As a high school student, did you eagerly climb out of bed every morning, go to class, get your homework done and take every test? Or did other challenges get in your way and make it hard to finish school? Whether or not you finished high school can have a large effect on your career options and how much money you earn.

August Nielsen calls both Boone and Callaway counties home. “My family and I have lived in Boone County for 20 years. Additionally, I spent my adolescence in Callaway County, so it’s especially gratifying to me to be on the board of trustees serving both Boone and Callaway counties!” August is employed in the people services department at Veterans United Home Loans in Columbia.

In recognition of David Lile’s retirement, some of David Lile’s longtime KFRU listeners and Cumulus Radio are asking donations be made in his honor to the Daniel Boone Regional Library Foundation. David has been actively involved with the library’s annual One Read program since its inception, and the library wishes David the best in the next chapter of his life.

Even though people with dementia struggle with remembering events, places and people, there are ways you can help them recall some of their past joys. Triggering their memories in some way may help them feel reconnected and loved. Discover some of the tools available at your library for stirring reminiscences in your loved ones.

Welcome to the new year! Here at the library, 2022 is the year we celebrate 100 years of tax-supported library service in the city of Columbia!

We will have special events throughout the year to look back on those 100 years. We owe a debt of gratitude to the Columbians who voted for the first library tax levy, and also to the dedicated members of a number of service organizations who provided the first free public library service to the community prior to 1922.

Since we introduced 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten last September, more than 1,465 preschoolers and their families have signed up! We see families coming in regularly to get their reading incentives and their reading log for the next 100 books of the program. Sign up online and get started! The 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten program is open to kids ages 0-5.

The Daniel Boone Regional Library will be installing new check-out technology at its libraries in Ashland, Columbia, Fulton and Holts Summit. Each library will be closed while its collection is being converted over to the new system. During the closures, curbside pickup, online chat, outreach services and the bookmobile will continue as usual.

Jean and her husband moved to Callaway County in 1989 when he accepted the position of superintendent of schools at the North Callaway R-I School District, and they have stayed on past his retirement. For the last 45 years, Jean has been a registered and licensed dietitian. She says, “It has been a great career choice for me, and allowed me to own my own business while working in a field I enjoy.”

Adults who are interested in earning a high school diploma have a new online completion option through the Daniel Boone Regional Library. DBRL is joining libraries across Missouri to offer the Excel Adult High School (EAHS) program, an initiative of the Missouri State Library. EAHS is an accredited online high school that lets adults 18+ earn a diploma that is universally accepted at colleges and universities.

In 2002, the Daniel Boone Regional Library partnered with the Kansas City Metropolitan Library and Information Network to offer the first One Read program in Boone and Callaway Counties. That year, the community voted to read “Plainsong” by Kent Haruf. DBRL librarians Doyne McKenzie and Sally Abromovich served as the One Read co-chairs with the support of DBRL director Melissa Carr and many members of the community.