One of my favorite things to do when traveling is to visit different museums but I am especially…read morefond of presidential libraries and museums. Since childhood I have been fascinated with the presidency. As of today, there are 13 presidential libraries in the country with number 14 slated to open very soon. It is a goal of mine to see all of them. What makes it even more fun is that they sell a passport in the giftshop which each library and museum will stamp on your visit. Once you get all the stamps, you will get a commemorative gift. The staff here was amazing. Everyone I encountered loved their job and was ready to give information about the grounds as well as about the president. On a recent trip to Kansas City, I decided to hit all the libraries and museums around the area. Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum was my first stop and library number four for me. It is located in the small town of Abilene, Kansas which is President Eisenhower's hometown and his actual childhood home is on the property. The town itself gets alot of praise for being one of the best small towns to visit. The museum and library recently got awarded as the #1 presidential attraction. At first glance, one may think the visitor center is the museum. In reality, everything sits on 22 acres of beautifully landscaped land. There are multiple buildings to visit to get the full experience. The first building you walk in is the gift shop and also where you can purchase tickets in person. This is also where you watch an introductory film on President Eisenhower. I'd be lying if I said I remember what I learned growing up, so the film helped jog my memory and prepare for the museum. You can walk the grounds in any manner you find fit. I chose to start with the chapel. This is where President Eisenhower, their son Doud, and Mamie Eisenhower are buried. Next, I made my way to the library. Some libraries have many items from the president's time in office. This library was small, but had some pretty cool items. Next, I went to the museum. This gave a glimpse of his life from childhood, West Point, military service, presidency, and life after his presidency. This museum was actually more interactive than some of the more current presidential museums I have been too. They also have films throughout which also gives you a reprieve from walking. Currently, all the libraries are celebrating America's 250th birthday and each have special exhibits. This one had actual documents from the vaults of American history. Very cool. Before making my way to the gift shop to get my stamp and mandatory magnet souvenir, the last stop was President Eisenhower's actual childhood home on the property. They do tours, but it was closed on the day I went. It's a small, modest home built in 1898. That to me is amazing that they preserved this. I think my expectations were a little low coming in because it was a museum for an older president. I was wrong in assuming that because this was probably one of the better museums I have been to. I learned alot and spent way more time than I allotted myself because there was so much to see. I highly recommend coming here if you appreciate history like me.

If you are looking for a day-long adventure in the middle of nowhere in Kansas, this is your place!…read more There's plenty of free parking by the visitor center. Start in the visitor center / gift shop to buy tickets. Highly recommend the combo ticket (house tour & library) to save some money. The staff was super helpful in orienting us and making recommendations for how to spend the day. Try to arrive at 15 or 45 minutes after the hour because that's when the 24 minute video begins playing in the visitor center. The video was mostly just hype for Eisenhower and not super educational, but it's a good way to start the experience. The grounds includes the boyhood home, library, museum, place of meditation, and visitor center with gift shop. It's so convenient to have all of this history in one place! Make sure to take a picture with the Eisenhower statue in the middle of the lawn! When you buy your tickets, you are assigned a tour time. I recommend getting there earlier in the day because the tour times will fill up. The boyhood home is very small. You can only enter a few of the rooms, but you can look into all the rooms on the first floor. You cannot go upstairs. So the tour only takes about 20 mins, depending on questions. The tour guide told some good stories about Eisenhower's parents. Eisenhower, his wife Mamie, and one of their sons are buried in the place of meditation. There is only one small exhibit upstairs in the library. Currently it's about women voting for Ike. Don't budget much time for the library because it's quick to breeze through. The museum on the other hand is extensive, so budget several hours! There's a lot to look at and read. You can come and go if you need to take a break for a home tour or lunch. They currently also have a special exhibit on the Cold War. You could spend a whole day in there! There are picnic tables for resting and eating throughout the day. The gift shop has lots of gift options for browsing. Overall, this is a great historical place to spend the day! You will leave exhausted and full of information. Highly recommend checking out the World's Largest Belt Buckle on your way out of town!

