Foundation Stories

written by Shelley O’Brien, Executive Director of the Johnson County Library Foundation

The Johnson County Library Foundation makes a donation every year to the Johnson County Library. We like to call this the “Big Check” gift. This year the Foundation is able to donate $125,536. This will go to the purchasing of physical books for all of Johnson County Library’s 14 branch libraries.

The Foundation was founded in 1996 with the idea that we would support programming, the library collection, and build an endowment. We are very lucky that leaders from the 90s thought about the future.

In practical terms, what does this donation mean?

Good question, reader – it means about 5,000 books are being added to the collection, thanks to the Library Foundation. These materials will be a mix of children, teen and adult books, DVDs, CDs, and other printed material.

Great! Where did the money come from?

From the Johnson County Library Foundation’s endowment funds which are held at the Greater Kansas City Community Foundation. Over the past 20 years, donors have been giving to the Foundation and money has been saved. Some have been $20 donations all the way to planned gifts from a donor’s estate after they pass away. All the money together results in over $4 million in our accounts. For example, this year one person’s estate donated over $80,000 to the Library Foundation endowment. Truly a gift that will last forever.

What is an endowment?

An endowment is like a savings account where we don’t touch the principle or the invested dollars. Therefore, if you make a donation to the endowment, it stays there forever. We spend a portion of the profits.

Each year 3.75% of the endowment balance from the previous year is donated to the Library. Our endowments are invested in a wide variety of funds to decrease risk. Any additional funds made over the 3.75% are reinvested into the principle. It is a strategy that many non-profits and universities use to invest and spend their funds.  

Why don’t you spend all of the returns on investment?

Wow reader, you really do ask great questions. We like to stay with a consistent, fairly fiscally conservative average. If you are investing in pooled funds, you typically make 5% or a little more on average. There are good years and bad years. I’m old enough to remember the 90s dotcom bubble where my mutual funds were making 19% some quarters. And then the bubble burst where I lost money. It’s better to have a low average and save.

Who are the people in the photo?

Members of the Foundation Board and Library Board. From left to right: David Sims, Anne Blessing, Anna van Ophem, Kelly Kilgore, Mike Sherry, Bethenny Griffin, Tricia Suellentrop, Mitra Templin, Chuck Sipple, Commissioner Shirley Allenbrand, and Jeffrey Mendoza.

For any questions on the Foundation or the Foundation’s endowment, please drop me an email at [email protected]. Giving a gift to the endowment is a great way to invest in our library and our community.

written by Amber Bourek Slater, Volunteer Services Coordinator

Volunteers are an important part of the Johnson County Library. In 2023, there were 897 volunteers who provided 42,186 hours of service. To put these numbers into perspective, that is the equivalent of 21 full-time staff members. Absolutely amazing!

Did you know that Johnson County Library volunteers helped with 87 different volunteer opportunities in 2023? Teen volunteers account for almost half of those volunteers. Here are just a few of those opportunities from 2023.

• Tutored children through Homework Help, assisted with Storytimes, monitored rooms during the Writers Conference, helped set up and then clean up fundraising events, and taught English Language Learners.
• Processed over 600,000 books and other materials from the Library or donated by the community at the Friends of Johnson County Library sorting center.
• Reviewed over 1,130 books in the Johnson County Library collection, which assists patrons in selecting materials.

Often, volunteers share their talents and special skill sets, such as the leaders serving on the three library boards or providing services like photography needed for special events. They bring a passion for libraries, and many consider it a privilege to give back to something that has been such a wonderful part of their lives.

April 21^st to 27^th is National Volunteer Appreciation Week. If you see a volunteer with a yellow lanyard in one of our libraries, please introduce yourself and say, “Thank You.” The Library is very appreciative of their dedicated service that makes our community even better.

written by Shelley O’Brien, Executive Director of the Johnson County Library Foundation

It must be spring because I’m thinking about baseball. If Johnson County Library had a baseball card, it might look like this infographic. Here are all of the major statistics the Library reports to the State Library of Kansas.

The bottom line: Johnson County loves its library.

Here are the highlights:

• Physical materials – Over 1.7 million items are on our shelves. Of course, not at one time. A large percentage of our collection is always on the move. Items can be checked out, moving to another library, or being processed. This number is up since 2019. The library still purchases a lot of physical materials and keeps the stacks full.
  
• Number of People with Library Cards – Almost 43% of people in Johnson County have a library card. That is amazing.
  
• 8.3 million e-materials borrowed in 2023 – Johnson County Library made national news in January for having over 1 million Libby/Overdrive books checked out. Now we know the overall number for all digital resources being used. Whoa! That is a lot of access.

