Blog Entries
Meet The New Catalog at the Library!
Whether it be the customer service you receive in person or over the phone, to our programming offerings, or even how you search for a book in our catalog, the patron experience is something I take very seriously as the director of this library. For many years, the way you search for materials on our catalog website has been the same.
What We're Reading: "Bernice Buttman, Model Citizen"
Bernice Buttman, Model Citizen By Niki Lenz centers its story around the titular character, Bernice Buttman, the youngest child in a family of troublemakers living in a trailer park in Kansas City, Missouri. With four older brothers who only care about making mischief and a momma who only cares about getting rich and famous, Bernice has learned to take care of herself the only way she knows how: bullying others and lying.
What We're Reading: "This Place of Promise: A Historian's Perspective on 200 Years of Missouri History"
This Place of Promise: A Historian’s Perspective on 200 Years of Missouri History
Black and White and Read All Over (the Web)
Recently I helped someone who was looking for news articles about a childhood friend. Could the library help with that?
Yes. Yes we can.
Accessing the Invisible Library
When you read the phrase “invisible library,” you might think that this post is somehow Halloween-related.
Creativebug Now Available at MRRL
It’s always fun to create something unique and formed by your own burgeoning skills! Sometimes the hardest decision can simply be which avenue to pursue first. Even among the crafters of the world, there are so many types of art and media to learn and love and express yourself with.
New Streaming Service at MRRL
Anyone with a Missouri River Regional Library card can now enjoy thousands of free videos from Kanopy, a company committed to streaming high-quality films that inspire, educate and entertain to libraries around the globe.
Feeling Generous? What to Do with Those Used Books (and Where to Find More)
(updated 3/22/22)
Last fall the front of the library had a strange sign: We are not currently accepting donations.
Elderhood-Lots of Questions
We’re all aging, even if we don’t want to acknowledge or think about it.
Fall Into The Teen Zone
August passed by and September is on its way out. Unbelievably, school has already been in session for several weeks. Teens are now fully committed to schedules of club meetings, study, and sports events. The life of a teen these days almost never slows down! The library has a place specifically for that, though!
What We're Reading: "Nothing More Dangerous" by Allen Eskens
Hometown boy makes good certainly characterizes Allen Eskens’ careers, both literary and legal. A mid-
Missouri native and graduate of Helias High School, Eskens’ novel, "Nothing More Dangerous", is the
library’s 2021 Capital READ. Eskens has written six books, all of which have garnered critical praise and
earned him multiple prestigious awards and nominations. At the library, reference staff field frequent
requests for his books, and the books rarely languish on the shelves.
What We're Reading: "The Snow Fell Three Graves Deep" by Allan Wolf
In 1846, a large party of emigrants left Springfield, IL for a new life in California. The first part of their journey went more or less as planned, with few casualties. The farther they went, however, the more perilous their passage became. The routes at the time took groups of settlers over dangerous mountain passes, across raging rivers, and through the dry and deadly salt flats near the Great Salt Lake. Tales of shortcuts passed from party to party, but were largely theoretical and potentially more dangerous than the established routes.
What We're Reading: "Paper Girls Volume 1" by Brian K. Vaughan, Cliff Chiang, Jared K. Fletcher, and Matthew Wilson
The year is 1988. Tween newspaper delivery girl Erin is biking through her tiny Ohio town in the pre-dawn light the morning after Halloween, when she’s accosted by three teen boys who are still wearing costumes and causing trouble in the neighborhood. As the boys surround Erin, making violent and even sexual advances, the rest of the newspaper girls arrive. Mac, Tiffany, and KJ are all old hands at delivering newspapers and confronting dumb teenagers, and, armed with hockey sticks and barbed tongues, they’re able to drive the boys off into the night.
Summer Activities for Teens at the Library
Summer is finally here and what an awesome time to be a teen! After a year that pushed all the boundaries of patience and stress, you can finally breathe free and roam a bit! Better yet, you can breathe free inside and outside with groups of friends and in public places. It’s time to meet up with friends once again and make some fun plans. But now that you have all this freedom, what are you going to do with yourself?