Hayner Library Outlines Free Databases and How They Work

Our Daily Show! Beyond the Shelves With Hayner: Databases and More!

ALTON - The Hayner Public Library District has a variety of free databases available for community members to utilize.

In a recent interview on “Our Daily Show!” with CJ Nasello, Hayner’s executive director Mary Cordes explained that the databases offer free, verified resources for a variety of professions, studies and more. From studying for the ACT to learning about home repair, Hayner’s databases have a lot of information available.

“We have a ton of databases. I’m always trying to promote them because I feel like they’re one of the most valuable things we have in our collection that people just don’t know about,” Cordes said. “They’re not super glamorous, but they’re super helpful.”

All of these databases can be accessed with your Hayner Library library card. You can access them at home or come to the library and use the computers there.

Cordes pointed to Learning Express, an online database with practice tests, as an example of what the databases can do. From the GED to the LSAT to the U.S. Citizenship Exam, Learning Express offers a variety of tests, quizzes, ebooks, articles, flashcards and more to help people prepare for tests.

A to Z World Food is one of the newest databases available through Hayner. This site has over 7,000 traditional recipes from 174 countries. There are also articles about the ingredients, food culture, food technology, dietary information, and additional topics. Cordes said this database is “really, really neat,” and she is pleased that Hayner can now offer it to their patrons.

Other databases can take you through how to write a business plan, answer legal questions, or stream movies. NoveList is one of Cordes’s favorites because it connects you to authors and genres based on what you read. There’s also NoveList K–8 for kids and families.

BiblioPlus is another favorite. You can download the BiblioPlus app and stream movies and TV shows for free.

There are several more databases available at the official Hayner Public Library District website. For more information about these databases or how to use them, visit HaynerLibrary.org or call the library at 618-462-0677.

“These are all vetted. They’ve been through an editing process. You can trust all the information that’s on there,” Cordes added. “For lack of a better term, they’re not super sexy, but man, let me talk to you about databases.”

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