Topeka & Shawnee County Public Library

Last updated
Topeka & Shawnee County
Public Library
Topeka & Shawnee County Public Library Logo.png
Topekalibrary.jpg
Topeka & Shawnee County Public Library
39°03′03″N95°41′47″W / 39.05083°N 95.69639°W / 39.05083; -95.69639
Location1515 SW 10th Ave.
Topeka, Kansas
Type Public
Established1870
Branches1
Collection
Size1,487,768 (physical & digital 2021)
Access and use
Circulation1,930,108 (2017)
Other information
Budget$15,650,234 [1]
DirectorMarie Pyko (CEO)
Employees208
Website tscpl.org

The Topeka & Shawnee County Public Library is a public library located in Topeka, Kansas, United States. It serves all of Shawnee County, Kansas with the exception of the Rossville, Kansas and Silver Lake, Kansas townships. The Topeka & Shawnee County Public Library is a municipal taxing district authorized by Kansas law. It is governed by a board of trustees consisting of ten members.

Contents

The library offers many services to the public including senior/homebound delivery, work and home delivery, bookmobile services, curbside pickup, public computers, meeting rooms, extensive programming, the Alice C. Sabatini Gallery and the Millennium Cafe.

History

The Topeka & Shawnee County Public Library was founded in 1870 when the Ladies' Library Association met to start a library. It was not until March 1871 that the doors of the library finally opened in the Keith & Meyers Dry Goods Store. In 1883, the library opened its first permanent building. Edward Wilder, Secretary-Treasurer of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway and President of the Library Board, convinced the Union Pacific Railroad and the AT&SFRR to jointly fund a building for the library on the State House grounds.

In 1953, the library opened its new building at the corner of 10th and Washburn. In 1970, the library expanded at its current location in celebration of its centennial. In 1996, voters approved a $23 million expansion project. Michael Graves was retained by the architectural firm to be the design architect. A groundbreaking took place in 1998 for the expansion. The library opened its doors on January 12, 2002.

Former directors

The current chief executive officer is Marie Pyko. Former directors include Horace Moses, James Marvin, David L. Leamon and Gina Millsap. The library's auditorium is named after James Marvin, and the library's Circulation Lobby is named after David Leamon.

Controversies

In February 2009, the library board voted to restrict minors [2] [3] from accessing four sexually themed books. [4] [5] After public protest and controversy over the decision, [6] [7] [8] the library board voted in April 2009 to return the books to the shelves without restriction. [9]

Board of trustees

The Board of Trustees is composed of three county appointees and seven city appointees. [10]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Topeka, Kansas</span> State capital city of Kansas, United States

Topeka is the capital city of the U.S. state of Kansas and the seat of Shawnee County. It is along the Kansas River in the central part of Shawnee County, in northeast Kansas, in the Central United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 126,587. The Topeka metropolitan statistical area, which includes Shawnee, Jackson, Jefferson, Osage, and Wabaunsee Counties, had a population of 233,870 in the 2010 census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shawnee County, Kansas</span> County in Kansas, United States

Shawnee County is located in northeast Kansas, in the central United States. Its county seat and most populous city is Topeka, the state capital. As of the 2020 census, the population was 178,909, making it the third-most populous county in Kansas. The county was one of the original 33 counties created by the first territorial legislature in 1855, and it was named for the Shawnee tribe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Washburn University</span> Public university in Topeka, Kansas, US

Washburn University (WU), formally Washburn University of Topeka, is a public university in Topeka, Kansas, United States. It offers undergraduate and graduate programs, as well as professional programs in law and business. Washburn has 550 faculty members, who teach more than 6,100 undergraduate students and nearly 800 graduate students. The university's assets include a $158 million endowment. As of 2008, Washburn also took over overseeing the technical school in the area, Washburn Tech.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Phill Kline</span> American politician

Phillip D. Kline is a former American attorney who served as a Kansas state legislator, district attorney of Johnson County, and Kansas Attorney General. Kline, a member of the Republican Party, lost re-election as attorney general to Democratic challenger Paul J. Morrison in 2006. Kline was appointed by the Republican County Central Committee to fill the vacancy left Morrison's election as Kansas Attorney General, becoming district attorney of Johnson County on the day he left office as attorney general and essentially switching jobs with Morrison. Kline then ran for a full term as district attorney, but was defeated in the 2008 Republican primary.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dover, Kansas</span> Unincorporated community in Shawnee County, Kansas

Dover is an unincorporated community in Shawnee County, Kansas, United States. It is located southwest of Topeka.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tecumseh, Kansas</span> Unincorporated community in Shawnee County, Kansas

