Once Upon a Time in Fulton

> April 24, 2008
Callaway County Public Library in Fulton

This year's annual Friends of the Callaway County Public Library meeting was a very special one as the library is celebrating its centennial. Local historian Carl Kremer gave a presentation about the history of the library and DBRL director Melissa Carr showed off the new library card design which honors the anniversary. The new cards will be free for patrons in Callaway County.

Missouri Poet Laureate Walter Bargen

> April 17, 2008
Southern Boone County Public Library in Ashland

> April 22, 2008, Columbia Public Library

Ashland's own Walter Bargen was recently named Missouri's first Poet Laureate. Bargen read and talked about his poems to a full house at the Ashland library. Afterwards, the poet signed books and mingled with friends and neighbors at a reception cosponsored by the Southern Boone County Chamber of Commerce. His reading in Columbia was also well attended and attendees at both events are in agreement that Missouri must have the nicest poet laureate in the nation.

David DiGiuseppe: A Bag of Stories & Songs

> March 28, 2008
Columbia Public Library

David DiGiuseppe gave a concert of tunes and sing-alongs for families. Kids especially loved hearing the percussion of fellow FootLoose band member Jim Roberts on the Cuban box.

Bookmobile Visits True/False Film Fest

> February 29 & March 1, 2008
Downtown Columbia

Like a great purple whale, the DBRL bookmobile cruised down Broadway through a colorful crowd of performers and film-lovers at the parade opening up the fifth annual True/False documentary film festival. The bookmobile was also parked along the route between movie venues on Saturday welcoming visitors and showcasing the library's sizable collection of documentaries on DVD, many of which are past True/False selections.

Terell Stafford: History of the Jazz Trumpet

> February 26, 2008
Columbia Public Library

We Always Swing Jazz Series artist-in-residence Terell Stafford gave a presentation on the history of the jazz trumpet Tuesday.

Chinese New Year

> February 7, 2008
Callaway County Public Library, Fulton

We celebrated the dawn of the Year of the Rat and learned about how the New Year is celebrated in China and Taiwan.

Lil' Rev: Blues for Kids

> February 6, 2008
Armory Sports and Community Center, Columbia

Lil' Rev brought his musical program about the history of the blues to the Armory Sports and Center in Columbia in celebration of Black History Month.

Family Story Time

> February 6, 2008
Columbia Public Library

This week's Family Story Times were all about pets.

Lisa Rose Plays Tunes at Two

> February 2, 2008
Columbia Public Library

Saxophonist Lisa Rose brought along guitarist Joel Anderson and the two added a little jazz to a busy Sunday afternoon.

Junior Duck Stamp Art Show

> Through Mid-February, 2008
Columbia Public Library

The best Missouri entries in the 2007 U.S. Fish & Wildlife Junior Duck Stamp contest are on display at the Columbia Public Library. Students in kindergarten through twelfth grade created these paintings, paying special attention to the physical details of each duck species and habitat in addition to artistic considerations. Missouri's Best of Show entrant, Brie Jenkins, received an honorable mention in the national contest.

Tiny Tots Play Time

> January 25, 2008
Columbia Public Library

Little ones honed their motor skills with a variety of games including bowling, hula hooping and a bean-bag toss.

A Visit With Clara Claus

> December 14, 2007
Columbia Public Library

Nancy Spaeder and Noah Sunshine brought the stories of Henry Mouse and Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer to to life on Friday morning. In addition to telling stories with the help of her puppets, Nancy also led the audience in singing familiar Christmas tunes.

Robert Kikuchi-Yngojo of Eth-Noh-Tec

> November 12 & 13, 2007
Columbia Public Library

In celebration of Children's Book Week, Robert Kikuchi-Yngojo of Eth-Noh-Tec entertained an audience of all ages with Asian folktales and music. His show, "Asia FantAsia," was infused with vibrant facial expressions, movement and wild characterizations that really got the audience involved in the act. The previous evening, he gave a workshop for adults where over 20 participants got a lesson on what to do with their hands, faces and bodies while telling stories. Earlier that day, Kikuchi-Yngojo also visited elementary schools in Sturgeon, Mokane, Ashland and Fulton through the library's Outreach Dept.

Frank Stack: Artistic Inspirations

> November 13, 2007
Columbia Public Library

Local artist Frank Stack provided an intimate look at his art, especially the proverbial "early years," at the Columbia Public Library November 13. Stack talked about some of his influences and especially his teachers over the years. Attendees also got to take a close look at the many pieces of art Stack brought with him to the talk.