Do you remember MapQuest? I do, having used it back in the days of taping paper routes onto my dashboard. The company has made a number of upgrades to their mobile app without losing some of their quaint pixelated branding. There are a couple of tools you can’t find on other popular routing apps. Combine that with a noticeable uptick in interest and our continuous efforts to provide timely technology training, I have created a quick tutorial for you. Continue reading “How to Use MapQuest”

We all need positive role models, and this doesn’t change when we start to notice gray hair and permanent laugh lines in the mirror. Perhaps it becomes even more true. The later years of life can be a time for the pursuit of new activities and dreams.

This was the case for Nell Irvin Painter, an acclaimed history professor and author, who could have considered such a successful career enough accomplishment for one lifetime. But upon retiring from Princeton, she pursued an entirely different path, as described in her engaging and witty memoir, “Old in Art School.” Painter talks of training her brain to look at the world in entirely new ways as she earned first a BA and then an MFA alongside much younger classmates. In graduate school, she was not just the oldest, but also the only Black student in her class, meaning she came to the work from a completely different perspective. Nonetheless, she found her own style and experienced personal growth in the process. Continue reading “Older and Bolder: Nonfiction”

This past weekend I enjoyed a solo al fresco breakfast in downtown Columbia, and as I sipped my coffee I realized I wanted to be doing anything but scrolling on my phone. I needed to spend some time with myself, not enthralled with whatever might show up on my social media. After telling my insulin pump to give me a bolus for my bagel and iced oat milk latte, I put my phone away and settled into the moment. I heard gossip and watched people go to and fro while petting the occasional puppy as they passed by. I can’t believe I didn’t bring a book, is what I kept telling myself. I had just started “Cats Cradle” by Kurt Vonnegut and it was ripe for reading on this sunny summer afternoon. If only I would’ve brought an analog bag to cure my idleness.

This Reader’s Digest article discusses the cure for doomscrolling and how to make an analog bag. Here at the library we have several items that could be fabulous additions to your analog bag including Fiber Art Kits. You could “Learn to Crochet” or even “Learn to Loom Weave.” You can put a Fiber Arts Kit on hold through the catalog or ask about them at the reference desk.

Analog Scrolling

Recently, in a similar vein to the analog bag, I’ve been enjoying the screen-free activity of analog scrolling. To begin analog scrolling all you need to do is find a large non-fiction book with plenty of pictures and get to flipping those pages. It’s basically Pinterest but without the ads and AI photos in between the art and outfit inspo you’ve been trying to enjoy. No need to read every word or look at every picture, just flip the pages and let yourself relax. Check out these scroll-worthy books that are available in the adult non-fiction section on the second floor at the Columbia Public Library: Continue reading “Analog Summer”

Last year, Daniel Boone Regional Library hosted 1,788 programs, drawing a total attendance of more than 39,000. That number included people of all ages and backgrounds, some who visited library programs every week and many who came for only one event. Whether you are at one of our locations for a children’s story time, a craft program, “Silent Book Club,” plant swap, a “Memory Café” serving those with dementia, or anything else, we strive to be welcoming to all.

While those of us who plan and host events might be familiar faces to library users, many more staff members work in the background to make our events successful. Read on for a peek behind the curtain to see what goes into the creation of a DBRL program. Continue reading “Library Programming, a Peek Behind the Curtain”

You might notice something different on the first floor of the Columbia Public Library. We now have a screen streaming live activity in the natural world with accompanying resources!

Live nature webcams have become popular features in many classrooms and libraries across the country. The National Parks, Missouri Department of Conservation, various zoos and conservation groups set up and maintain live webcams to share these experiences, create educational opportunities and promote conservation.

Our screen (located behind New Books and adjacent to the Help Desk) is launching by supporting Summer Reading’s Unearth a Story™ theme by alternately streaming one of these three sites:

• Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico with related resources;
• Kilauea Volcano in Hawaii with related resources; and
• Dueling Dinos at North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences with related resources.

We hope that you’ll stop by this webcam streaming area to connect to the natural world and to see creatures and places that you might not experience in real life.

We are now about halfway through 2026. The newness of the new year has completely worn off but maybe you are craving some newness in your life. With the coming of summertime, I often get the urge to head out on an adventure but, without the means for a big adventure, even a day trip can scratch the itch for a change of pace. There are lots of books at the library to inspire big and small adventures, alike.

For a big adventure, read “The Adventure Gap,” by James Edward Mills. It tells the story of the first all African-American summit attempt on Denali, the highest point in North America. In addition to describing the climb, Mills discusses the history of outdoor recreation in the United States and ponders what the future will look like. With relatively few people of color exploring national parks and wild spaces, will the future population of the country value these places and act to protect their stewardship? How can we change the face of the outdoors to include more multicultural adventurers? As Gill says, “everyone-regardless of their race, ethnicity, or socioeconomic status-should have the opportunity to experience and thrill in nature if they are so inclined.” Continue reading “Try Something New”

All along its 2448 miles, US Route 66 communities are celebrating its 100th anniversary with a summer of festivals — from Chicago to California. For example — Springfield held a kick-off celebration from April 30-May 3. Watch part of the parade here.

Springfield is considered the Birthplace of Route 66 because in April of 1926, federal planners and other officials, while gathered in a Springfield hotel, received word that the Bureau of Public Roads in D.C. decided to use their suggestion of Highway 66 as the official designation. Route 66 was the first federally managed highway system in the United States and until the interstate highway system was commissioned in 1956, was vital to trucking, tourism, oil and agriculture.

While Callaway and Boone Counties are not on the Mother Road, we have materials that will help you experience it within your home. To journey via books, find “Birthplace of Route 66: Springfield, Missouri.” Of special interest is the driving guide in this book: one that recognizes the Original Route 66 (1926,) the Historic Route 66 (1928,) Bypass Route 66 (1935) and the City Route 66 (1960’s.) Using this guide and the indexed images also included, today’s tourist can retrace and imagine the route that was. This book also includes short articles about some of the iconic landmarks, such as the Rest Haven Motor Court and the Alberta Hotel. Continue reading “Get Your Kicks on Route 66!”

I recently read a fascinating article about how almost every farmer who grows chile peppers in the rural southern state of Tamil Nadu in India is a woman. In fact, Vallal Kannan, a program coordinator for the local government-run agricultural center Krishi Vigyan Kendra, maintains that women farmers have always handled over 70% of agricultural activities in the area. Men, he continues, assume the agricultural roles that involve finances, such as supervising and selling, leaving the menial, labor-intensive jobs to the women.

This article led me to learning that the United Nations has declared 2026 the International Year of the Woman Farmer. This declaration highlights the essential roles women play across agrifood systems, from production to trade, which often remain unrecognized. Throughout the world women farmers are critical for food security, nutrition and economic resilience. By focusing on women farmers, the UN intends to raise awareness and to encourage actions that narrow gender gaps and improve women’s livelihoods worldwide.

Accordingly, here are some Daniel Boone Regional Library resources to expand our knowledge about women farmers, as well as to celebrate our appreciation of them.

Continue reading “International Year of the Woman Farmer 2026”