Monticello Library, 22435 W. 66th St., in Shawnee, Kansas, is the 14th branch in the Johnson County Library system. It's the first new library location in the county since 1994. The two-story, 30,500 square foot building features floor-to-ceiling glass along three sides designed to let in lots of natural light.

Design for the library benefitted from extensive public input and deep analysis of evolving needs for library services in the 21st century. Comments from residents have consistently centered around needs for meeting space, a robust children’s area and availability of diverse technology for public use.

The first-floor features a dramatic central stair, self-checkout stations, study rooms, a large community meeting room, new books and materials as well as a large area for children’s materials and programming. The second-floor hosts adult fiction and nonfiction areas, teen materials, public computers including Apple workstations, two collaborative study rooms and three additional study rooms. An ecologically sensitive green roof adjoins a terrace with ample seating.

Hours: Monday - Sunday, call 913-826-4600 for available times.