It’s not uncommon for Stacey Hensley, director of the Alger Public Library, to hear people say, “I didn’t know Alger had a library!” However, with a population of under 900, the fact is the library at 100 Wagner St. has an outsized impact on its community and also serves as the USV district library.
And now Hensley will have an impact on libraries across the region with her appointment as a Director Trustee for NORWELD. Hensley will serve for two years on the board of the Northwest Regional Library System, which provides training, technical and programming resources to 48 member libraries. Ways the Alger facility has benefited from NORWELD membership include website services as well as the use of a 3D printer, STEM and STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art and math) kits and a puppet theater.
Hensley has been the director of the Alger library since August 2019 and was previously the assistant director. She took the helm not knowing what lay ahead: the upheaval of COVID. Hensley notes that the library was already cleaning items as they came back from loans, but that nothing prepared the staff for what was to come.
In many ways operations at the library are back to normal. However, now the library has a big blue drop box in front of the library and is still doing curbside deliveries.
On the day the Icon visited, the Alger library was busy with families making seaweed decorations with colorful pipe cleaners--in keeping with the summer reading theme of "Oceans of Possibilities--using computers and enjoying the cool of the facility as well as the free WiFi. The library also loans WiFi hotspots.
Throughout the month of July, the library has a busy summer reading program calendar (below). This is the hardest–and possibly the most fun–assignment for the library staff of four, including Miss Cristal, Miss Brittany and Miss Kelsey. At the recent Exotic Zoo presentation, the library had 86 guests, some of whom saw the presentation twice: first in Ada and then in Alger.
For more information on the Alger Pubic Library, visit www.algerlibrary.org
SUMMER READING PROGRAM EVENTS
July 7 - 12 p.m. Sand Clay Program at the McGuffey Community Building and at 4 p.m. at the library
July 8 - 2 p.m. Button Starfish craft for teens and adults
July 11 - 5 p.m. Preschool Storytime: Ocean Foam
July 11 - 5 p.m. Book Club
July 12 - 12 p.m. Turtle Craft at the McGuffey Community Building and again at 4 p.m. at the library
July 13 - 4 p.m. Whatever Wednesday
July 14 - 12 and 4 p.m. Cork Pirate Ship at the library
July 15 - 2 p.m. Adult and Teen coloring
July 16 - Summer Reading Finale Party 12-2 p.m. Pizza and Prizes with outside activities
July 18 - 5 p.m. Preschool Storytime
July 19 - 12 p.m. Storytime
July 21 - 12 and 4 p.m. Jelly Fish Bottle at the Library
July 25 - 5 p.m. Preschool Storytime
July 26 - 4 p.m. Cozy Mystery book club
July 27 - 4 p.m. Whatever Wednesday
July 28 - 4:30 p.m. Snacks around the World
