Tom Bloch, author of Stand for the Best and co-founder of Kansas City’s University Academy, and the school partner with the Kansas City Public Library to host a series of thought-provoking presentations by national experts titled What Works in Urban Education.

The first talk in this series features Eric Hanushek, the Paul and Jean Hanna Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution and a leading expert on educational policy specializing in the economics and finance of schools. The presentation takes place on Thursday, January 22, at 6:30 p.m. at the Plaza Branch, 4801 Main St.

The Kansas City Public Library hosts author William Graebner for a presentation based on his latest book, Patty’s Got a Gun: Patricia Hearst in 1970s America, on Wednesday, January 21, at 6:30 p.m. at the Central Library, 14 W. 10th St.

On Tuesday, January 20, 2009, history will be made when Barack Obama is inaugurated as the 44th President of the United States.