Take a break from Hollywood blockbuster fever with a cinematic selection of coolers that all share a common element: unforeseeable twists, executed with confidence by killer casts. A month-long film retrospective curated by film historian David Thomson that examines the influence of classic Hitchcock films on cinematic taste (and tolerance). Author Daniel S. Pierce discusses his new book about the history of NASCAR and explains how Big Bill France helped turn the sport into a billion dollar industry.Acclaimed film historian and critic David Thomson speaks about the legacy of Alfred Hitchcock’s most important film as detailed in his book The Moment of Psycho: How Alfred Hitchcock Taught America to Love Murder. Celebrate the finale of Summer Reading at the annual End of Summer Party with the La Las’sJoin us on the first Saturday of every month (May - October) as the Friends of the Kansas City Public Library present the third annual City Market Summer Book Sale Series.Join us for some Burnt Ends from Oklahoma Joe’s BBQ when Kansas City writer Doug Worgul presents his novel Thin Blue Smoke, a tale of redemption that focuses on love and loss, hope and despair, barbeque and blues. Free AdmissonJohn T. Fleming III, executive vice president of Black Educational Events, discusses the role of historically black colleges and universities in modern higher education and offers tips for students interested in attending any of the schools featured in HBJoin us for a very high energy, fast-paced yo-yo performance set to music. Children are encouraged to bring their own yo-yos or yo-yos can be purchased during the event.Former editor Laura Hockaday shares historical and personal anecdotes attributed The Star’s founder and publisher, William Rockhill Nelson, and the founder of the women’s news department, Nell Snead.Filmmaker Gary Jenkins presents Negroes To Hire, a documentary based on American Slave Narratives gathered from 1936-38. The screening will be followed by a panel discussion.Friday Night Family Fun presents a special Mad Science show in conjunction with the Big Bugs exhibit on display at Powell Gardens until October 3, 2010.Pulitzer Prize-winning film critic Roger Ebert joins the annual Off-the-Wall Film Series or EbertfestKC, a cross section of his favorites from Ebertfest (showing films or formats he believes deserve wider attention) hosted at the University of Illinois. Restaurateur Carl DiCapo shares stories from his five decades at the iconic Kansas City eatery.Rosemary Herbert discusses A New Omnibus of Crime, a collection of the best short fiction in the crime and mystery genres, which she co-edited with the late Tony Hillerman. The permanent gallery's inaugural exhibit showcases the local legend's most famous subjects from the golden age of theater and film.An exhibit representing the journey hundreds of slaves took to gain their freedom in the North.Bunce Island was once a key base of operations for European slave merchants in Sierra Leone, West Africa. Still standing are ruins of the slave castle, the last place captives set foot before boarding ships for America. An exhibit chronicling the history of Kansas City’s Troost Avenue from its beginnings as a 365-acre slave plantation to its emergence as a business hub in the early 1900s to the new sense of community that exists there today.A collection of images chronicling the Chinese 'Cultural Revolution' from its beginnings in 1966 through the death of Mao Zedong in 1976. Exhibition in cooperation with Contact Press Images.
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Staff Picks

The Case for NASCAR

Real NASCAR - Daniel S. Pierce

No other sport has a history quite like American stock car racing. In his new book, Real NASCAR: White Lightning, Red Clay and Big Bill France, Daniel S. Pierce traces the rise of NASCAR from its roots in showdowns between Southern bootleggers to a billion-dollar brand with legions of fans.

Summer Reading

 

Summer Reading

Featured Database

PressDisplay
Library card required from home
The Library is now offering patrons access to PressDisplay.com, a website with full-content premium newspapers from around the world. Read daily news from current newspapers in their original full-color, full-page format. (PressDisplay is limited to four users at a time.)
Read more

This Week in Kansas City History

Hotel Horror

Hyatt Regency Hotel

July 17, 1981: One hundred fourteen people die as two skywalks collapse at the Hyatt Regency Hotel during a tea dance.

Missouri Valley Special Collections

Monthly Theme: 1951 Flood


1951 Flood


See KCHistory.org for digital collections or
learn more about Local History & Genealogy.

C-SPAN at the Library

C-SPAN at the Library

See the Media Center for audio recordings, Meet the Past on KCPT, and C-SPAN videos.

Previous Special Events

What's been happening at the Library

Previous Special Events at Kansas City Public Library
Adrienne Mayor


Library photos on Flickr | Audio of Events
All Previous Special Events

Giving to the Library

Giving to the Library

Contact Claudia Baker for information.