Blog Entries

February 14th is Library Lovers’ Day, and here at Missouri River Regional Library, we are lucky to have so many amazing supporters of what we do. If you are one of those awesome Library Lovers, you probably want to express your undying devotion to us (we know, we think we’re pretty great too). Maybe you’re planning on standing in our park area with your boombox blasting “In Your Eyes” by Peter Gabriel, or doing a choreographed dance with a lift. While those are both great ideas, they might be a little disruptive to other patrons.

Book banning has been at an all time high the last four years. Each year, the American Library Association’s Office for Intellectual Freedom reports higher and higher numbers of unique titles being challenged in public, academic, and school libraries. In 2023, over 4,000 books were challenged across the United States, with over 100 of those challenges coming from Missouri.

Many patrons love our Preschool and STEAM kits. They are perfect for grandparents wanting to entertain their grandkids during a weekend stay, homeschooled families who need hands-on learning tools, and parents who don’t want to spend money on toys that will be played with once or twice, only to be forgotten in the toy box until garage sale season. Whether you are a regular kit checker-outer or you are considering checking one out for the first time, here is everything you want to know (and maybe some things you don’t) about our kits.

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.