On Saturday, November 17, at 11 am, come to the Troy Library for the opening of the Library’s Youth Services DepartmentTech Farm. The Tech Farm is filled with child-sized, age-appropriate (birth to five years) laptop computers, tablets, and smartphones, complete with educational software and games. These devices will help young people in Troy gain the multimedia literacy they will need to be successful upon entering school.

In addition to the Tech Farm, the Library will unveil its new Peek-a-Book. This touch screen kiosk will allow children to view booktalks promoting picture books in the Library’s collection.

The morning will also feature entertainment, a craft for children, and light refreshments. Everyone is invited.

These are just some of the changes happening at the Troy Library to attract a new generation of Library users. The Tech Farm and the Peek-a-Book were made possible by a generous grant from the Friends of the Troy Public Library. Visit the Friends at friendstpl.org.

For more information, contact Meaghan Battle, head of the Library’s Youth Service’s Department, at 248.524.3543 or M.Battle@troymi.gov.

(Updated 11-14-2012)

As part of National Friends of the Library Week from Oct. 21-27, the Friends of the Troy Public Library are inviting residents to become a Friends member and volunteer.

On Tuesday, Oct 2, the Friends of the Troy Public Library held their annual Volunteer Appreciation Dinner at the Troy Public Library. More than 40 volunteers attended to enjoy a pasta dinner, win prizes and share the evening with other Friends library volunteers.

Janeen Miller was chosen as the Friends Volunteer of the Year to represent the organization at the Leadership Troy Banquet on Oct. 17. Miller spoke about her appreciation for working with many wonderful volunteers and the importance of the Friends efforts to the library’s success.

To celebrate the National Friends of the Library Week from Oct. 21-27, the Friends would like to invite the public to become a Friends volunteer. Opportunities are available in both the Friends Shop and Book Shop. Various days and hours are available and high school students 16 and over are encouraged to volunteer for community service points.

The Friends Shop in the lobby needs cashiers. Shifts in the Friends Shop are Monday through Thursday beginning at noon, Saturday morning to mid-afternoon and Sunday from 1-4 p.m.

The lower level Book Shop needs help organizing donations with various shifts throughout the week and weekend. Saturday cashiers are especially needed. Book Shop hours are from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturday and 1-4 p.m. Sunday.

Stop by for a volunteer application or visit www.friendstpl.org. You can also call 248-786-4580. Or you can also visit the Friends on Facebook.

Membership in the Friends is a vital part of supporting the library. Membership for an individual is just $10 and membership information is available in both shops and on the Friends website. Membership benefits include the newsletter, updates on the Friends activities, ways to help TPL and discount coupons for the shops.

To celebrate National Friends of Libraries week, new volunteers or members will receive a Friends tote and discount coupon to use in our shops. Join the Friends and continue the great community support for our nationally ranked public library.

(Updated 10-15-12)

Voting is a right and a privilege. Please share this information with friends and neighbors.

NATIONAL VOTER REGISTRATION DAY SEPT. 25

The League of Women Voters of Troy Area and the Troy City Clerk will be registering voters at the Troy Public Library on Tuesday, September 25, 2012 from 6:00 – 8:00 pm. This is part of National Voter Registration Day. The city clerk will be doing the actual registration of voters so that those people will be able to vote absentee the first time they vote.

Remember: You can’t vote if you aren’t registered.

(updated September 13, 2012)

Here is your chance to learn all about eBooks and win an Amazon Kindle or a Barnes & Noble Nook.

On Tuesday, June 19, the OverDrive Digital Bookmobile – a 74 foot-long, 18-wheel tractor-trailer painted bright blue – will be in the Troy Library’s north parking lot from 12 noon until 6 pm.

But unlike bookmobiles of yesterday that would drive around delivering print books to your neighborhood, the Digital Bookmobile is outfitted with computers, eReaders, mp3 players and other portable electronic devices. The Bookmobile will showcase the Library’s collection of free eBooks and audiobooks, and show you how easy it is to download to your eReader, smartphone, or tablet with a Troy Public Library card.

And, if you are in the market to buy an eReader, you will be able to sample different types to see which best suit your needs.

Plus, when you visit the Digital Bookmobile, you can enter to win either an Amazon Kindle Touch or a NOOK Simple Touch with GlowLight, provided by the award-winning Friends of the Troy Public Library.

Drop by the Library on June 19, to visit the 21st century version of an old library favorite – and learn about the fast-growing world of eBooks

The Friends of the Troy Public Library is one of three Friends organizations nationwide that will be recognized with the 2011 Baker & Taylor Awards from the Association of Library Trustees, Advocates, Friends and Foundations (ALTAFF), a division of the American Library Association (ALA) for their outstanding efforts to support their library. Each winner of the award will receive a $1,000 check and a plaque to honor their achievements.

The Friends won this award for their efforts to prevent the Troy Public Library from closing and for working to ensure the continued operations of the library for the next five years. The award was based on the scope of the group’s activities and judged on planning, implementation, evaluation, innovation and community involvement. Cathy Russ, Troy Public Library Director said of the award, “I am so proud of the Friends of the Troy Public Library. The Friends contribute enormously to the community and to the Troy Public Library, and I am thrilled that they are receiving the recognition they deserve.”

This is the second award given to the Friends of the Troy Public Library this year. They also were given the 2011 Outstanding Friends of Michigan Libraries award by the Friends of Michigan Libraries (FOML), for their efforts on behalf of the library. In April, they received a plaque and $400. The Friends will also be recognized at the Troy City Council meeting on Monday, June 18. All residents are invited to come show support for the Friends and the library at 7:30pm at City Hall.

