September 2025 - Issue 812
 
NEWS & ANNOUNCEMENTS



 
Rhythm & Read Park
 
 Join us in celebrating the grand opening of Rhythm & Read Park on Friday, September 4, at 6:00 p.m.! We are incredibly excited to welcome the community to this brand-new, 16,000 sq. ft. pocket park, a space designed for fun, learning, and relaxation.
 
Park Hours : 6:00 a.m. - 11:00 p.m.
Splash Pad Hours : 9:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m.
 
**The splash pad will be open to the public starting September 5th and will close for the season on September 30th.**
 

PROGRAMS & EVENTS
See all programs on our event calendar.




Upcoming events and registration dates
 
Mean Girls Trivia Night 
October 3 at 6:30 p.m. in the Community Room
Registration opens September 8 at 9 a.m.
 
Saturday Crafternoon : Build-A-Broom 
October 11 at 2:30 p.m. in the Frank Fanning Room
Registration opens September 8 at 9 a.m.
 
For more information on upcoming adult programs visit our
Adult Programs page on our website.

Family Night
September 8th at 6:30 p.m.
Early Literacy Area
 
Teen Tuesday
Tuesdays at 4:00 p.m.
Community Room
 
Baby Storytime
Thursdays at 10:00 a.m.
Frank Fanning Room
 
Adventures @ the Library
Thursdays at 4:00 p.m.
Frank Fanning Room
Preschool Storytime
Tuesdays & Wednesdays at 10:00 a.m.
Early Literacy Area
 
Tween Zone
Wednesdays at 4:00 p.m.
Frank Fanning Room
 
Building Blocks Read & Play
Thursdays at 11:00 a.m.
Frank Fanning Room
 
Toddler Time
Fridays at 10:00 & 11:00 a.m.
Frank Fanning Room

Third Thursday
 
Date & time: Thursday, September 18
, 5:00-8:00 p.m.

Location: Madison Avenue Central Park
Description: At Third Thursday staff will be available to answer questions, check out select items with the BookBike and a craft for the kids! Stop by while enjoying all that this event has to offer. 

INSIDE THE LIBRARY

Coming Soon to the
Gathering Space Gallery
 
"Unconventional Canvases : A Textural Journey"
 
A new art show, "Unconventional Canvases: A Textural Journey," is coming to the Gathering Space Gallery at the Derby Public Library this September, showcasing five local artists who challenge traditional art forms. The exhibition is a celebration of texture, storytelling, and the creative collaboration of artists who inspire one another.

The show features a vibrant collection from five unique voices. Kayann Ausherman uses mixed media to create layered histories with found ephemera and traditional art supplies. Abby Ausherman transforms old quilts into modern soft sculptures, exploring family bonds and the comfort of textiles. Mary Lee-McDonald presents whimsical and uplifting mosaics using a variety of glass tiles and creates dimensional, sculpted paintings using her own special techniques. Fiber artist Ernie Kind brings abstract ideas to life through felting, ceramics, and metalwork, creating powerful soft sculptures and organic shapes. The final artist, Stephanie Bayliff, will be showcasing vivid palette knife paintings, weavings, abstract mixed-media, and stitched, hand-beaded textile work.

What connects these five artists is more than just their shared exhibit; they are all talented teachers that create a powerful support network for their students and all other artists. They have spent their artistic careers pushing each other to combine materials and venture beyond conventional boundaries. As one of the artists explains, "Being around each of these artists always re-energizes me and inspires me to keep pushing. They are each a mirror that reflects back what I am trying to shine in the world."
 
The "Unconventional Canvases: A Textural Journey" exhibition is free and open to the public. You can meet the artists and learn more about their work at a special reception on Friday, October 17, from 6:00 PM to 7:30 PM in the gallery.
 
Artist Reception
Friday, October 17 at 6:00-7:30 p.m.
Gathering Space Gallery at Derby Public Library
 

Feeding Frenzy
by Stephanie Bayliff
Ram
by Greg Stockebrand

Coming Soon to the
High Wall Gallery

"Guardians of the Skies and Plains"
by Greg Stockebrand
 
The Derby Public Library's High Wall Gallery is set to host an incredible journey into the heart of the American wilderness with an upcoming photography exhibition by local artist Greg Stockebrand. The show will feature Stockebrand’s powerful images of large animal life, including majestic bald eagles, powerful elk, bighorn rams, and graceful deer.

Stockebrand’s passion for wildlife photography is a multi-generational legacy, shared with his father and son. While this photographic tradition runs deep in his family, this exclusive showcase features only Greg’s personal works, capturing his unique perspective on these magnificent creatures.

Visitors will have the opportunity to see firsthand the results of countless hours spent patiently observing and documenting the untamed beauty of the animal kingdom. The exhibit promises to be a stunning collection of moments frozen in time, reflecting both the power and the serenity of nature.

The exhibition is slated to open soon in the High Wall Gallery and will be available to view through November 4, 2025
 
Artist Reception
Friday, October 17 at 6:00-7:30 p.m.
High Wall Gallery at Derby Public Library
 

Gathering Space Gallery
Display Case
 
"Shutter and Soul"
by Garry Brownlee
 
Mulvane resident and Derby Photo Club member Garry Brownlee presents a fascinating collection of antique cameras in the lobby display case, offering a visual journey through photographic history. The exhibit features 60 vintage cameras, the earliest from 1905, showcasing the evolution of photographic technology.

