Julie Baka and her family made Columbia home 14 years ago and found the library to be a perfect resource for homeschooling their children. She likes the people in Mid-Missouri and appreciates all the sunshine this part of the country gets. Today, she and her husband own two e-commerce businesses.

What you want in your community is important to us. We are part of that community and we want to know how we can improve and what we can do differently to make your life better.

What would improve your quality of life? That’s the question Daniel Boone Regional Library staff will be asking at a series of community conversations to be held in Boone and Callaway Counties. Everyone will be invited to attend one of the public gatherings or to answer a brief online survey this February.

Really? Such a claim may sound like a fake news story on Facebook, but actually several scientific studies point to numerous ways reading fiction benefits our well-being and improves brain function.

View the list of library closures and cancellations due to incoming Winter Storm Jupiter. We will update this page with as the weather progresses.

What are our kids’ chances of landing a good-paying job when they’re adults? According to the U.S. Department of Commerce, the fastest growing jobs involve science, technology, engineering and mathematics — the so-called STEM skills. Incorporating the creative power of art and design into that equation gets you STEAM. In our increasingly technological society, it’s important to encourage our children to explore the everyday applications of these subjects early in life.

A huge thank you to everyone who read or listened to “Bettyville” by George Hodgman and participated in any of the excellent One Read events this year. As a community, we explored a wide variety of topics that ranged from caring for an aging parent to the decline and revitalization of small-town America.