Dorothy Carner and her family have lived in Boone County for 18 years. She was born and grew up in Springfield, Missouri and later received a B.S. and M.S. in biology and education from Missouri State University. She taught life sciences in Springfield Public Schools, anatomy and physiology at Missouri Baptist School of Nursing in St. Louis. She also University of Texas at Austin libraries for 12 years. She retired in January 2022 after working as the journalism librarian at the University of Missouri for several years.

For the third year, the Daniel Boone Regional Library is collecting period products during May to donate to local charitable organizations. Visit any library location May 1-31 and look for designated collection bins.

Even in today’s changing world, reading remains an important lifelong skill that leads to better jobs, increased longevity and improved brain health. The COVID pandemic affected kids’ learning, but a downward trend in children’s reading scores actually began before that. “American students’ literacy skills peaked in roughly the middle of the last decade and have fallen significantly since that time,” said Martin West, academic dean and a professor of education at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. The National Assessment Governing Board determined that 40 percent of fourth graders not reading as well as they should be.*

After months of planning, a small section of the Columbia Public Library grounds is being transformed into a native plant garden. This enhancement to our landscaping will add beauty to our neighborhood and also serve the library’s educational mission as a demonstration of how residents and businesses can add native plantings to their yards and grounds. The garden is located on the corner of Garth Avenue and Crestmere by the library’s south parking lot. A pathway welcomes visitors to walk through the garden and take a closer look.

The temporary location for the Callaway County Public Library opens April 1 at Churchill Plaza, 1855 N. Bluff Street, Fulton, near Walmart. There is a small browsing collection, and patrons can pick up holds and return materials.

As we begin a new year, the Daniel Boone Regional Library would like to pause and say thank you to our community. The services you value and rely on every day are made possible largely through one essential funding source: real and personal property taxes.

The Daniel Boone Regional Library has signed an agreement with Schnuck Markets, Inc. to install a set of self-service Library-To-Go lockers at its Battle Crossing store located at 5410 Clark Lane. The installation date is yet to be determined.

Planned replacement of the HVAC system at the Callaway County Public Library in Fulton requires the temporary closure of the building so the contractor can remove the old system and install the new one. The library will close March 30, and work is expected to last 90 days. A temporary library location will open at Churchill Plaza, 1855 N. Bluff Street near Walmart. The opening date will be dependent on how soon library materials can be moved to and set up in the plaza space. There will be a small browsing collection, and patrons can pick up holds and return materials.

Historic buildings are in constant need of upkeep to keep them functional and comfortable. In recent years, we’ve been struggling with properly heating and cooling the Fulton library building. Because of a generous gift from Helen Forsee, we are going to be able to replace the outdated HVAC system at the Callaway County Public Library this year.
In order to do this, the Callaway County Public Library will be CLOSED beginning March 30. We expect the work to take 90 days.

In 1886, a rags-to-riches steel tycoon decided to use some of his wealth to fund the construction of public library buildings all across the U.S. Over the next 31 years, 1,681 public libraries were built in this country with the help of Andrew Carnegie. Today, approximately 750 of those structures are still used as libraries, including the Callaway County Public Library in Fulton.