Troy Public Library: News and Information

Fine Free Week at Troy Public Library

During the week of December 10 to December 15, any items that belong to and are returned at the Troy Public Library or its branches will not incur late fines.

Charges for lost or damaged items will still apply. Items that do not belong to or are not returned at the Troy Public Library or its branches will still incur late fines.

If you have any questions concerning Fine Free Week, please stop at the Check Out Desk of Troy Public Library or call 274-7071.

New Hours at the Sycaway Branch

In August the Troy Public Library conducted a survey of our patrons at all three locations regarding the Sycaway hours. Those that chose to answer the survey expressed a desire for early evening hours. In order to better serve our patrons the Sycaway hours will be changing.

Beginning the week of December 3rd the Sycaway Branch will have these new hours:

Tuesday and Wednesday — 2:00 to 6:00 PM
Thursday — 12:00 to 4:00 PM

Kids Cookin' by the Book

Kids Cookin' by the Book is a project in which 4th and 5th graders in the Capital Region of New York use library, math and science skills as they learn about food and cooking. The Cooking Show is a part of that project. Troy Public Library's young chefs appeared on an episode of the Cooking Show that aired on Time Warner Cable Channel 3 in May of this year.

The Troy Public Library episode of the Cooking Show is available on Cable On Demand channel 1009.

DVDs of the Cooking Show programs are available for sale or to borrow at Troy Public Library. For information about purchasing or borrowing a DVD, please call the Young People's Department at 274-7071.

The Kids Cookin' by the Book cookbook, a companion to the Cooking Show cable television program, is available in the Young People's Department to students who participated in the Kids Cookin' by the Book project. Other persons may purchase the Kids Cookin' by the Book cookbook at the Circulation Desk of the Main Library for the price of $5.00.

Kids Cookin' by the Book is a project of the Upper Hudson Library System, and is supported by Federal Library Services and Technology Act funds, awarded to the New York State Library by the Federal Institute of Museum and Library Services.

eBooks and Audio Books Available 24/7 Through UHLS Digital Collection

Checkout and Download Popular and Award Winning eBooks and Digital Audio Books From The Comfort Of Your Home

Now your library never closes! With our new digital library you can browse, checkout, and download eBooks and digital Audio Books anytime of day from anywhere in the world. The new online service is available by visiting the UHLS Digital Collection.

With over 1,000 exceptional titles to choose from, our online collection is sure to have something that fits your tastes. From popular novels by Nora Roberts, Catherine Coulter, Dean Koontz, and Amy Tan; to the classic works of Mark Twain, Charles Dickens, Franz Kafka, even Homer — our Audio Book and eBook collection spans nearly every genre. The collection also includes children’s, educational titles, and a wide variety of non-fiction books including business, history, and self-help.

Getting started is easy. Just visit the UHLS Digital Collection, install the free software from the web site, then browse the collection and select the titles you want. Click on the web site's Help icon to access the Quick Start Guide which contains information about downloading and installing the free software and checking out eBooks and digital Audio Books. When you are ready, check out your materials by entering your library card number and downloading the digital books to your home computer. Once downloaded, you can transfer them to your portable device, or burn the audio books directly to CD. When the lending period is up your digital books are automatically returned — so there are never any late fees!

Digital books are compatible with most home computers. eBooks (digital text based versions of a book) can be read on PCs, MACs, PDAs, and Smartphones. Downloadable Audio Books (digital versions of traditional audio books on tape or CD) can be enjoyed on your PC or on hundreds of portable WMA/MP3 players. You can burn Audio Books to CD and listen to them in the car or on any standard CD player.

Visit the UHLS Digital Collection any time, day or night. For more information about the digital library, please contact a member of Troy Public Library's staff at 274-7071.

Is Your Name In A Book?

Books change lives... your donation makes it possible.

By participating in Troy Public Library's Buy-A-Book campaign, you can help keep your public library alive and well. For every contribution of $25 or more, your name or that of someone you designate will be printed on a bookplate and placed in a new book in the library branch of your choice, for the whole community to enjoy. You can honor a friend or relative, commemorate a special event, or give a plaque as a gift.

If you purchase a shelf of books for $500 dollars or a stack of books (5 shelves) for $2,500, a permanent, engraved plaque will identify your generosity.

Join the hundreds of Troy residents and businesses who have helped keep up-to-date materials on library shelves. All contributions are fully tax deductible to the extent allowed by law. For a Buy-A-Book donation form, please visit any branch of the library, or click here to print out a form.

Thank you for your generosity and support!

Book Donations

Donations of used books to the library are always welcome. Items that cannot be added to the library's collections are added to the stock of the BookCellar, the ongoing book sale operated by the Friends of the Troy Public Library. All proceeds from the BookCellar benefit the library. Please use the following guidelines when donating items.

Items Needed

Recent best sellers (both hardbound and paperback)
Clean copies of classic titles
Books published within the last ten years
Books on cassette or CD
Music CD's
DVD's and videos
Children's books

Items Not Needed (and not saleable)

Books in poor condition (broken bindings, torn pages or covers, yellowing pages, musty)
Textbooks
Reader's Digest Condensed books
Magazines
Encyclopedias and any other dated materials

Please place all donations in sturdy boxes or bags, and schedule large donations in advance. If you would like a receipt for tax purposes, we can provide a dated acknowledgement of the donation, but cannot place monetary value on donated items.

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