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Library holiday closures this month

Friday, Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 24-26, the library will be closed in observance of Christmas
Saturday, Jan. 1, the library will be closed for New Year's Day

NASA Satellite Launch Party

Celebrate the launch of the James Webb Space Telescope with a fun, educational, out-of-this-world program presented by Wichita State's NASA in Kansas program. The James Webb Space Telescope is a deep space telescope intended to replace the Hubble Space Telescope.

Saturday, December 4 at 1 p.m.

Community Room at Derby Public Library

*For more information on the James Webb Space Telescope click the red "Read More" button below.*

Children's programming ends on December 10th

Children's programs will take a break during the holidays. The new programming guide is available at the front desk, children's desk or on our website. We will see you again starting January 10, 2022!

Jane and Peppermint will be back on December 1st!

Keep up with the shenanigans of our resident elf and her best friend by following us on Facebook and Instagram.

Christmas in the Park

This community event held at Madison Avenue Central Park combines three traditional community events: Santa's Village, hosted by the Derby Public Library; Breakfast with Santa, hosted by the Derby Recreation Center; and Carriage Rides in the Park, sponsored by Julie Olmsted Insurance Agency.

This event will incorporate all the activities that people love about the previous events, plus many fun new things to do.

There will be three opportunities to get pictures taken with Santa. Events will take place the Pavilion and outdoors in the park.

All activities are free with the exception of breakfast/pictures with Santa, face painting and food trucks.

Click on the red "Read More" button below for a schedule of events, map of the event and list of sponsors.

We have a new app!

We are excited to let you know that we have launched a brand new app, the KanShare Libraries app. It lets you do all the things you loved in the previous app, but is a little more user-friendly. Find it in the Apple App Store or in the Google Play Store. Download it today and find titles, place items on hold or renew items you have checked out.

We need your help!

Thank you for taking the time to complete this survey. We are currently working on bringing new and exciting programs and events for adults (18+) to our library.
Your input will help us to provide a better and more comprehensive offering of programs.

Gathering Space Gallery

Midwest Artists

Somewhere is Time is comprised of 59 pieces of art, contributed by 9 Wichita area artists.

Patrons walking into the Gathering Space will be treated to a variety of artistic mediums, including works in oil, pastels, pencil and acrylics. Several examples of works created on rice paper using watercolor batik are also displayed.

In addition to a variety of mediums, the subjects in this exhibit focus on many themes of nature presented such as flowers, fruit, landscapes and creatures. Some examples include peonies and pears, potted cacti, a timely watercolor of gorgeous fall leaves, a triptych giving the viewer a glimpse of the prairie and much more.

Artists contributing to this exhibit belong to the Midwest Artists group, which was formed in 1964 as a way to support local artists seeking to develop themselves more fully by discussing and critiquing their works on a regular basis. To encourage other artists, one of the club members, Carol Davis, has provided information regarding using a Facebook site for at-home art instruction. Those who are interested in improving their artistic skills are encouraged to take a look.

Show Dates

November 3, 2021 - January 2, 2022

Community Room at Derby Public Library

Learn more about art that is on display at the library by clicking the big red "Read More" button below.

Rusty Gate by Carol Davis

Light Over the Prairie by Pam Hayes

High Wall Gallery

"A Passage to India"

by Elizabeth Corbett and Carlene Williams

Come be swept away to another world with this unique exhibit featuring the art of friends and world travelers. Their recent work captures their impressions while traveling in India in 2015.

Kansas artist, Elizabeth Corbett, has an M.F.A. from WSU. Creating in both oils and pastels, effective use of light and bold intelligent color are hallmarks of her work. She is excited by the visual world, so India was, for her, paradise.

Carlene Williams has a BFA in Illustration and has run art programs for Larksfield Place Retirement Community for 18 years. The nature of her work makes it possible for her to experiment in a wide variety of media which she loves. In this show, she combined her love of travel with art from acrylics and fiber to photography.

"India is a place where color is doubly bright.

Pinks that scald your eyes, blues you

could drown in..."

