The original branch in the Johnson County Library system is getting set to permanently close its doors after nearly 70 years in operation. Antioch Library, 8700 Shawnee Mission Pkwy., will cease operations after Sunday, Jan. 28, in order to make way for the new Merriam Plaza Library branch nearby. The Antioch branch first opened in 1956 as Johnson County Library’s first official branch and served as the county library system’s headquarters for decades before Central Resource opened in the mid-1990s. “Everybody just loves this branch,” Assistant Branch Manager Sheida Bates is quoted in a post to the library’s website. “And the people who grew up coming to the branch are now bringing their kids here.” Its replacement, Merriam Plaza, is set to open its doors for the first time on March 20 next to the Merriam Community Center just a few blocks away from the Antioch branch. No patron services will be available at either Antioch or Merriam Plaza branches during the transition. A new library branch co-located on the same site as the community center is several years in the making, and it’s a concept also being explored in Prairie Village with the county’s second-oldest library branch at Corinth.
Source: Johnson County Post