A lady of the name Brinna was very helpful to me today. Really enhanced my experience at the…read morelibrary!

Decor: This building has it all - a children's area, computer lab, multi-level space of all media…read morePrice: Everything is free with your library card, unless you get a late fee. All-in-all: This place has it all, from services to stuff you can physically check-out and its all FREE! Listen, Arthur the Aardvark must've had this place in mind when he released his number one hit 'Library Card' song, never heard of it? - you HAVE TO Google it! Usually when you think Public Libraries boring places with books everywhere probably come to mind. Well, this library has plenty of books, and a lot of space to store them, but wait.... THERE'S MORE! You can also check-out: Magazines, CDs, Video Games, Movies, Audio Books, and probably other things I just haven't thought to ask about just yet. It's like the Walmart of all things media.... well, its more classy than Walmart so maybe it is the Target (everything is still free though). It is hard to share this information because I know the more popular the library gets the more I may have to wait for some items but the people have to know! If you are a frequent user of RedBox, and you live in Manhattan, go ahead and give your credit card a rest because the MHK Library has a wide variety of items you can check-out for the whole family (or just yourself) and if the Library doesn't have it but you want it (hold on to your hat for this) - they will buy it, and you can get first dibs on it when it comes in! I've benefited from this feature a couple of times. This participate in the Interlibrary loan program, and have other partners that greatly improve their catalog of items to choose from. This library also offers/ provides a space for other services, like a free tax preparation during tax season. I'll wrap up this review by saying this is one of the best spots within the city, and a good space where you can see your tax paying dollars going to great use!

Tbh, my phone is outdated so I was having a great deal of trouble getting a PDF file printed from…read moremy phone. I'd come here in the past with the same problem and the young man in the computer area was useless, didn't even try to help me out. But thankfully there was a young lady named Melanie there today and she was incredibly helpful, friendly and patient. We got the issue quickly and easily resolved. That's what customer service at the library is supposed to look like!

Rude employees. Not welcoming to our young children. "They can't do that. You can't be that far…read morefrom her. If they rip that book you'll have to pay for it. My children are very well behaved, and we don't let them out of our sight. It seems they just don't want them there. No problem.

This is a BEAUTIFUL library! I enjoy the monthly book club meetings and the 1,000 Before…read moreKindergarten program. The staff is friendly and knowledgeable.

We went there this evening and it's one of the most beautiful public libraries we've ever seen. An…read moreaddition was built several years ago (seamless appearance) and it's really impressive. There's a wonderful/large children's section, there are lovely/large stained glass windows, and there are several areas filled with big/comfortable chairs. It's obvious that a lot of careful thought and planning went into this library.

This library is wonderful. It's a small town library, so their in-house collection isn't as large…read moreor varied as some, but they ate quick and friendly when it comes to inter-library loans. The people who work here are very friendly--the library director actually scanned and emailed to me a copy of my transcript while I was job hunting. The atmosphere is great: the stacks smell like books and ink, and it has the perfect level of near-silence. I love it here!

I found this to be a great place to come and work on my computer. I had no issues with staff, who…read morewere polite when I walked by. There were plenty of public computers to use, and also spaces to spend time reading or writing on your own laptop in little study areas. Definitely will be coming back next time I need a quiet place to work!

A year and half ago, I was pretty disgruntled and even saddened to learn that Emporia Public…read moreLibrary denies people living in group homes the right to have a library card... The reason I was given is because the population is "transient" in nature. I felt like this practice is actually discriminatory, since people living in group homes are usually diagnosed with a disability. A couple of months I was told, through the grapevine, that the EPL had reconsidered their position on the group home residents having their own cards. After all, ESU students from out of town and living in the dorms are also "transient" in nature... AND yet.... they get the right to access the library with their own cards. I am disappointed to learn that EPL has not changed their stance on group home residents having their own cards. I am disappointed. I am now sharing this HERE, on my own FB page, and am even contemplating any and every avenue I can get the word out about what I consider DISCRIMINATORY practices.