Fibers of India by Carlene Williams

Show Dates

December 2, 2021 - January 27, 2022

High Wall Gallery at Derby Public Library

Learn more about art that is on display at the library by clicking the big red "Read More" button below.

Click on the book titles to see the book in the library catalog!

Five books recommended by Amelia:

Little Mouse by Alison Murray

Olivia...and the Missing Toy by Ian Falconer

One-osaurus, Two-osaurus by Kim Norman

Ray by Marianna Coppo

Yes & No by Elisha Cooper

The Violinist of Venice by Alyssa Palombo

First line: The gondola sliced silently through the dark water of the canal.

Summary: Adriana d’Amato has spent years of her life sequestered in her family’s palazzo in Venice. Ever since her mother died she has not been allowed to study the violin or music of any kind. But daringly she sneaks out of the palazzo to find the renowned violinist, Antonio Vivaldi, in the hopes of private lessons. When he agrees to her request she thinks that the only rule she is breaking is practicing violin until she starts to fall for her maestro.

My Thoughts: I finally got around to reading Palombo’s first book and the only one I haven’t read yet. It was just as beautiful as the rest of her works. She creates interesting storylines with fantastic historical characters. Venice nearly becomes a character of its own in this story. With its own charming traits such as Carnavale, the gondolas and the romance of an Italian city on the water, it is easy to get swept up in Adriana’s story.

I visited Venice in 2006. Many of the places Adriana visits are vivid in my memory. Venice is a beautiful town filled with history and beauty.

Normally I do not read romance novels but this is a perfect mix between historical fiction and romance. I was frustrated with several of the choices made by Adriana but needing to know the outcomes kept me reading. As a reader I felt for her plight. Life for a wealthy merchant’s daughter could be easy but also had its challenges. I think many readers, myself included, believe that to live in these times would be wonderful. The gorgeous dresses, parties and life without much of the drama we have today. But historical fiction can do a great job of dulling these dreams when you see how women were treated or restricted in their lives. Palombo did a great job portraying this through Adriana’s life.

Click here to find The Violinist of Venice on the KanShare catalog.

Release date: December 15, 2015

Ashley's rating:

Best Wishes, Warmest Regards by Daniel Levy and Eugene Levy

First line: When we were first approached about putting a book together we asked ourselves the same question that was raised when we first started making Schitt’s Creek over seven years ago: what can we do with this opportunity?

Summary: In this delightful coffee table book the creators of Schitt’s Creek look back on creating and the legacy of this show that took over awards season. It is filled with pictures, character features and insights into episodes.

My Thoughts: I LOVE Schitt’s Creek! But it took me several months of being told about how much I would love it before I started watching. Once I did, I binged it. I have re-watched the show several times, can quote many pieces of the show and have a Christmas ornament with David Rose on it.

This book is not something most people would sit down and read. It is more something to look at the pictures but I read it from front to back. I loved hearing from the cast about their experiences and insights into their characters. Each person brought something different to the show, the town and their characters.

But I think my favorite part was when they showed all of David’s knits and Moira’s wigs. There are so many! And then each was put with a quote from the scene the costumes were used in. I never realized how much thought went into each piece. This gave me a lot of new information about the show. It seems like a good time to re-watch Schitt’s Creek again! Best wishes, warmest regards!

Click here to find Best Wishes, Warmest Regards on the KanShare catalog.

Release date: October 26, 2021

Ashley's review:

Looking for someplace to discuss books? We've got you covered!

We have three 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!

Bemused Bibliophiles — meets at 1 p.m. Dec. 1. The title for December is Mary Jane by Jessica Anya Blau. The book club will meet in person in the Frank Fanning Conference Room.

Hauntingly Good Reads — meets at 7 p.m. Dec. 7. The title for December is Heart-Shaped Box by Joe Hill . The book club will meet in person in the Frank Fanning Conference Room.

Joyful Page Turners — will not meet in December. 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.

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 red "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.

Kansas Veterans Virtual Memory Wall

The Dole Institute is updating their Kansas Veterans Virtual Memory Wall. Family members or friends can submit profiles for Kansas Veterans who have passed as well. This is not limited to wartime service. If a veteran served during peace times, they are encouraged to submit a profile 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.