Hayner Library Connects with Community Through North Alton-Godfrey Business Council, Other Events

ALTON - The Hayner Public Library District is proud to connect with the North Alton-Godfrey Business Council and share some of their resources with other businesses in the community.

Mary Cordes, the executive director of Hayner, noted that she has been pleased to see more business owners take advantage of the library’s services and databases. She said the library also has several programs coming up soon, and she is excited to engage with community members through these events.

“We’ve got all kinds of community information, we've got all kinds of business databases, small business databases. We have a legal reference center, which has got legal forms and all kinds of things that businesses can use. So it makes sense,” Cordes said. “When you think, ‘Library and North Alton-Godfrey Business Council, how does that work?’ Well, like that. We've got something for everybody.”

Cordes said many people have never thought about utilizing the library’s resources for their business, but there are several ways that the library can help. She encourages people to visit HaynerLibrary.orgor call 618-462-0677 for more information.

In the meantime, the library has several programs coming up for community members to enjoy. From 6–7:30 p.m. on Friday, April 12, 2024, the Alton Square library location will host a Spring Reading Retreat where people can come and have a snack, make a pressed flower jar craft, and read and chat with other attendees.

“We’re going to try and do them each season,” Cordes said. “We’ll have a bunch of spring-themed books for people to select from. You can bring your own book, and you can just do your own thing if you’re kind of an introvert. It’s just a chance to sit and read because people don’t have the chance to sit and do that. Or you can sit and chat with people about what you like to read, swap book titles and authors. It’s fun.”

From 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on April 20, 2024, the Hayner Genealogy and Local History Library will host a Puzzle Me This event that invites people to complete puzzles. Cordes said teams of four will compete against each other to see which team is the fastest puzzler, and competitors will be putting together some very unique puzzles designed by local students.

“For the event, the staff collaborated with the Alton High graphic communications students,” Cordes explained. “We should be so proud of these kids because they put together some amazing stuff. So they made some puzzles for us and those are the puzzles people are going to be putting together, local history puzzles. They’re one-of-a-kind. You can compete to put them together as quickly as you can. It’s going to be a great time.”

Next month, the fun continues with a concert sponsored by Hayner and Jacoby Arts Center. On May 7, community members can enjoy “What a Wonderful World: An Evening with Mark Dvorak” at Jacoby Arts Center. Dvorak, who recently received a lifetime achievement award through the International Folk Music Association, will be performing a family-friendly folk concert from 6:30–8 p.m.

For all of the events, Cordes asks people to register by calling 1-800-613-3163. Cordes hopes to connect with more community members, and she is eager to help business owners through Hayner’s resources. You can learn more about all that Hayner has to offer at their official website at HaynerLibrary.org.

“I always kind of like to hear what other businesses are doing because then I think, ‘Is there a way that we can help them? Or help businesses like them?’” Cordes said. “We’ve got our fingers all over the community.”

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