Photo: Illinois2011 · CC BY 3.0Alton Township’s library runs 7.2 programs per 1,000 residents, against a typical 14 for libraries its size
Hayner Public Library District serves 46,753 people in and around Alton Township from 3 locations. Last year it lent 191K print books and media and logged 114K visits.
Alton Township’s library, in brief
Still charges late fines, unlike its neighbors
Hayner Public Library District charges late fines on some overdue items. Two of the three libraries in neighboring towns have dropped them. What your card is worth ↓
Few residents carry a card
Only 18% of the people the system serves have a library card, against a typical 39% for its size. How it compares ↓
This summary is written from the numbers on this page. Numbers are the library’s own report to the Public Libraries Survey, fiscal year 2024; Hayner Public Library District serves 46,753 people in and around Alton Township, and its numbers cover all of them.
What’s behind Alton Township’s civic life grade
Alton Township isn’t graded on civic life: TownRatings grades towns of 1,000 residents or more.
Civic life counts registered nonprofits, library visits and online volunteering groups, so it can miss civic life that runs through congregations, mutual aid or neighbors looking out for each other.
Library visits: IMLS Public Libraries Survey, FY2024. Nonprofits: IRS Exempt Organizations Business Master File, October 2026. Volunteering: Social Capital Atlas (Opportunity Insights), from data by Meta Platforms, Inc.; Chetty et al., Nature 2022. How TownRatings grades civic life →
Ahead of most similar-size libraries on 2 of 6 measures
Per resident, against libraries serving 25,000 to 100,000 people across the U.S.
Hayner Public Library District serves 46,753 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving 25,000 to 100,000.
Every hour the doors are open, about 21 items go out
Fiscal year 2024, for the whole Hayner Public Library District system. The library’s own count.
Books and media off the shelf
191K print loans last year. The library didn’t report its e-book and e-audiobook loans.
The survey has no count of children’s loans for Alton Township’s library in 2024, so there’s no split between adults’ and kids’ borrowing.
About 3 kids’ programs a week
Story times, clubs, classes and events, across the whole system, by who they’re for.
Programs last year by age group
story times and programs a week for ages 0–5, on average.
3 places to borrow in Alton Township
Hayner Public Library District, 401 State Street, Alton.
Good at every Hayner Public Library District branch.
New in Alton Township? The Handbook →Hours are the survey’s yearly average. Check the library’s own site for today’s hours.
Other Hayner Public Library District branches in Alton Township
For every $1 it spends, the library lends about $1.38 worth
Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average Alton Township cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $40. Operating budget $2.4M.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $3.3M worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $2.4M budget.
Late fines apply to some overdue items.
Retail prices are typical, rounded down: a new book $17, a kids’ book $12, an e-book or e-audiobook $15, a movie rental $4, a class or program $10, a computer or Wi-Fi session $3. The average cardholder’s month = the library’s yearly loans, attendance and Wi-Fi sessions ÷ its 8,324 cardholders ÷ 12.
Libraries next door
Who has a library of their own, and how much each town borrows. Tap a town to see its library.
| Town | Library | Loans per resident | Hours | Civic life |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wood River Township | Roxana Public Library District fine-free | 9.7 | 55 | C |
| East Alton | East Alton Public Library District fine-free | 1.9 | 46 | C+ |
| Alton Township | Hayner Public Library District | — | 46 | — graded with its twin city |
| Alton | Hayner Public Library District | — | 46 | B+ |
| Godfrey | None of its own | — | — | C+ |
| Foster Township | None of its own | — | — | C− |
| West Alton | None of its own | — | — | — under 1,000 residents |
Loans = print + digital items borrowed in the library’s fiscal year, per person it serves. — = no library of its own, a county or regional system (its numbers cover many towns), or no report. Civic life: — = not graded (unincorporated places, whose nonprofits can’t be placed by mailing address, or towns with fewer than two of the three inputs).
What this data can and can’t tell you
From the Public Libraries Survey, fiscal year 2024.
- Digital loans not reported. Illinois libraries often don’t report e-book loans, so borrowing here is print only.
- System-wide. Hayner Public Library District serves 46,753 people in and around Alton Township, so the yearly numbers cover all of them, not just Alton Township.
Hours are the survey’s yearly average; libraries are compared with others serving about as many people. How TownRatings uses library figures →
Questions about the library and civic life in Alton Township
Does Alton Township have a public library?
Yes. Hayner Public Library District, 401 State Street, serves 46,753 people in and around Alton Township (the survey’s count) and is open about 46 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is Hayner Public Library District fine-free?
It charges late fines on some overdue items (the library’s 2024 survey report).
How busy is Alton Township’s library?
It logged 2.4 visits and lent 4.1 print items per resident in 2024, against a typical 2.6 visits for libraries serving 25,000 to 100,000 people.
What is Alton Township’s civic life grade?
Alton Township isn’t graded on civic life: TownRatings grades towns of 1,000 residents or more. How it works.
Book talk
Reading, story times and the library in Alton Township.
Libraries: Institute of Museum and Library Services, Public Libraries Survey, fiscal year 2024. Each library reports its own numbers. Distances are straight-line from the town center. “What your card is worth” uses typical retail prices and is an estimate, not an official figure.