Frequently Asked Questions about the Troy Public Library (Updated May 24, 2011)
Q. Is the Troy Public Library open for service? For how long?
A. YES! The Troy Public Library IS open! The Library will be open at least through Tuesday, August 2, 2011. Please visit and use the library!
Q. What happens on Tuesday, August 2?
A. On Tuesday, August 2, there will be an election for a dedicated millage to fund the Troy Library. The amount being requested of voters is .7 mills for 5 years. This election was scheduled by the Troy City Council on May 16.
Q. What are the Library's hours?
A. The Library will continue to be open 55 hours a week: Monday – Thursday, 10 am until 9 pm; Friday, 10 am until 5 pm; and Sunday, 1-5 pm.
Q. Can I check out Library materials?
A. YES! Please do. Normal loan periods are in effect.
Q. Will the Library be receiving new materials soon?
A. YES! New materials had not been ordered since March. We are working very hard to get new materials out to you as soon as possible.
Q. Can I place holds?
A. YES! You are welcome to place holds on Troy Library materials.
Q. Can I receive materials from other libraries using the MeLCat interloan system?
A. No. The staff at the Michigan Electronic Library have informed us that Troy Library will be reinstated into the system if the August 2 millage passes. MeLCat items are loaned for six weeks to account for their time in transit. Library staff must be available to process these items. If Troy ultimately closes, there will not be enough time prior to staff layoffs for the Library to recoup its loaned material, or return the material Troy patrons have borrowed.
Q. Can Troy residents use other libraries?
A. YES! Troy residents are able to use the libraries in the Suburban Library Cooperative, as well as the Baldwin Public Library, Clawson Public Library, Rochester Hills Public Library, Madison Heights Public Library, Bloomfield Township Public Library, and Royal Oak Public Library.
Q. Will there be a Summer Reading Program?
A. YES! The Library staff is organizing a Summer Reading Program, June 22 - July 27. Please check our website for updates.
Q. Will I be able to use computers at the Library?
A. YES! The Library's Technology Center has computers where you can access the Internet and Microsoft Office programs, and where you can receive assistance from the staff.
Q. Can I reserve one of the meeting rooms?
A. YES! The meeting room calendar has been opened through August 2. Please call the Technology Desk at 248.524.3542 to reserve a meeting room.
There are many people who heavily use the library and are willing to pay extra for the library but do not have the option to vote because they are recent immigrants/on the process towards citizenship and cannot vote yet. My family is all on greencards right now and would love to vote for the library but cannot. It is not fair that such a large part of the Troy community is disinfranchised when it comes to this matter.
Welcome to The United States of America. Only US citizens have the right to vote. Get used to it.
Can anyone tell me where can I get a YES sign for Aug 2 voting? I want to put it in my yard.
If you send an e-mail to yardsigns@savetroy.org they shoudl be able to get you one.
And if you need more information, you shoudl contact: www.savetroy.org
How much money did the Troy Library spend to buy video games to lend out? This seems like a luxury that should never have been approved.
And what about these "Kill-A-Watt" energy monitors? How does buying these and lending them out fit with a library's purpose? What next? Will the Library decide to buy laptops and lend those out too? Or maybe digital cameras?
Stick with books and stop wasting money on luxury non-essential purchases.
In 2007, the Troy Public Library’s Teen Advisory Board members requested that the Library offer video games for circulation. They researched this proposal and found that many other area libraries -- including those in Rochester Hills, Birmingham, Bloomfield Township, and Sterling Heights -- offered games to the public. The teens proposed that games be checked out for two weeks for a $5 charge. The proposal was presented to the Friends of the Troy Public Library, who provided $2500 in funds to purchase items for this collection.
The collection was then presented to the Library Advisory Board, which approved the loan periods and amount to be charged.
The Kill-A-Watt energy meters were added to the Library collection as a result of patron requests. They were provided to the Library very inexpensively, and have been very popular.
Though the previous commenter was complaining about the kill-a-watt meters, I had no idea the library loaned these out. I will be stopping by shortly to borrow one. It's niche things like this that benefit people, and that people don't think about. Granted, the library is guaranteed to stay open now, but I feel it would help support the library if there was some kind of blog announcement/facebook post outlining all the things the library does or can offer besides loaning books and computer usage. Please consider it. At the very least, maybe a permanent page on the website showing everything you loan out. If I search "killawatt meter" in the library search bar, this post is the only one that shows up at the moment.
Even though I keep putting in a comment. Your preview keeps stating "Comment field is required". Why are you avoiding my comment?
Dave
Dave:
The Troy Public Library publishes all comments that we receive that adhere to the City's social media policy guidelines. We do not publish:
Comments not topically related to the site or particular article being commented upon;
Profane language or content;
Content that promotes, fosters, or perpetuates discrimination on the basis of race, creed, color, age, religion, gender, marital status, status with regard to public assistance, national origin, physical or mental disability or sexual orientation;
Sexual content or links to sexual content;
Solicitations of commerce;
Conduct or encouragement of illegal activity;
Information that may tend to compromise the safety or security of the public or public systems; or
Content that violates a legal ownership interest of any other party
I apologize for any problem you are experiencing commenting on our website. We have never heard of this problem before. And, in fact, your above comment was received by the Library. I would suggest you refresh your page, or clear your cache to see if that is the problem. if you want, you can send a screen shot of your comment to kwikpj@troymi.gov and I will see if I can troubleshoot the issue for you.
