Our Daily Show! Beyond the Shelves With Hayner: Upcoming Events!
Get The Latest News!
Don't miss our top stories and need-to-know news everyday in your inbox.
ALTON - The Hayner Public Library District has a wide variety of services for readers.
From their Dial-a-Story program to their multiple book clubs, Hayner offers something for every reader in the community. Mary Cordes, director of the Hayner Public Library District, noted that there are many services and programs available at Hayner’s official website, including plenty of resources for local bookworms.
“Once you become a reader, you just want more and more and more and more,” Cordes said.
Dial-a-Story is a popular feature that allows you to call Hayner’s line at 618-462-TALE (618-462-8253) to listen to a story recorded by a Hayner staff member. These stories are geared toward young children and take approximately five minutes to listen to.
Cordes noted that they have added new features to the Dial-a-Story program, so there are now five stories to choose from every time you call in. They also started recording chapter books for older young readers, so you can call in and listen to the entire story or call in periodically to hear more.
Tumblebooks is another great app for kids. Using your library card, you can access children’s e-books, games and puzzles for your child to enjoy. Cordes pointed out that it’s a safe, educational alternative to the internet.
“[The e-books, games and puzzles are] entertaining, but they’ve been vetted by educators too, so you don’t have to worry about your kid stumbling across something,” she explained. “On the internet, you never quite know what they’re getting. These are all family-approved stories, so you don’t feel bad just handing your device to your child.”
For adult readers, Cordes recommends signing up for Wowbrary, a weekly email that tells you what new materials have been added to the Hayner Library collection. You can also see the list on Hayner’s Facebook page.
“It aggregates, so it pulls every single thing that we’ve added to the Hayner Library catalog for the week,” Cordes said. “It’ll send you a list, and then it links back to our card catalog. So every week, you’ll get a list of all the things that were added to the Hayner Library catalog that week and then you can just click on it and it’ll take you straight to the card catalog and you can request it.”
For readers who are looking for community, Cordes recommends checking out one of Hayner’s book clubs. They have their bimonthly Taps and Tomes Book Club at Old Bakery Beer Company, but they also offer an online book club called Shelf Care. This Facebook group allows people to participate in an asynchronous book club where they comment back and forth about the book.
“It’s great for people that are busy, it’s great for people who may be a little more introverted and don’t particularly do well in a group setting where they have to talk, or people who are homebound,” Cordes said. “It’s a really great way for them to interact with each other.”
In addition to books, databases, the Library of Things and lots of other services, Hayner can also help people connect to sites like StopYoureKillingMe.com and FantasticFiction.co.uk. These websites allow people to search for authors, characters and book series so they can find new books they enjoy.
Ultimately, Cordes hopes Hayner Library can offer a lot of services to everybody, whether you’re a reader or not. For more information about Hayner and all of their programs, visit their official website at HaynerLibrary.org.
More like this:
