Few people in Columbia connect the past to the present quite like Tim Dollens. Dollens is a genealogist, associate at Daniel Boone Regional Library and a charter member of CoMo Preservation. His passion for preservation, local history and acts of generosity reflect the role the public library has as a free and welcoming space to all.
At Daniel Boone Regional Library, Dollens is known as a history enthusiast. He reminds others that the library is one of the few places left where everything is free, whether it’s programs, materials or a welcoming space.
“The public library, in itself, is where everyone can come, regardless of their economic level, their gender, their race,” Dollens said. “We are the culture keepers of the community. We have the information that people need to better their lives, to improve their lives.”
Daniel Boone Regional Library’s commitment to public access is older than many may realize. According to local history that’s been preserved, the Boone County Courthouse was one of the first public library spaces in Columbia.
Robert Levi Todd was an accomplished and well-educated man born in Boone County who was the valedictorian of the University of Missouri’s first graduating class in 1842. When Todd died in 1898, Columbia’s public library’s evolution reached a turning point as his wife and daughter helped establish a reading room in his honor. It was only open two days a week, but it welcomed all readers, especially women. Most importantly, it was free, a trait the library has continued to value.
In 1899, the Tuesday Club, a group of prominent and educated women in Columbia, promoted health, hygiene, literacy and increased public access to books. They did much of the work that held the library together. Their mission was simple but revolutionary: Children also deserve access to books, not just university students.
“To me, the story of our library and the women that started it and what we have today is because of their hard work,” Dollens said. “They are owed a debt of gratitude.”
And so, the public library lasted. The 1968 building, where its original beams still stand, was a $1.7 million project that set Daniel Boone Regional Library on the course for modernization. Throughout the coming decades, the library continued to expand.
In the 1970s, library-goers became able to check out artwork. In the 1980s, beloved storytime programs emerged along with a growing sense of community identity. In the 1990s, the library emphasized children’s access with no overdue fees to ensure free materials regardless of income.
A major milestone came in 2002 with a $22 million expansion, which turned the library into what it is now. Today, the Daniel Boone Regional Library system includes multiple branches and serves as one of the city’s key “culture keepers” by preserving local history and community memory.
Public school libraries in Columbia did not receive formal funding until 1981, making the public library even more essential for students and young learners. The library remains a place where families, students, researchers and children can gather and learn without cost.
For Dollens, this is why his genealogical work and community involvement matter.
“Our libraries change people’s lives,” Dollens said. “They really do.”
At Columbia’s heart stands the Daniel Boone Regional Library: free, open and rooted in the belief that knowledge, like community, is best when it’s shared.
