Posted on Wednesday, July 23, 2025 by Megan
There are only 11 more days left of summer reading! As we wrap up this year’s theme of “Color Our World,” we are asking you to consider what color means to you. It can be a word, phrase, emotion, a person, a book, a movie – it’s up to you! Continue reading “What is Color?”
Posted on Wednesday, July 9, 2025 by Megan
This year marks our 10th CosPlay Con program. Join us on Monday, July 28 from 6-8 pm at the Columbia Public Library! Dress up as your favorite character, be it superhero, anime, sci-fi or your own original persona. We’ll award prizes for the best costumes and characterization in different age categories, so be ready to show off your cosplay game! Photos and registration will begin at 6 p.m., followed at 6:30 p.m. by a runway show. All ages are welcome!
If you’re curious about cosplay or need help with your current cosplay, we will be hosting a Cosplay Workshop on Saturday, July 12, from 1-2 at the Columbia Public Library. In this workshop, our staff will be on hand to answer your questions about basic sewing, wigs, makeup and more. Bring your project, and we’ll see if we can help Continue reading “10 Years of Cosplay @ DBRL”
Posted on Thursday, June 26, 2025 by Megan
Get into Summer Reading by entering our teen photo contest! Take a picture based on the theme, “Color Our World.” We invite you to explore the vibrant and colorful world around you. Enter a photo on this theme in color or black and white, of a landscape, a pet, or whatever inspires you – the possibilities are endless! Submit your photo using the form below.
Enter by Friday, July 18, for your chance to win a local gift card. Winners will be announced at the end of July and posted on the library’s social media if consent is given. Your photo can be of your human friends or your pet family – the possibilities are endless! For ages 13-18. Continue reading “Teen Photo Contest 2025”
Posted on Wednesday, June 25, 2025 by Dana
Night of the Living Queers
A collection of 13 horror stories all written by queer authors about the Halloween night that changed their lives forever. Continue reading “(Still) Reading With Pride”
Posted on Wednesday, June 11, 2025 by DBRLTeen
Happy Juneteenth everyone! This holiday, only recognized widely within the last few years, was established to commemorate the emancipation of enslaved Black Americans and as a day to celebrate the influence and contributions that Black Americans have made to the culture and history of the United States. The list of Black people who have had an impact on this country is far, far too long to list, but the influence of many of these figures is felt even to this very day. In times like these, it is especially important, when racism and violence against the Black community, both individual and institutional, is on the rise, that we can take a day to honor both all that we have achieved and all the struggles that have been overcome on the way here. With that in mind, we have put together a book list with a variety of titles written by Black authors, with Black characters, that celebrate Black history, and joy!
You can find our book list at the link here. No matter what draws your eye, we hope that you have a wonderful Juneteenth! As a reminder, all of our locations will be closed on June 19th.
Posted on Wednesday, May 28, 2025 by Megan
We are only six days away from finishing #The100DayProject for 2025! And I’m on track to finish! If I had to pick a theme for my projects this year it would be “Get Creative Getting Creative.” This year without really intending to, I ended up using a lot of supplies I already had lying around the house. OK, I did buy some new oil pastels, but other than that I used paper, journals, paints, etc. that I’ve had for a while. Continue reading “#The100DayProject: Nearly Done”
Posted on Wednesday, May 14, 2025 by Megan
Happy Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month! It is that time of year when we look at all the contributions and achievements of our friends and family in the AANHPI community, both past and present. With the increased anti-Asian hate during the pandemic, it is more important than ever to recognize the many ways that they have helped to shape our modern world for the better. With that in mind, DBRL has created a list of titles featuring AANHPI characters and stories, including some graphic novels and memoirs from various voices and backgrounds. Click here for the full book list.
Posted on Wednesday, April 30, 2025 by Grace
Readers…gather round.
We have long awaited a fail-proof method of sniffing out something new to read. You’ve probably tried everything: recommendations from friends and family, the viral hype of a BookTok series (or three), and Goodreads recommendations. All these have been…well, not unhelpful…but here, today, in the form of this blog post, I offer you the most reliable method of choosing a new read: following the stars. Continue reading “YA Books For Your Sun Sign: Part I”
Posted on Wednesday, April 23, 2025 by Grae
Back when I was studying for my MFA in the effervescently endless green of North Carolina’s Piedmont region, I was tasked with proposing a business that engaged with poetry in some way. A child of the “There’s an app for that” generation — and the exact opposite of what you might call a Shrewd Business Man™ — my idea was to create a location-based app that a user could turn to when in need of a poem to ground themselves in a particular place or landscape. 
What would it be like to read or listen to Matthew Arnold‘s 19th-century poem “Dover Beach” while standing near the Strait of Dover on its famous White Cliffs? 
Or, in a more mundanely magical Mid-Missouri moment, to experience Mary Oliver‘s beloved poem “Wild Geese” while walking around the noisy gaggle that make their home at Stephens Lake? 
A wonderfully wise poet-friend of mine often says each poem is only fully completed when it reaches its reader(s); I wonder how poems can be completed in the landscapes, places and moments we move through each day — and in turn, complete us in some small, necessary way. 
Continue reading “Poets Laureate We Love: Ada Limón ”
Posted on Wednesday, April 16, 2025 by Megan
We are finally halfway through #The100DayProject! I’m still going strong! I haven’t really stuck with one project or one medium, but that’s part of the fun, right? Continue reading “#The100DayProject: Check In”
