In celebration of the 25th anniversary of our community-wide reading program, we reached out to some of the individuals who have served on the One Read Reading Panel since the very beginning. We wondered which of the past 24 One Read books our panelists liked best and which they liked least. Here’s what we learned.

Every year, the Daniel Boone Regional Library prepares an annual report to share with the public. We are pleased with all we accomplished to support our patrons and our community in 2025. Read on to learn about the library’s new and improved services, along with an accounting of our funding sources and operational budget.

We have cool news! The new HVAC system at our historic Court St. building in Fulton and is keeping it at a comfortable temperature. It will take a few days for us to deep clean the building and move everything back into place. Then we’ll be ready to welcome you back on July 13!

You can now get full, free access to The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal online through the library. All you need is your library card to get a 24-hour pass for The New York Times or a 72-hour pass to The Wall Street Journal.

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.