Kansas City Public Library

Some Kansas Citians will sleep out in the bitter freezing wind tonight. They were out there last night, too. Finding a warm bed isn’t necessarily the problem. They know how to survive in the worst of the Kansas City winter, and they don’t like homeless shelters.

Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour had a huge economic impact on Kansas City — and then she kept coming back. Local business owners and even the city’s tourism board say they're reaping the benefits. Plus: A new book shows how Kansas City's drag performers influenced the national scene.

Tuesday marked the 150th anniversary of the Kansas City Public Library. KCUR's Up To Date broadcasted from the Central Library in downtown Kansas City to discuss the library's storied history, how it has changed over the years and what its future could look like.

While the Kansas City region is home to robust public library systems, it also boasts specialized libraries that focus on individual subjects. These libraries have extensive collections devoted to arts, natural history, science and storytelling, and also offer events, activities, and exhibits for readers and researchers alike.

Prairie landscape used to occupy broad swaths of Kansas, but only a fraction of the original ecosystems remain. A central Kansas photographer hopes his new exhibition will sound the alarm for this ecological emergency. Plus: The Kansas City Latin Jazz Orchestra celebrates 20 years of fostering cross-cultural appreciation.

Kansas City native Philip Heying has made his home outside of Matfield Green, Kansas, for the past 3 years. He says the landscape around the speck of a central Kansas town is under threat.

As troops took to the battle fields of Vietnam, internal fighting among American service members threatened to weaken the Army's ability to wage war. "An Army Afire" explores how commanders confronted the crisis.

As kids flock to libraries for summer reading programs, one of the most popular programs is Read to a Dog. Children get ten minutes to read a book of their choice to a therapy dog — or sometimes cat — trained to listen and watch calmly and without judgment.

Cindy Hohl has been with the Kansas City Public Library since 2017, and currently serves as its director of policy analysis and operational support.

Historical fiction? Romance? Memoir? Mystery? No matter the genre, there's a book club in Kansas City that is right for you.

For infantrymen like John Musgrave, the road out of Vietnam involved dehumanizing the enemy and killing them. His memoir describes his time in the war, why he joined the antiwar movement and the responsibility of citizens of a democracy.

Of the titles depicted on the iconic 26-foot-tall book spines on the Kansas City Public Library's parking garage, 11 have been banned or challenged in the past.