More and more public libraries across the country are adding library staff who do something other than help people find books. We felt it was time to do the same. We want to be better prepared to keep you and our staff safe and help our community.

Meet Daniel Boone Regional Library’s first safety and security manager, Drew Ide and our first community resource manager, Tyler Davis.

Learning how to code can be fun when you use the library’s free resource Fiero Code! Ages 8 to adults will enjoy this self-guided online program that teaches you how to code through hundreds of tutorials and dozens of real-world projects.

To use this free service, you need to live in Boone or Callaway County and have a current Daniel Boone Regional Library card.

DBRL strives to be at the heart of the community, a trusted resource and partner known for excellence, creativity and open, equitable access, connecting every person to opportunities for a lifetime of discovery, learning and joy. We look forward to what we can learn about ourselves, our services and our opportunities in order to remain welcoming to all.

Many of us may be wondering how we can keep ourselves mentally sharp throughout our lives. Fortunately, there are many things you can do with only a little extra effort and at low or no cost.

Learning to hold a fork helps a child with more than simply being able to eat in the school cafeteria. Research shows that the mastery of fine motor skills, like holding a fork, helps lay the foundation in young children for overall learning in school. “Here at the library, we love to highlight that fingerplays help with fine motor skills, as does playing with playdough, cutting with safety scissors, building with blocks, putting together puzzles and using crayons.…”

On March 5, 2019, the community of Holts Summit welcomed its own Daniel Boone Regional Library (DBRL) location. Since the new library opened, check-outs in Holts Summit have exceeded those from the bookmobile stops and lockers combined. In 2023, nearly 24,000 visits were made to the Holts Summit Public Library and almost 61,000 items were borrowed by patrons there.

Shannon Alvis has lived in Boone County for 39 years. She moved with her family from Kansas City to Columbia when she was five years old and later attended Rock Bridge High School. She is a proud graduate of Columbia College and now works at Veterans United Home Loans. She and her husband Tim have been married for 21 years and enjoy their three children and two dogs.

Thanks to you, our community members, and other donors in Boone and Callaway Counties for helping to make 2023 a banner fundraising year for our Foundation! With the receipt of a large unexpected bequest, the DBRL Foundation had the best year in its 37-year history.

Maybe you were late to get onboard the technology bandwagon due to slowly improving internet connectivity and cell phone coverage in your area? Or, perhaps, you do use technology, but you need to improve your skills to advance in your field? Where can computer greenhorns and more experienced tech users get affordable tech training? At the library, classes are free!

Have you been curious about whether any of your ancestors fought in the Civil War or where your family first settled upon arriving in the United States? Maybe you have questions you’d love to answer, but you just don’t know where to begin. Genealogist and library staff member Tim Dollens, offers these tips on how to get the ball rolling on your family research.