Question: If this vote passes will it be enough to keep us as full participants in the cooperative?
Yes. If the millage passes, the money generated from .7 mills will be enough to keep the Troy Public Library open for 55 hours per week, which is the minimum number required in order to meet State Aid guidelines. This will ensure continued participation in the Suburban Library Cooperative.
I really hope the citizens of Troy pass the millage in August, but I think it would have a better chance of passing if the library actually closed this summer. Perhaps it should have closed on May 1 to let the people see what a hole is left in the community without a library. A similar tactic worked in Warren last summer. Keeping the library open only proves what people have been saying for a year - "City Council won't actually let the library close." If the millage doesn't pass, they really will this time.
I will be dissappointed if the Library is closed, but I can not support the millage for 2 reasons
1. There is no justification for a dedicated millage. Is the library more important than the police? Is the Library more important than having the trash picked up? Neither of these things have dedicated millages. If the city can not support the current level of services they should increase the general tax. We pay our elected officials to make the hard choices. Having dedicated millages ties the hands of officials and takes away options if times turn even worse.
If the tax base continues to fall we could end up decimating the police or fire depatment, but still have a world class library. In fact that is what would have happened if we had the dedicate millage during this latest down turn. The library would have had to take minor cutbacks while we layed off even more police officers.
2. The Library needs to offer a plan of reduced services to reduce the budget requirement. They insist they can not reduce funding, but then point out they are the most decorated and used library in the state. I am not saying they should or should not cut back. But they owe the leadership choices.
I agree the last election, where the increase was defeated, may have been corrupted by 4 differnt proposals, but this new election is just a corrupted. Putting the election on a special day is a clear attempt to tap into the passionate library supporters, while keep the majority of the tax base on the sidelines. I am dissappointed by the City Council for agreeing to this. But the Library should be embarassed by this tatic. If we really can not live without the Librarey, make your case and put it to a normal vote where a bigger cross section of the voting public can decide.
Sorry but the taxpayers get to decide how valuable the Library is, not a special interest group. This reminds me of the group that swore Tiger Stadium was a important piece of history. But 95% of the people pushing that either owned parking lots or bars near the stadium.
Respectfully, Brian, you have some misinformation if your message.
All city departments would have seen a reduction of costs not matter what. It's not a decision of having a library or having police now; it's a decision of having a library or not having a library. Period.
Dedicating the funds protects that investment. Without a library, we will undoubtedly continue to see a decline in property values, interest in business to operate here, and other losses of revenue when those who work in Troy leave because their businesses do -- and thus don't shop or eat here on a daily basis.
Furthermore, the library HAS REDUCED SERVICES and is running on a SEVERELY DECREASED BUDGET. The library is operating at half the budget it took to become world class. This was done over a year ago. Passing this millage guarantees the STEP-DOWN LIBRARY we've already had for quite a while. However, to reduce any further also puts an end to our cooperative services and inter-library loans -- and puts our certifications and state aid at risk.
This election is truly a centrist compromise: it's dedicated but only for five years, it keeps the library as a city entity not an independent library, and it's for only what it takes to run the most important services.
Support the library; support Troy.
www.savetroy.org
The Troy Public Library is ranked as number ten in the nation. It is also the most used library in Michigan. Closing it would affect many people in a negative way. The Troy Public Library must remain open.
First of all, if the library closes, the number of readers in Troy will decrease greatly. Not many people buy books as often as they visit the library, and as Borders is closing too, that number will be harmfully affected. People that do not buy books will not have access to them. The libraries of surrounding communities have closed their doors to Troy residents. Without an access to books, the amount of Troy readers will slowly start to dwindle. Students will not be reading as often, therefore decreasing their intelligence.
Secondly, a library is a valuable and necessary asset to a growing community. No other Michigan library has checked out as many books as the Troy Public Library. Everyone uses the library, whether it is adults or children. People in search of a home might skip over Troy entirely once they learn it does not possess a library. Other residents already living in Troy might also leave due to the library’s closing. Closing the Troy Public library could decrease the city’s population.
Students from elementary to high school use the library every day. It is a quiet place—perfect for doing homework or studying for tests. Many study groups choose the Troy Public Library as a meeting place. Closing the library could also result in a decrease in test scores.
Supporters of terminating the library claim that it is too expensive to keep it open. However, it will cost more to close the library and reopen it in a few years like they plan than it is to just keep the library open and running. Closing it would lose Troy more money than necessary.
In the future, I hope that the library will remain open. Since it is such a good library, I hope that more people will become residents of Troy so they can use it. Children will continue to read and build their vocabulary, along with adults. The number of readers will increase, along with test scores. Vote now for the Troy Public Library to remain open!
I can't believe it. My family has been depending on the Troy Library for 10 years, and we were sad to know they were closing for good. My entire family and ALL my friends in Troy are SO EXCITED about the new vote, so we can keep the library up. TROY LIB FOREVER!!!!
We thank Troy City council members once again for giving us a second chance(to vote again)!
Thank God! To close the library would be the most embarrassing thing in Troy's history. How do people expect to recover property values if they don't support city services?!
One can consider the bad effect on property of Troy if library shut downs. We should also make it clear that when places of learning close, the ignorance, unrest, unemployment increases which could be dangerous in long run.