Hayner Public Library in Alton, Madison County, United States | Library

Hello and welcome to Hayner Public Library, Alton, United States. The seeds of today's Hayner Public Library District began with the Alton Library Association, which originated in 1852 and was supported through private funding. The Association was bought at auction in 1866 by a group of 'concerned ladies' of Alton when the Association began to fall apart due to indebtedness. These ladies raised the funds to pay the Library's $165 debts and purchase $300 of new books. A corner room of the City Hall Building was secured for Library use. Under the ladies management the Library prospered from the start. The ladies believed it was the Library's mission to provide intellectual culture via 'high grade' literature and to contribute to the social life of the city. They sponsored a series of entertainments including lectures, dramas, concerts, suppers, fairs and more. Many of the lecturers were of national reputation and included among others Horace Greeley, George Alfred Townsend and Ralph Waldo Emerson.
As the years progressed, the Library grew dramatically. Correspondingly, the costs to maintain and staff the Library escalated. In 1952, the city council voted unanimously to acquire and operate the Hayner Memorial Library as a public Library. In 1972 the voters approved a referendum that established the Hayner Public Library District. This meant that the Library would be run by its own governing board. Today, the district includes the Main Library at 326 Belle St., the Youth Library in the beautifully preserved original building and the Branch Library at the Alton Square Mall.