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.

Step into the pages of 2023 with DBRL! From notable achievements to the faces that make our library special, this year-in-review video encapsulates the essence of our shared journey. Press play and immerse yourself in the highlights of the past year.

Are you looking for a new DIY project? Whether you want to make something holiday-themed, a personal gift for someone special or something new for yourself, Creativebug is loaded with ideas and video tutorials on how to do it. There are projects for all skill levels that are fun to do as a group or individually. All you need is your library card to get started.

A key part of the library’s core mission is helping children develop a love of reading. Studies have proven that reading achievement contributes to academic success, employment opportunities and a more fulfilling life — and your library team is here to help!

Before moving to Boone County in the 1970s, Jacqueline Kelly taught cultural geography to junior high school students, served as the university director of pre-college programs for high school students (Upward Bound) and worked for the State of Missouri as a management consultant. She earned both her MBA and doctorate from MU. She has served on several boards with the City of Columbia and the Trulaske College of Business at MU as well as volunteering on MU’s Black History Month Committee and the Missouri University Retiree Association’s scholarship committee.