Author Amy Barickman presents an inspirational guide to needlework, cooking, sewing, fashion, and fun.Author and former Boston Symphony violinist Gerald Elias discusses his new mystery novel featuring violin pedagogue and amateur sleuth Daniel Jacobus.The most successful of the Saturday Night Live alumni, Bill Murray continues to win new fans and reward longtime followers with his selective choice of big screen starring roles and always memorable bit parts. Join 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.Ballet enthusiast and philanthropist Anne Bass hosts a screening of her new documentary and answers audience questions.Authors Jeff Deck and Benjamin Herson discuss the formation of TEAL (Typo Eradication Advancement League) and their guerilla campaign to rid the world of poor grammar. Learn about different career opportunities for teens from local trade unions, colleges, and community organizations.An online networking publication geared toward empowering women with knowledge through life experiences, editor Serita Belton presents the panel discussion The Conversation: A Man’s Thoughts on Interacting with Women.Crosby Kemper III and Saralyn Reece Hardy lead a conversation with peripatetic Romanian artists Dan and Lia Perjovschi. Author John Shors discusses his new novel about a former high-tech executive who honors his late wife’s final wish by taking their 10-year-old daughter on a trip across Asia.Local children’s advocates SuEllen Fried and Blanche Sosland present a strategy to reduce the pain, rage, and revenge cycle of bullying.Archivists Randy Roberts and Shannon Phillips Julien discuss their new book, a photographic history of Pittsburg State University. Debut author Anne Fortier discusses her novel, Juliet, inspired in part by the Shakespearean tragedy. A panel discussion of the future of Kansas City's oldest and largest general history museum.Bert Hansen explores the role LIFE Magazine played in shaping Americans’ ideas of science in the middle of the 20th century.St. Louis kids’ rocker Babaloo performs his one-man musical comedy act for children of all ages. Be ready for a high-energy, over-the-top, fun-filled experience.Pulitzer-Prize-winning film critic Roger Ebert joins the annual Off-the-Wall Film Series for a cross section of his favorites that he believes deserves wider attention.Magic Mama conveys her hope-filled message of love and respect for all through her performance of Organic Hip Hop and World Beats for all ages. Magic Mama strives to inspire creative thinking and promote Earth-friendly actions with her lively, interactiveJoan Stack discusses Thomas Hart Benton's illustrations for special editions of Mark Twain’s books issued by The Limited Editions Club in the 1930s and 1940s.Bestselling author Terry McMillan discusses her latest novel Getting to Happy, the followup to Waiting to Exhale.Author Jonathan Franzen discusses his epic new book, Freedom, his first novel since The Corrections. A screening of the historic first presidential debate between Vice President Nixon and Senator Kennedy, featuring expert commentary from veteran newsman Sander Vanocur. Doreen Cronin – author of the bestselling children’s books Click, Clack, Moo and Giggle, Giggle, Quack – discusses her new book Rescue Bunnies, the story of a Rescue Bunny trainee named Newbie.David Herlihy presents his book about a young man who left his Pennsylvania home in 1892 to travel around the world on a bicycle prototype, only to mysteriously disappear in Turkey.Historian and author Duane W. Roller presents his book about one of the most famous and misunderstood personalities from classical antiquity.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.Kansas City Style: The Artistry of Orval Hixon highlights the local legend’s most creative and dramatic contributions to the art of photography.
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Library Life

Back to School, Westside-style

Uncle Sam juggles with schoolkids at the Ruiz Branch. (Photos by Elise Del Vecchio)

It’s the first week of the 2010 school year in Kansas City, Missouri, a time of energy and excitement. And for many parents, it’s a time for cutting back – those no. 2 pencils and spiral notebooks add up. Thanks to the KC Public Library’s Ruiz Branch, nearly 200 Westside families got a break from the school-supply squeeze.

Featured Series

The Great Debates Revisited

September-October 2010The Great Debates Revisited commemorates the landmark Kennedy-Nixon presidential debates, which ushered American politics into the multimedia age.
The Great Debates Revisited commemorates the landmark Kennedy- Nixon presidential debates, which ushered American politics into the multimedia age.

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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.)

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This Week in Kansas City History

Wilkins Rising

Roy O. Wilkins

August 30, 1901: Roy O. Wilkins, who will spend eight years as reporter and editor of the Kansas City Call before moving on to lead the NAACP, is born in St. Louis, Missouri.

Missouri Valley Special Collections

Monthly Theme: KCMO School District


Grade school classroom, ca. 1920s


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

Meet the Past Now Online

Meet the Past

Watch every episode of KCPT's Meet the Past with Crosby Kemper III online. You can also visit the Media Center to find audio recordings and C-SPAN videos of our special events.

Previous Special Events

What's been happening at the Library

Previous Special Events at Kansas City Public Library
Katie Armitage


Listen to this event | Library photos on Flickr
Other recordings | All Previous Special Events

Giving to the Library

Giving to the Library

Contact Claudia Baker for information.