Tecumseh is an unincorporated community in Shawnee County, Kansas, United States, and situated along the Kansas River. As of the 2020 census, the population of the community and nearby areas was 696. The community and township are both named for the Shawnee chief.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mark Parkinson</span> American businessman and politician

Mark Vincent Parkinson is an American businessman and former politician serving as head of the American Health Care Association (AHCA) and National Center for Assisted Living (NCAL). He served as the 47th lieutenant governor of Kansas from 2007 to 2009 and the 45th governor of Kansas from 2009 until 2011. He was also a state legislator.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">State Library of Kansas</span>

The State Library of Kansas is a department within the state government of Kansas, with locations in Topeka and Emporia. Ray Walling was appointed acting State Librarian in June of 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Equality Kansas</span> Statewide gay rights advocacy group

The Equality Kansas, formerly Kansas Equality Coalition, is a statewide LGBT rights organization whose mission is to end discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity and expression. The coalition seeks to ensure the dignity, safety and legal equality of all Kansans.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eric S. Rosen</span> American judge (born 1953)

Eric S. Rosen is a justice of the Kansas Supreme Court. He was appointed to the court by Governor Kathleen Sebelius in 2005.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David L. Leamon</span> American library administrator (1939–2018)

David Lee Leamon was a public library administrator from the United States.

Robert Stone was the Speaker of the Kansas House of Representatives and a prominent attorney and civic leader in Kansas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Montara, Kansas</span> Unincorporated community in Shawnee County, Kansas

Montara is an unincorporated community in Shawnee County, Kansas, United States. It is located south of Topeka.

Arthur J. Carruth Jr. was a leading newspaperman and civic leader in Kansas for more than five decades.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LGBT rights in Kansas</span>

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people in the U.S. state of Kansas have federal protections, but many face some legal challenges on the state level that are not experienced by non-LGBT residents. Same-sex sexual activity is legal in Kansas under the US Supreme Court case Lawrence v. Texas, although the state legislature has not repealed its sodomy laws that only apply to same-sex sexual acts. The state has prohibited discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity in employment, housing and public accommodations since 2020. Proposed bills restricting preferred gender identity on legal documents, bans on transgender people in women's sports, bathroom use restrictions, among other bills were vetoed numerous times by Democratic Governor Laura Kelly since 2021. However, many of Kelly's vetoes were overridden by the Republican supermajority in the Kansas legislature and became law.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hiram Warner Farnsworth</span> American politician

Hiram Warner Farnsworth was an abolitionist, Kansas pioneer, educator, Indian agent and community leader.

The following is a timeline of the history of Topeka, Kansas, USA.

Chad Taylor is an American politician and attorney, who served as the District Attorney of Shawnee County, Kansas from 2009-17. He was nominated to run for United States Senate in the 2014 election for the Democratic Party, but withdrew from the race on September 3, 2014.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2022 Kansas Attorney General election</span>

The 2022 Kansas Attorney General election took place on November 8, 2022, to elect the Attorney General of Kansas. Incumbent Republican Attorney General Derek Schmidt announced he would retire to run for Governor. The Republican nominee was former Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach, and the Democratic nominee was former police officer, prosecutor, and state securities regulator, Chris Mann. Kobach narrowly won, taking 50.80% of the general election vote to Mann's 49.20%.

References

  1. ↑ 2018 budget
  2. ↑ Ann Marie Bush (2009-02-20). "Library to restrict sex books' access". Topeka Capital-Journal. Retrieved 2009-09-21.
  3. ↑ "Kan. library restricts access to sex books". USA Today. 2009-02-20. Retrieved 2010-05-25.
  4. ↑ Article from KTKA-TV
  5. ↑ Article from WIBW-TV Archived 2009-02-21 at the Wayback Machine
  6. ↑ Ann Marie Bush (2009-02-21). "Library Peers dismayed at board decision". Topeka Capital-Journal. Retrieved 2009-09-21.
  7. ↑ Tim Hrenchir (2009-02-24). "Preisner: Bunten appointed like-minded people". Topeka Capital-Journal. Retrieved 2009-09-21.
  8. ↑ Ann Marie Bush (2009-03-02). "Library Board Under Scrutiny". Topeka Capital-Journal. Retrieved 2009-09-21.
  9. ↑ Ann Marie Bush (2009-04-16). "Sex-related books stay on shelves". Topeka Capital-Journal. Retrieved 2009-09-21.
  10. ↑ Board of Trustees
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.