If anyone ever says that libraries are a thing of the past – show them this card, let them know they are missing out. Johnson County Library and most libraries across the U.S. are being utilized now more than ever before. It just may look a little different.

written by Shelley O’Brien, Executive Director of the Johnson County Library Foundation

This Wednesday, April 3^rd is Library Giving Day. Library lovers from across the country will be making donations to their favorite public libraries to enhance services and support library collections.

At the Johnson County Library, we are focusing this Library Giving Day on our 15^th library branch – the e-Library. There are so many wonderful offerings on your home or library computer, including:

• Libby for e-books and e-audiobooks.
• Kanopy offers thousands of movie and documentary choices.
• E-magazines with Flipster and e-newspapers like the KC Star and the Washington Post.
• Udemy to learn about computer programs, project management and so much more.
• Brainfuse for students taking standardized tests or in need of one-on-one tutoring.
• Rosetta Stone and Mango to learn new languages.
• The Great Courses, Kahn Academy, and Universal Express for lifelong learners.
• And much, much more.

Your support of the Johnson County Library makes a difference because these e-resources are amazing. Brainfuse is a great example. Students from Johnson County can get one-on-one tutoring to complete their homework or get ready for the ACT or SAT. Brainfuse is easy to access and a great way for families to get high-quality resources for no-additional costs.

These digital programs, like Brainfuse, are often supported by community members like you. They are bonus items the Library is able to purchase for everyone in Johnson County thanks to donations from the community.

Please consider making a donation to support the Johnson County Library Foundation this Wednesday during Library Giving Day to support the e-Library. All amounts are welcome!

written by Shelley O’Brien, Executive Director of the Johnson County Library Foundation

A couple of years ago, I visited a public library just southwest of Topeka on a rainy afternoon. As I was walking in, it hit me. The smell of my childhood library. I don’t know if it was the paper alone, or the moisture in the air; but this was the smell I loved as a child. A smell that brought me so much happiness.

Sometimes I see library patrons walking into Cornith or Cedar Roe with that same look on their face. The happy smell of books waiting to be checked out. The rows and rows of interesting stories. The nostalgia of hours as a child in the library.

I say all of this, and yet, I’m one of the people who never check out physical books anymore. Yes, I’m exclusively a digital book reader now. I even Marie Kondo’d my book collection before moving back to Kansas. I only buy books at Rainy Day Books for gifts.

My Kindle and the Libby application gets used single every day. The font is on a larger, pleasing setting. Most of the time it is connected to my Wi-Fi, but occasionally, I have to go to airplane mode to finish an expired book. Most days you will find my Kindle on my nightstand or sitting quietly on a pillow. Patiently waiting for me to get home to travel to our next adventure. This past week we were in Jamaica with Safiya Sinclair and “How to Say Babylon”. This week with Curtis Chin and “Everything I Learned, I Learned in a Chinese Restaurant.”

Many of you are digital readers or listeners, too. In fact, the Johnson County Library had over 1 million digital checkouts in 2023. This was the first year for our library to go over the one million mark. I bet it will only be a couple years till we start moving in on 2 million. Why? Because we love our computers, and we love convenience.

For those of you who are digital users with me, consider what your local library is giving you. No driving to the library, checking out is a breeze, thousands and thousands of choices in the palm of your hand, fairly short waiting times, and a book with larger font that is backlit to not strain your eyes.

Thank you, Johnson County Library, for embracing the Libby app and loving digital AND physical books. We are grateful for the library staff in the collections department who make the selections, do purchasing, catalog the titles, and make all these wonderful digital materials possible.

written by Shelley O’Brien, Executive Director of the Johnson County Library Foundation

I’ve been fundraising for a couple of years. I’ve seen lots of fundraising events and trends come and go. But one comment that always comes up is the philanthropic rich person of the moment.

“We need Taylor and Travis! They should give to Library Lets Loose.”

“Why can’t you ask Makenzie Scott to support our library?”

There is this fantasy of the philanthropic wealthy person who is on Instagram or on the cover of US Weekly who is going to come to save the day. In reality, it almost never happens.

And yes, I know Travis Kelce has a home in Leawood, just minutes away from our Leawood Pioneer Branch. And yes, if I run into him at Trader Joe’s, I promise I will tell him about our amazing public libraries. I will take selfies, I promise.

But who really makes a difference by giving to the Johnson County Library Foundation?

You do.

You are the donor who sends a donation to the Johnson County Library every year.

You are the library supporter who buys two tickets to Library Lets Loose every year.

You are the employee who asks their boss to make a bigger gift to the library this year.

You are the library patron who leaves the library foundation in your will or trust.

Why?

Because the Johnson County Library means a lot to you. You love to drop by and browse the new books section. You remember when your kids were little and loved story time at the library. You see people every day who access computers and meeting rooms to get jobs and make our community better.

We don’t need Oprah to support the Johnson County Library. We need you.

Thank you for all your support now and in the future. Johnson County Library Foundation is a great place to invest in our community and in lifelong learning for everyone.