With a $25,000 grant from the Johnson County Library Foundation, the Johnson County Library will convert part of its extensive print literary criticism collection to a Web-based format. This grant represents the Foundation’s first Collection Enrichment Project, an annual effort to provide additional depth and breadth to the Library’s collection of materials and databases.

The Library’s Contemporary Literary Criticism and Twentieth Century Literary Criticism collection currently consists of 478 printed volumes housed at the Central Resource Library, 9875 W. 87th St, Overland Park. The online database will replace the print volumes, and offer Library patrons access to the resources via home or school computers, with a library card and PIN, as well as on public computers at the Library’s 13 locations.  The Library will be purchasing the database’s electronic files, meaning the material will be permanently available at Johnson County Library and will provide lasting value for the Library’s collection.  The online version will feature an easy-to-use search engine, instead of requiring traditional printed indexes. This improvement will also provide a much-needed space-savings at the Central Resource Library. 

Literary study resources, such as Contemporary Literary Criticism and Twentieth Century Literary Criticism, are a critical tool for students and researchers.  Students throughout Johnson County regularly utilize these research tools in their course work.

The Johnson County Library Foundation's mission is to build an endowment for the Library's collection and secure support for life-long learning programs offered at Johnson County Library.  The organization, established in 1998, supports collection enrichment, youth homework assistance, art programs, early literacy initiatives, youth-at-risk programs and technology enhancement.  The Foundation is widely known for its signature fundraising event, the Pinnacle Awards, held each fall, which recognizes community leaders in the arts, entrepreneurship, literacy and public engagement.  The IRS recognizes the Foundation as a 501(c)3 organization and a 509(a)1 public charity, making all charitable gifts to the foundation 100% tax deductible.  For more information, contact the Foundation office at (913) 495-7579 or visit www.jocolibraryfoundation.org.