As Johnson County Library moves toward its 75th anniversary, the Library Foundation is highlighting leaders and public servants who have made a difference in our Library’s history.
In 1951, Johnson County was rapidly growing. Families were moving into new neighborhoods, schools were expanding, and communities were beginning to flourish. But despite a population of roughly 60,000 people, Johnson County had almost no public library access aside from a few school libraries and Olathe Public Library.
For many, that might have been an inconvenience. For Kay Robeson, it was a call to act. What followed was one of the most remarkable grassroots civic efforts in Johnson County history.
“She believed the community was missing a pillar and she took action.” her son Dan Robeson said.
Quiet Leadership
Kay is often described as the leader of the library movement, but her family says she would have resisted that characterization.
“She would be too humble to describe herself as the leader,” Dan said. “She believed the whole process was a group effort.”
Kay had a gift for bringing people together. Friends, neighbors, PTA members, local business owners, and community advocates all became part of the movement.
“She had a story that was compelling,” Dan recalled. “She got people excited about the potential of a public library in the area.”
Her leadership style was rooted in persistence, optimism, and a genuine belief that ordinary people could improve their community if they worked together. That belief inspired hundreds of volunteers to rally behind the cause. They circulated petitions across Johnson County to get the Library issue on the ballot, far surpassing what was required.
Kay understood that building a public library first meant building public support and was often found connecting people to the cause in unconventional ways. “I’m sure it was a funny picture,” Dan laughed. “A group of ladies from the suburbs with hats and gloves stood outside a bar getting signatures. This was not commonly done at the time.”
Although Johnson County Residents voted overwhelmingly in favor of establishing a county library system in 1952, securing funding for the new Library system proved much more difficult.
Instead of walking away, volunteers opened makeshift libraries throughout the county using donated books and spaces. Businesses offered storefront corners, schools offered rooms, and community members built bookshelves by hand. Volunteers cataloged books, staffed branches, and rotated collections.
Throughout it all, Kay remained what her family describes as a constant force. “She had the heart of a public servant and the philosophy of, ‘We can make this better,’” Dan said. For Kay, service was never about recognition. It was simply part of being a good community member.
Building Something Lasting
Kay wanted the Library to succeed not just quickly, but thoughtfully. When it came time to hire Johnson County Library’s first professional librarian, Shirley Brother, Kay personally traveled to Louisiana to interview her.
That attention to detail reflected how seriously Kay took the responsibility of building something lasting. For her, libraries were never just buildings filled with books, they expanded people’s worlds.
“Kay loved that the Library allowed you to travel without leaving,” Dan said. “It exposed you to different people, cultures, and experiences through reading.”
In the decades that followed, Johnson County Library evolved from volunteer-run branches into one of the nation’s most respected library systems.
Her family continues her legacy and commitment to public service. Several family members have pursued careers in social services or community leadership, inspired by the values Kay and her husband modeled every day.
In 2008, Kansas City Business Journal contributing writer Fred Logan reflected on Kay and the volunteers who helped build Johnson County Library:
“Kay Robeson lived long enough to see Johnson County Library hailed as one of the best in the nation. She never gave herself too much credit, even when she was called the founding mother of the library. Great citizen activists are like that. They don’t have time for self-promotion. They’re too busy changing the face of their communities.”
What began with a simple realization that a growing community deserved a public library became a movement powered by persistence, collaboration, and vision. At the center of it was Kay Robeson: courageous enough to start, persistent enough to see it through, and humble enough to share the credit.
