The Bookmobile will not be at any stops this week for scheduled maintenance. We will resume a normal schedule Tuesday, May 28.

52 for 150: What’s So Special About Gordon Parks?

Posted by on February 13, 2011

It’s week seven of our Kansas sesquicentennial series, and in honor of Black History Month we’re taking a closer look at Kansas writer, photographer and film director, Gordon Parks. This future director of the movie Shaft was born in Fort Scott, Kansas, and worked for Vogue and Life magazines. He was the first African American to direct a major studio picture [...]

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52 for 150: What’s So Special About Dean Mitchell?

Posted by on February 6, 2011

It’s week six of our Kansas sesquicentennial series, and to kick off Black History Month we’re taking a closer look at artist Dean Mitchell. Mitchell has been called a “virtual modern-day Vermeer,” by New York Times art critic, Michael Kimmelman. Mitchell’s passion for everyday people is evident in this excerpt from his artist’s statement: “I [...]

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52 for 150: What’s So Special About Your Library’s Art Nouveau Collection?

Posted by on January 31, 2011

It’s week five of our Kansas sesquicentennial series and we’re celebrating the unofficial start of the Art Nouveau movement by taking a closer look at our own Art Nouveau Collection. “On January 1, 1895, Czech artist Alphonse Mucha debuted a poster he designed for Sarah Bernhardt in Gismonda. The legendary Sarah and the public adored it, and its phenomenal success made [...]

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52 for 150: What’s So Special About Your Library’s Kansas Collection?

Posted by on January 20, 2011

It’s week four of our Kansas sesquicentennial series. Kansas celebrates its birthday on January 29th, and what better way to honor Kansas this week than to take a closer look at our Kansas Collection. Ranging the entire Dewey system, this non-circulating reference collection contains Kansas authors, Kansas illustrators, biographies about notable Kansans and writers of Kansas [...]

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52 for 150: What’s So Special About Your Library’s Stan Herd Mural?

Posted by on January 10, 2011

For week two of our Kansas sesquicentennial series, because Kansas celebrates its birthday on January 29th, we thought it would be appropriate to feature our amazing, panoramic Kansas landscape mural by reknowned Kansas artist, Stan Herd. Herd’s mural can be found in the Research/Reference Center surrounding the walls near the ceiling (see yellow area on [...]

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52 for 150: What’s So Special About “Kanzas and Nebraska” by Edward Hale?

Posted by on January 2, 2011

Every object has a story, and stories build history. To celebrate 150 years of Kansas statehood we’re featuring 52 objects (or collections of related objects)—something new each week throughout the year—from the Topeka & Shawnee County Public Library’s 130-year-old special, and permanent collections, that represent our collective state history and cultural diversity. Our collections are available [...]

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Welcome to 52 for 150

Posted by on November 1, 2010

Happy 150th Birthday, Kansas! Every object has a story, and stories build history. To celebrate 150 years of Kansas statehood we’re featuring 52 objects (or collections of related objects)—something new each week throughout the year—from the Topeka & Shawnee County Public Library’s 130-year-old special, and permanent collections, that represent our collective state history and cultural diversity. [...]

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