A particularly unique piece, visible on the bottom right shelf of the case and shown in this photograph, is a wooden pinhole camera designed by Garry and crafted by his father, a testament to the ingenuity of early photography. This lensless, shutterless camera utilizes the same 4x5 film and holders seen with the large field camera in the accompanying photograph of Garry amidst his collection. A photography enthusiast since his high school yearbook days, Garry's collection is a tribute to the stories told through both photographs and the cameras that capture them. Don't miss this captivating display, available for viewing through September.
 
 
Follow along at https://www.facebook.com/DerbyArtsCouncil to tour the galleries from home or learn more about art!


ALL THINGS BOOKS

Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi 
First line: Oh gosh, is that the time?

Summary: A small café in Tokyo is at the center of an urban legend. It is said that this café provides the chance to go back in time. However, there are rules for this privilege with the main one being you can only go back in time for as long as it takes for the coffee to get cold. During this one summer four different people arrive and are willing to follow the café’s rules about visiting the past in order to see loved ones and find the closure they were needing.

My Thoughts: This book was so sweet but also heart wrenching. When you think about going back in time, especially to see a loved one, it seems like a rather easy choice. Yes, of course. And that is the way many of the people here felt about it but then comes the feelings afterwards. I can definitely see the appeal and I most likely would take that chance as well. It made me think about people I’d like to see again even for a little while. While the stories can be rather similar or predictable it was a cute little book. Beware though because this may bring some readers to tears.

Love At First Sighting by Mallory Marlowe
 
First line: Once you put something on the internet, you can never take it back.

Summary: El Martin has made a name for herself in LA but more importantly on the internet. With over a million followers she has raked in sponsorships from clothing brands, water bottles and so much more. It would appear to anyone following her on social media that her life is perfect. However, to El it feels rather empty. She is hoping for something real in her life but she never expected it to come in the form of an unidentified flying object.

Agent Carter Brody has spent his life following in his father’s footsteps. Having lost his dad to a tragic accident when he was young he has wanted to make him proud but also determine what actually happened to him. It all seems to be a lost cause until he stumbles upon an influencer’s video showing the same thing he remembers seeing right before his dad died. Maybe this woman could help him discover what he saw so many years before.

My Thoughts: First of all, I love this cover! This is the author’s second book and I liked it just as much as the first one. It is a fun little romance with some nerdy bits. I loved the banter between the two main characters as they get to know one another. There are several spicy bits but it didn’t feel like insta-love which can be rather annoying in romance novels. As well as the romance there is a mystery to solve with the flying objects and Carter’s father. I liked this aspect even though it was pretty easy to see how it would end.

Throughout the story there were little mentions about characters or plot lines from the author’s first book. While you don’t have to read these in any order it was neat to see the Easter eggs in this one. If you want a quirky romance with some bonus UFOs then this is your next read! It was a quick and entertaining read, perfect for the upcoming fall season.


Chicken in Charge
by Adam Lehrhaupt
Just Ask
by Sonia Sotomayor
Mary Poppins
by P. L. Travers
Princesses Love School
by Bri Marie McNish


Looking for someplace to discuss books? We've got you covered!
 
We have four active book groups here at the library that are open to everyone. If you love to read and talk about the books you read, pop in to one or more of the book groups!
 
Hauntingly Good Reads — meets at 7 p.m. September 2. The title for September is The House at Phantom Park by Graham Masterton. The book club will meet in person in the Frank Fanning Conference Room.
 
Bemused Bibliophiles — meets at 1 p.m. September 3. The title for September is The September House by Carissa Orlando. The book club will meet in person in the Frank Fanning Conference Room.
 
Wine & YA — meets at 6 p.m. September 12. The title for September is Betting on You by Lynn Painter. The book club will meet in person in the Community Room.
 
Joyful Page Turners — meets at 6:45 p.m. September 25. The title for September is The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon. The book club will meet in person in the Frank Fanning Room.
 
Bemused Bibliophiles meets during the day and reads popular books that have been on the bestseller list. Hauntingly Good Reads meets in the evening and explores all kinds of books that have a supernatural/magical/unexplainable kind of bent—we look far beyond the traditional vampires, ghosts and witches. Wine & YA is our newest book club centered around young adult novels and adults who love to read them. Joyful Page Turners is the most enduring book club at the library—it's been meeting regularly since May 2000! Books selected for this book club include just about everything: classics, modern bestsellers, non-fiction, and more.
 
Click the blue "Read More" button below to visit the book club page on the library website, where you can find lists of books each book club has read.
 

But wait there's more!
The Derby Public Library provides many opportunities for patrons inside the library, such as reader's advisory, reading challenges, and age-group specific events and programs. But what if your organization or facility can't visit the library? Well...we will come to you!
 
We can custom design an outreach visit to fit your needs, whether it be a presentation of what services we offer or a local event you would like us to attend, we have you covered! Our youth services team also offers outreach storytimes, craft time, or library education instruction. In addition, we can facilitate field trips to the library, including read aloud groups, homeschool library instruction courses, library scavenger hunts, and crafts. If your group is interested in signing up for library cards, we offer a registration process for that as well.
 

Get your copy of
Celebrating Derby now!
 
Celebrating Derby — 150 Years: 1869-2019 is a wonderful book that lets you see what life was like in the early years of the town we call Derby, but was originally named El Paso.
 
Pick up your copy today
at the library for $20.
Now available!
A new Derby history book!
 
Derby Kansas...two different cities is the newest addition to the Derby Historical Society & Museums books on the history of Derby. Learn more about the early inhabitants and the expansion that leads us to the Derby we know today!
 
Pick up your copy today
at the library for $15.
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