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”
AI is simultaneously scary, exciting, confusing, ever-changing, and, however we approach it, an opened Pandora’s box. To summarize, a 2025 Pew Research Center poll breaks down Americans’ conflicting attitudes toward AI:
- People feel more concern than excitement about the increased uncontrollable use of AI in their lives;
- More people believe that AI will degrade people’s ability to think creatively and form close relationships;
- A majority of people are receptive to letting AI assist them with day-to-day tasks;
- Most people don’t support AI playing a role in personal matters, such as religion or matchmaking, but are more supportive about AI for heavy data analysis;
- Finally, people feel strongly that it’s important to be able to identify whether images, videos or text are AI- or human-generated, but many don’t trust themselves to be able to discern the difference.
To learn more about this hot topic, June’s First Thursday Book Discussion will focus on Karen Hao’s “Empire of AI: Dreams and Nightmares in Sam Altman’s OpenAI.” This is a timely, hefty and well-reported book that sometimes reads like a thriller with its unique characters, rapid pace and conflicting visions of possibilities. It offers detailed historical insight into Silicon Valley, as well as addresses ethical questions about this new global empire that revolve around labor exploitation, environmental concerns, and ultimately, power.
However you stand on AI, and however frequently or infrequently you encounter or use it in daily life, come with your questions and opinions on Thursday, June 4 at noon for a stimulating conversation.
Here is a new DVD list highlighting various titles recently added to the library’s collection.
“Send Help” – Website / Reviews
A survival horror thriller about a woman and her CEO who become stranded on a deserted island and their darkly humorous battle of wills and wits to make it out alive.
“Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die” – Website / Reviews
In this sci-fi comedy, a man claiming to be from the future takes the patrons of an iconic Los Angeles diner hostage in search of unlikely recruits in a quest to save the world.
“Merrily We Roll Along” – Website / Reviews
Spanning three decades, Stephen Sondheim and George Furth’s musical charts the turbulent relationship between composer Franklin Shepard and his two lifelong friends, Mary and Charley.
“The Count of Monte Cristo” – Website / Reviews
Sam Claflin and Jeremy Irons star in this 8 episode series of Alexandre Dumas’ iconic French novel which follows Edmond Dantès, a young man falsely accused of treason.
“28 Years Later, The Bone Temple” – Website / Reviews
Decades after an unstoppable plague, a former doctor searches for a cure, while a teenager fights to escape a violent gang in this continuation of the horror/thriller franchise. Continue reading “New DVD List: May 2026”
Grab your shovels! For Summer Reading at the Daniel Boone Regional Library we are going to Unearth a Story.™ We will be digging into stories of dinosaurs, archaeology and everything else under our feet. As you go deeper, you will notice changes in the soil and treasures buried in it. These are strata, the distinct layers of sediment, objects and minerals that mark time from the near past at the top to the ancient secrets buried deeper. Anyone with a hankering for new books and exciting tales will love the stories we will excavate today. Let’s dig in!
Dirt and Worms
In the topsoil under our feet, we can find fossorial animals, or beasts that live underground. “Life Underground: Tunnel Into a World of Wildlife” by John Woodward beautifully illustrates the lives and interactions of these many creatures through subterranean cross sections. These many animals help enrich the soil, which is the centerpiece of Jeff Chu’s memoir “Good Soil: The Education of an Accidental Farmhand.” Later in life, Chu left his job to join the Princeton “Farminary.” There, as he dug for roots and tubers, he began to find meaning in the earth he tilled. Continue reading “Literary Links: Summer Reading: Unearth a Story™”
Below I’m highlighting some nonfiction books coming out in May. All of the mentioned titles are available to put on hold in our catalog and will also be made available via the library’s Overdrive website on the day of publication in eBook and downloadable audiobook format (as available). For a more extensive list of new nonfiction books coming out this month, check our online catalog.
