meet the Trustee: Bob Harder

As part of our ongoing series to introduce you, the public, to our volunteer Board of Trustees we bring you a Q&A with Treasurer Bob Harder. Learn why he believes the library is a vital part of the community.

Double Dueling

Teen gaming has returned to the Topeka and Shawnee County Public Library. On the 1st and 3rd Mondays from 4-6 pm in the Edge (teen room) young adults and adults will be able to duel other gamers whether it be Yu-gi-oh (11-18 yrs) or Magic the Gathering (14 + yrs). Magic:The Gathering was the first collectible card game created by mathematics [...]

Senior Fair Offers Helpful Information for Older Adults and Caregivers

The Senior Information Fair offers a one-stop-shopping experience for older adults and their caregivers who want to learn more about what the library and the community has to offer senior citizens. The Senior Information Fair, Jan. 18 from 10am-2pm, is a perfect time to ask about how we can bring the library to you. Our [...]

Library sponsors Blood Drive this Tuesday

Community Blood Center will be hosting a Blood Drive for whole blood donations on Tuesday, January 10, 2012 from 10:00 am to 1:30 pm in the Marvin Auditorium at the Topeka and Shawnee County Public Library.

Library Story Bloggers

Gina Millsap

As the Chief Executive Officer of the Topeka and Shawnee County Public Library, I lead an organization of 225 incredible employees serving a library-loving community of 173,000. With 36 years in the industry, I’ve worked in three extraordinary libraries in Missouri, Iowa and Kansas and have been a library director for fifteen years. I am nationally known for presenting on cutting edge issues, including 21st century librarianship, process improvement, the use of market segmentation to grow and develop library services, and the strategic changes necessary for libraries to thrive in the 21st century. I’m a Library Journal 2007 Mover and Shaker , past president of the Library Leadership & Management Association (LLAMA) of the American Library Association, serve on the board of Library Renewal, an organization working on solutions to ebook and digital content issues for libraries, and am currently a candidate for president of the American Library Association.