“It is both humbling and gratifying that the Friends are being recognized for the good work that we do. We are an all-volunteer organization supporting library programs and equipment, but we are also focused on advocating for the importance of the library to the community to ensure it’s long-term success for every resident of Troy,” said Rhonda Hendrickson, President of the Friends. “We certainly thank the citizens that supported our efforts and who share our vision that the Troy Public Library makes both an educational and economic impact on the future of our city.”

The Baker & Taylor Awards have been given since 2000. Baker & Taylor is a leading distributor of products to libraries, institutions and retailers. The winners will be recognized during ALTAFF’s Gala Author Tea, Monday, June 25 at the ALA Annual Conference in Anaheim, California. ALTAFF is a division of the American Library Association that supports citizens who govern, promote, advocate and fundraise for libraries.

Membership in the Friends is a vital part of promoting and supporting the library. Membership for an individual is just $10 and information is available in both shops and at the Friends website, www.friendstpl.org and on Facebook. Membership will provide updates on the Friends many activities, ways to help TPL and coupons for the shops. Join the Friends and continue the great community support for our nationally ranked public library.

(Updated 06-01-12)

Register with the library today for the Titanic Remembered presentation! Register here or call 248-524-3542.

(Updated 03/27/2012)

(updated 3/4/12)

The Friends of the Troy Public Library are the proud recipients of the Friends of Michigan Libraries (FOML) prestigious 2011 Outstanding Friends of the Library Award. The Friends will be presented with a plaque designating the award and a check for $400 at the FOML annual membership meeting on April 20, 2012 at the Okemos Library.

The Friends of Michigan Libraries selected the Troy Friends over 16 other groups based on their application showing the organization, “carried out an outstanding project or activities that had significant impact on their library’s services to the community.” According to Charles D. Hanson, President of the Friends of Michigan Libraries, the committee was “impressed with the successful activities that the Friends carried out that saved the library from closing.”

Troy Public Library Director Cathy Russ wrote in a letter on behalf of the Friends; “For their passionate advocacy to save the Troy Library, for involving and energizing the community in a positive and productive way (which continues to this day), for sharing their enthusiasm and love for libraries, and for their efforts in helping the library staff to cope with an extraordinarily difficult situation, the Friends of the Troy Public Library are a shining example of what a Friends group can accomplish. “

The Friends of the Troy Public Library started the first reading room in Troy in 1958 and continues promoting and supporting the Troy Public Library’s essential role in the community by fostering library initiatives through advocacy, volunteer assistance and fundraising.

The Friends of the Troy Public Library is an all-volunteer, non-profit organization. Membership in the Friends helps make their support for the library possible. Membership for an individual is just $10. Membership and volunteer information is available in their Book Shop and Friend Shop, and on the Friends website at www.friendstpl.org.

Updated February 8, 2012

Get a library card and get a free book from the Friends

February is Library Lovers Month at the Troy Public Library and The Friends of the Troy Public Library invite you to come fall in love with our award-winning library. During the month of February, residents who sign up for a library card will receive a coupon for a free book from the Friends Shop in the lobby or the Book Shop on the lower level.

Troy Public Library has something for everyone and the Friends are proud to support programs for children, computer and e-reader classes, Job-Seekers classes and activities that make the library a place to love.

The Friends of the Troy Public Library is an all-volunteer, non-profit organization that promotes and supports the library through fundraising and advocacy.

Interested in volunteering a few hours a month? Visit us at our website at www.friendstpl.org, or on Facebook. You can also phone us at (248) 786-4580.

Membership in the Friends makes our support for the library possible. Membership for an individual is just $10 and membership information is available in both shops and on the Friends website.  Come to the Troy Public Library for a visit this month. You will love what you see and what’s free!

Christmas came early at the Troy Public Library in the form of a substantial donation from Meritor employees and private individuals.

The $2,331 donation, combined with an additional $300 donation from the Friends of the Troy Public Library, will be used for a collection of materials and equipment to enhance the library’s Special Needs collection.

Specifically, the money will be used to purchase large-print materials, including novels for children ages 8-12, non-fiction books on visual impairments and magnifiers to assist in reading. The materials will help children who have visual impairments such as albinism, dyslexia, ADHD, traveling eye, an inability to see color, and more.

The initiative for the project came from a group of southeast Michigan businesswomen representing Meritor, Henry Ford Health Systems, Chrysler, GM and Inforum. These women are part of a leadership class that included a community service project.

“Our project was to increase awareness and social acceptance of albino children. As we interacted with them, we were touched by the vision difficulties that is common with these beautiful children,” Meritor Engineering Supervisor Laura Klemm said. “Armed with pictures and stories, it was easy to appeal to the generosity of the Meritor community and other private donors.”

“This donation is incredible,” Library Director Cathleen Russ said. “It is amazing what this group of people have been able to accomplish, and the entire Troy community will benefit from their generosity.”

The library’s special needs collection was implemented in October 2007 – a gift of the Friends of the Troy Public Library. It includes traditional library materials such as books and DVDs, as well as interactive items that children with disabilities can use to enhance and promote learning and skill-building.

To introduce the community to the new collection, the library has planned a story time event for pre-schoolers through second-grade students on Jan. 21 at 11:15 a.m. Following the story time, individuals can tour the new collection. The library staff hopes to continue this story time in the future, if there is interest from the community.

“We will publicize this collection to the community, especially to the special needs teachers in the Troy School district and other school districts where Troy children attend school,” Russ said. “We are very fortunate to be able to offer these materials, thanks to this wonderful donation.”