Top Picks
“I Am Not a Robot: My Year Using AI to Do (Almost) Everything” by Joanna Stern (May 12)
You’ve heard the hype: AI will make us healthier, give every child a personalized tutor, run our businesses more efficiently, return hours of free time to our overworked brains and make discoveries previously unimagined by humankind. The AI future is going to be unlike any other technological revolution. But what does that really mean? And will AI truly make life better? To find out, journalist Joanna Stern surrendered her life to artificial intelligence for one year. The results are both hilarious and unsettling. “I Am Not a Robot” is like a time machine trip to the very near future, where AI promises to be your doctor, chauffeur, teacher, masseuse, coworker, therapist, financial planner, chef, housekeeper and even… romantic partner. Your colleague might be using ChatGPT to write emails at work, but Joanna used AI tools and robots to do household chores, to manage her health, and to transport her family on vacation. If there was a decision to make or a task to do, she let AI go first. Along the way, she conducted exclusive interviews with the tech leaders building this future, then reported back from the front lines as your funny, no-nonsense tour guide. Of course, tech’s sunny promises never tell the whole story, and that’s what Joanna is here to share. Filled with illustrations and photographs, this book offers less hype, more clarity, and as little jargon as humanly (or robotically) possible. It’s an AI guide for ordinary people—not the tech bros who tried to sell you a cruise to the metaverse or an NFT of a cartoon monkey. This book is not the definitive story, because we’re only a few years into the AI revolution. But after a year of living as a human lab rat, Joanna delivers one of the clearest—and funniest—pictures yet of what’s really happening and what it means for you. Continue reading “Nonfiction Roundup: May 2026”
Pratibha Vanmali is a Mid-Missouri author whose debut book is “Keep Giving a Care: The Concise Guide for Alzheimer’s and Other Dementia Family Caregivers.” Based on her own experiences, the book is a guide for dementia caregivers with effective strategies to make your caregiving journey easier. Vanmali, a graduate of Westminster College, has explored various avenues in work, volunteerism and play since graduating. She was kind enough to take the time to be interviewed via email.
Continue reading “Q&A With Pratibha Vanmali, Author of “Keep Giving a Care””
Dearest Gentle Readers,
It has come to our attention that the Columbia Public Library is hosting a most exquisite affair, and you are cordially invited to participate in our miniature art exhibition. As the esteemed Pablo Picasso once noted, “Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life.” Indeed, what better way to escape the monotony of society than through the creation of beauty, one small, exquisite piece at a time?
We cordially invite all aspiring adult and teen artists to participate in an Artist Trading Card (ATC) exchange, commencing on World Art Day, April 15, and continuing until May 15.
For those yet to be initiated into this delightful tradition, ATCs are miniature works of art, meticulously created in any medium of your choosing, measuring a precise 2.5 x 3.5 inches.
To ensure this endeavor is deemed the “Diamond of the Season,” we ask that you adhere to the following guidelines with the utmost propriety: Continue reading “Artist Trading Card Exchange”
A few weeks ago I accidentally carted home two books titled “Silent Treatment” by two different authors, the result of my unintentionally placing both copies on hold. This pleasant mistake (I sped through both books) left me considering various types of silence, some of which can be extremely beautiful, while others can be absolutely toxic, with plenty of nuances in between.
One awe-filled type of silence is that found in nature, which is not truly soundless, as anyone who has ever hiked through a scruffy forest or wandered along a driftwood-covered waterfront recognizes. One of my favorite nature books is “Vesper Flights,” a magnificent collection of essays. Here author Helen Macdonald touches on searching, observing and remembering, while she seeks out vanishing orioles and migrating songbirds, along with a host of other living beings. Her voice celebrates wonder while it also expresses concern for our world in the face of climate shifts. Continue reading “Literary Links: Silence”
This doorstop of a novel tells the story of one Korean family living in Japan over the course of the 20th century. With themes like war, immigration, love, tragedy, and alienation, this expansive story feels like a modern classic. Although it was a heart-wrenching and unrelenting read at times, I could really feel the love and unconditional devotion that knit these characters together.
I’ve had “Pachinko” on my to be read list since Min Jin Lee’s brilliant keynote speech at the local Unbound Book Festival this spring. It was such a pleasure to meet her and dive into her world.
Three words that describe this book: expansive, transportive, heart-wrenching
You might want to pick this book up if: You enjoy multi-generational stories.
-Laura
This reader review was submitted as part of Adult Summer Reading. We will continue to share them throughout the year.
Chloe Dalton’s memoir “Raising Hare” will be the subject of the First Thursday Book Discussion on May 7 at the Columbia Public Library.
Dalton’s busy life as a political advisor and speech writer changed dramatically during the COVID lockdown when she moved from London to the English countryside. It was here that she came across a newborn hare, or leveret, that had been chased by dogs. Fearing for it, she brings it home. Continue reading “May First Thursday Book Discussion: “Raising Hare””
To learn more about this hot topic, June’s 
