John Badman|The Telegraph Hayner library assistant Katie Lyons sorts books near her desk Friday at the Hayner Public Library downtown branch. Helium filled balloons form the number 50 near the front of the library, which is celebrating 50 years as a library district. Friday and Saturday the various branches are handing out chocolate chip cookies from My Just Desserts to celebrate.

ALTON — What kind of gift do you get for a 50th birthday celebration when the recipient already has more than 225,000 items?

Just your patronage, thank you very much.

The Hayner Public Library District celebrated its 50th anniversary over the weekend by handing out free cookies from Alton’s My Just Desserts to library patrons on Friday and Saturday. It was one small way to thank the Alton area for its support over the past five decades, according to executive director Bernadette Duvernoy.

“The Hayner Public Library District has come a long way in the first 50 years, and we look forward to serving the Riverbend community long into the future,” Duvernoy said. “We are so grateful that the support of this community allows us to provide our patrons with a very high level of service.” 

Duvernoy said the Hayner Public Library District collection contains more than 225,000 items and nearly ten million items are available through interlibrary loan within the Illinois Heartland Library System. The district also offers free e-books and audiobooks, databases and digital archives, computers and internet hotspots at all library locations, and unique learning items that can be checked out by patrons. Dedicated areas and programming for children and teens are also offered. 

There has been an Alton public library in some form since 1852. The Jennie D. Hayner Memorial Library opened in 1891 in the building that now houses the Genealogy & Local History Library. But what is now known as the Hayner Public Library District was formed on Jan. 25, 1972 when Alton voters approved a referendum to establish the independent library district.

“Prior to this election, the library had operated first as a subscription library and then a city library,” said Mary Cordes, Assistant Director of Circulation and Strategic Services. “During the district’s 50 years, we’ve had to adapt to all kinds of trends and technological changes in order to maintain our relevance and usefulness to our patrons. And we’re excited to see what the next fifty years brings.”

A library center with more than 1,500 items opened in the spring of 1972 in the Godfrey Town Hall, and the new Hayner Public Library District began operating on July 5 that year. The Godfrey center featured in-person book lending, bookmobile services, children’s programming and mail-order paperback services.

Ironically, just several weeks after the Godfrey library center’s opening, voters in Godfrey joined Foster Township in overwhelmingly rejecting library district participation. 

By 1973 the library district’s collection had grown to 80,000 books and periodicals, 3,000 recordings, 300 films, and subscriptions to 200 magazines and 15 newspapers. In October 1974 an open house was held to celebrate the newly-refurbished Hayner Memorial Building as the Hayner Children’s Library. The former Tri-City Grocery building at 326 Belle Street was purchased in 1978, and that building houses the current Downtown Library. The library’s Alton Square Mall branch opened in 1985.

Godfrey and Foster Township finally jumped on board in March 1986 when voters approved a new referendum to join the district.

The Hayner Public Library District has sought to keep patron interest fresh through the years with many innovative programs. The annual “Food for Fines” drive began in the late 1980s, where anyone returning an overdue item during the drive can bring a nonperishable item to donate and the fine will be erased. The program was expanded in 2001 with the annual Food for Fido program, where overdue fines can be paid with pet food donations.

The Hayner Youth Library in 1995 became the first site in Illinois to launch the rod and reel loaner program in a partnership with the Urban Fishing Program of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. Hayner Library is still part of the program. The Bow Wow Pow Wow program started in 2003 and allows children to read an age-appropriate short story of their choice to a certified pet therapy dog.

The renovated Hayner Memorial building opened as the Genealogy & Local History Library in May 2011. The yoke of the printing press thrown into the Mississippi River the night that an angry mob murdered Elijah P. Lovejoy on Nov. 7, 1837 can be seen in the building’s lobby.

The COVID-19 pandemic forced all public libraries to re-think their services, and Hayner responded by developing innovative ways to serve patrons while maintaining a safe distance. Dial-A-Story, which had first been popular in the 1970s, made a comeback. The Downtown Library and Hayner Library at Alton Square Mall started offering curbside pickup. The Genealogy & Local History Library digitized hundreds of books and photographs, and all databases were accessible remotely. 

The Hayner Public Library District’s half-century milestone is the result of a lot of effort by dedicated staff, volunteers and donors, including the Jennie D. Hayner Library Association, the Hayner Public Library District Board of Trustees, the Friends of Hayner Library, and patrons.

“The amount of strategy, effort, and creativity that has gone into the success of this library district is truly inspiring,” said Lacy McDonald, Genealogy & Local History Manager. “Getting to expand on the work of those who have come before me and help patrons connect to their history in this area is my absolute pleasure and feels like such an honor.”