Administration

The Troy Public Library has teamed up with Barnes & Noble Booksellers for the first-ever Troy Public Library Reading Celebration and Bookfair, in celebration of Earth Day.

The Bookfair is Saturday, April 21, and Sunday, April 22, at the Troy Barnes & Noble store, 396 John R Road, north of 14 Mile Road, across from Oakland Mall. For every sale made during the weekend at the store with a bookfair voucher, Barnes & Noble will contribute a percentage to the Library. (Click here for the voucher.)

This two-day extravaganza promises fun for both children and adults. Some of the featured activities include:

• children’s story times;
• face painting;
• Earth Day crafts, donated by Troy Garden Club and
   Telly’s Garden Center;
• origami for teens and young adults;
• a demonstration on how to borrow books from the Library for
   your nook eReader; and
• special author signings by Dr. Steven Craig (April 21, 2-4 pm)
   and Carol McCloud (April 22, 1-3 pm).

In addition to Troy store sales, the Library’s voucher will be honored nationwide at local Barnes & Noble stores and online through April 27. To support the Library, visit www.bn.com/bookfairs and enter the bookfair ID 10713873 at checkout. Items not eligible for bookfair sales include Barnes & Noble memberships, gift cards, eBooks, textbooks, magazine subscriptions and video games.

Celebrate Earth Day and support the Troy Public Library!

Do you "geek" ebooks and tablet computers?

If so, participate in the the Troy Library's Geek the Library Scavenger Hunt and you may have the chance to win a Kindle Fire.

Pick up an entry form at the Library or download it by clicking on the attachment below. Answer at least eight of the 10 questions correctly and you will be entered into a drawing for a Kindle Fire, provided by the Suburban Library Cooperative. All forms must be completed and returned to the Troy Library by April 15. Limit one entry per person with a current library card in good standing. (You can separately enter a drawing for one of several other prizes, including a $50 Barnes & Noble Gift Card, by filling out an entry form at a Library public service desk.)

This scavenger hunt is part of National Library Geek Week, April 8-14, to promote library awareness. For more information, see Get Geeked at the Troy Library.

Now, when you come to the Troy Library for books, CDs, and DVDs, you will have the option of going to our staffed circulation areas or using one of our new, automated self-checkout machines. The self-checkout machines are fast, conveniently located, and easy to use. Whether you have one item or several, this option will greatly improve your experience at the Library.

Checking out materials yourself is simple. Just scan your Library card, scan the items you wish to borrow, open any locked cases on the DVD/CD unlocker, and print your receipt. You will be on your way in moments. There is one machine in the Lobby by the hold shelves, one in the Adult area by the DVD displays, and one by the Youth area entrance.

Questions about the process? Be sure to ask one of the Library staff members who will be more than happy to help.

Self-checkout – another way we are working to improve the Troy Public Library. Let us know what you think.

What is black and white and red all over? The new Geek the Library promotion at the Troy Public Library!

Putting a new twist on the word “geek,” libraries across the country are throwing away the dictionary when it comes to the word. To “geek” means to like, love, have passion for or have knowledge about something. No matter what you geek, serious or fun, the Troy Library supports you.

We want to know what you geek. Click here to tell us what you are passionate about. You might get your geek on a bookmark for everyone to see.

The nationwide library cooperative OCLC and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation are providing Geek the Library materials to libraries all over the country in order to promote library awareness.

Geek Week at the Troy Library will coincide with National Library Week, April 8-14, so stop in and find out what everyone else is geeking.

If you want a geek sneak peak, watch a video now or visit geekthelibrary.org for more information.

February is Library Lovers Month at the Troy Public Library, and The Friends of the Library want to celebrate. Troy residents who come to the Library during February and sign up for a library card will receive a coupon for a free book from the Friends Shop or the Book Shop.

For over 50 years, the Friends – a non-profit organization – has supported the work of the Library by funding children's programs, computer classes, ebook demonstrations, and other events that make the Library a place to love.

Interested in joining the Friends of the Troy Public Library or volunteering a few hours a month? Visit the Friends' website at www.friendstpl.org or phone 248.786.4580.

And make sure to stop by the Troy Public Library in February – you will love what you see!

Congratulations to the Friends of the Troy Public Library for being named the 2011 Outstanding Friends of the Library by the statewide Friends of Michigan Libraries. The Friends of Troy Library bested 16 other groups for this award. The Friends were cited for the outstanding quality and successful activities that the members carried out over the past year.

Way to go, Friends!