Alto Branch - KDL

10/07/2026

Meet Kurt! 👋
We asked our Regional Manager for the Alto & Lowell branches, Kurt Lardie, three quick questions about what he loves about the library.

1. What’s your favorite part of working at the library?
“The amount of time I am able to interact with patrons, especially the kids. I had no idea that I would be able to spend hours a week playing blocks, Magna-Tiles and reading books to our youngest patrons.”

2. What’s one KDL perk you wish more people knew about?
“PerkPass! Even though it has been around awhile, it allows people to have experiences that they may not have ever done for FREE! Everyone should visit an art museum or Frederik Meijer Gardens at least once in their life. We make it possible.”

3. What’s one thing you wish more adults would take advantage of at the library?
“Our many Adult Programs! The presenters are amazing, and we offer the ability to learn a new hobby just for the price of their time. It can be 3D printing, floral arranging, making pickles or foraging—but it can introduce people to something they may have resisted due to lack of knowledge.”

And yes, that first answer explains exactly why you might find our Regional Manager on the floor playing Magna-Tiles with the littlest library patrons. 😂📚

Thanks for chatting with us, Kurt!

10/03/2026

10/03/2026

We finally let Miss Cathy escape for a little well-deserved vacation!

And because apparently one library is never enough, she had to stop for a selfie at the Elk Valley Branch along the way. 📚

Hope you’re having the best time, Cathy! We’ll try to keep the Alto Library running while you’re gone. 😉

09/30/2026

October Happenings!

09/23/2026

When our shelves don't have the book you're looking for...Just ask the entire state!
That's the magic of MeLCat! Your library card can reach WAY beyond your local shelves and help you find books from libraries all across Michigan.

Me when my library doesn’t have the book: Fine. I’ll ask the entire state.
Because... would you just LOOK at all of those libraries!?

And you can, because of MeLCat, or the Michigan eLibrary Catalog. MeLCat lets you search the collections of participating libraries across Michigan and request eligible materials to be delivered to your home library for pickup. Think of it as your library card reaching far beyond your own library’s shelves.

Explore MeLCat: https://mel.org/welcome

To use MeLCat, you’ll need a library card from a participating Michigan library. MeL.org: Michigan eLibrary