Author: Susan Simonte Matthews

Many of you have seen the new shared by Library Director Cathy Russ that the TPL will begin its process of re-opening – in phases. You can read Director Russ’s letter to patrons for full details.

However, the operations of the Friends are still in limbo. As such, we CANNOT accept any donations at this time. That’s where the patience comes in. As soon as we can take any materials, we will let you know.

For now, let us celebrate the eventual opening of the TPL with cautious steps aimed at keeping us all safe.

Dear Friends,

It is National Library Week, but it’s been a sad and quiet time for libraries and their enthusiasts this year. We could not have imagined this disruption, and we are keenly aware of the impact literacy, books, libraries, technology, and eservices have on our lives.

Friends organizations all across the country are at a standstill, and the Friends of the Troy Public Library are no different. We find ourselves grieving the time away from each other, from our duties, from our Shops, and from you – the people who make it possible. We remain in contact frequently with Cathy Russ, our beloved Library Director, and we look forward to the day we can greet you all once again. We realize that operations will look different from what we have previously experienced, and we are working behind the scenes to prepare for a Friends Shop and a Book Shop that comply with any new TPL guidelines. Accepting donations of books, periodicals, AV materials, and more may change in some way as well, though we do still hope you are saving your gently used items for the time when we can accept them.

Until then, we hold all of you close to our hearts and wish you and your families well. We pray you are staying safe and healthy so we can see you once again when it is safe to be together.

With heartfelt appreciation,

The Board of the Friends of the Troy Public Library

We are delighted to invite you to our first-ever READ (Read, Eat, and Drink) with Michigan Authors event!  

When: Saturday, March 14, 2020, from 2-5 PM
Where: St. Julian Winery, 518 W. 14 Mile Road in Troy, MI
Cost: $15 Early Bird registration OR $20 at the door if space permits

Talented local authors who write in a variety of genres will be on site with their books for sale and signing while you enjoy food samples and wine pours from local businesses:

Nibble assorted pizzas from Crispelli’s Pizzeria

Crunch on some veggie trays from Nino Salvaggio

Wash it down with samples of St. Julian wine

End with a sweet indulgence from Ridley’s Bakery

Your registration fee includes the following:
– exclusive shopping with talented local authors; meet with them and purchase their books or have them sign ones you already own

– samples of delicious food from local Troy businesses
– three tickets for wine tasting (good for three separate tastings or one larger pour)

-one complimentary raffle ticket for our carefully curated baskets; items include books, select retail items from our FTPL Friends Shop, gift certificates from local businesses, and more.

This event is being sponsored by the Friends of the Troy Public Library, and all proceeds help us support and promote the Troy Public Library and the programming available to all patrons.

REGISTER TODAY!

Register early to guarantee attendance, and get ready to READ with the Friends!

Authors participating in our event include the following:

Young adult author Annette Johnston

Horror/thriller author Brian W. Matthews

Poet Elizabeth Prechtel McClellan

Horror author Rick McQuiston

Children’s author Theresa Nielsen

Thriller/mystery/general fiction/children’s author Carol Ochadleus

Children’s author and anthologies by Carl Virgilio

Friends Volunteer Opportunities

The Friends of the Troy Public Library is an all-volunteer organization. Our mission is to promote and support the TPL, and we accomplish what we do because of our volunteers and the time they give in service of the Friends.

Book Shop Section Leader

We invite you to visit our shops to see our work in action and to review our volunteer opportunities below. Training is provided for every position, and your service can be a few hours each month or several hours weekly. Volunteers develop new friends, learn more about the library, and feel a great sense of accomplishment.

Adopt a section of the Book Shop and take ownership of the items on display for weekly sales. You’ll be shown how to price, stock, and organize your section. Check-in once a week to see how many items were sold, and fill it all back up again!

Friends Gift Shop Cashier and/or Assistant

Working in our lobby shop includes assisting customers with sales, light housekeeping, and simple opening and/or closing tasks. If you are a friendly person with a smiling face, the Friends Gifts Shop is waiting for you! We’re open daily as staffed, and shifts are typically three hours.

Book Sorting

Sorting is one of the most fun and interesting jobs we have! Our sorters see the donations before anyone else, and then help organize them into clearly labeled shelves. Most sorters work just a few hours at a time. Caution: this job is addicting and friendships are formed weekly!

Book Shop Cashier and/or Assistant

We open up our well-stocked Book Shop every weekend the library is open, and that means we need 2-3 cashiers/baggers to help sell the books! Shifts are approx. 3.5 hours and include opening and closing duties, counting cash, and assisting customers. Want to feel the true energy of all the work we do?  This is the place for you!

Membership Assistant

Helping the Board register new members is as simple as processing new members, updating an existing membership document, and sending out monthly reminders for renewals. Portions of this task can be done from home, and it requires just a few hours a month.

Special Events Team

A few times a year, we host special events like our Volunteer Appreciation Dinner, guest lecturer or author presentations, or a themed event. Tasks include helping set up, clean up, acquire donations for prizes, and coordinating other details.

But Wait…There’s One More Opportunity! Become a Member.

This is the easiest job of all because the time commitment is this: none!  But for as little as  $15/year ($10 for student membership), you can help continue the legacy of the Friends. Your membership helps us fund the programs and extras that the Friends provide to the entire TPL community.  Bonus: you also get first notice of special events and sales, and members receive annual discounts in our shops.

Don’t wait to become our Friend!

Simply fill out the form below, send it through the mail, or drop it off in our lobby shop.

You may also sign up to volunteer or become a member on our website at www.friendstpl.org/join.

 “How did you pay for the improvements?”

“Does this mean you’ll have less to give less to the Library?”

“Was it really necessary?”

These are some of the questions we’ve been asked lately as we worked through the renovations of our Friends Book Shop. So while we’ve been counting down the days to our Grand Re-Opening, we wanted to take today to count our blessings and explain how it all came about.

First, the renovation is fully paid for by the Friends of the Troy Public Library and was not financed or completed at the expense of any taxpayer. As a non-profit organization, we are not connected to the City or the City finances. None of the funding generated by our TPL millage is filtered through the Friends.

Moreover, deciding to spend money on ourselves was difficult. We typically only spend money to cover costs of our website, our phone service, necessary supplies to run our Book Shop and Gift Shop, and modest marketing/membership materials. The rest of what we earn is donated to the TPL. However, the Friends received a generous gift a few years back from the estate of a member and Library patron that allowed us to complete our renovation while continuing to give the majority of our revenues back to the Library. To be clear, we don’t have enough to fund an extra day of service as some have jokingly suggested we do, but we are happy to provide the programming and other enhancements the TPL community deserves and loves!

Finally, while our “before” space certainly allowed us to conduct business, many of the shelves and display units – initially donated from the upstairs public spaces – were over thirty years old and becoming increasingly dilapidated and possibly dangerous. A broken bracket here, a rickety table there, and we knew we had to finally make some changes. When the Library announced a closure to replace carpeting, we seized the opportunity to update.

And here we are today, on the eve of our Grand Re-Opening. We are thrilled with how the Book Shop looks, and we look forward to many more years of providing quality materials to all our patrons.

See you at the Library!

As of March 2, the Friends happily began receiving donations of gently-used books and AV materials again!  Please follow these guidelines when donating books, games, puzzles, and AV materials (Blu Ray’s, DVD’s, CD-ROMs, audio books, etc.):

• We only accept items that are smoke, mold, and bug free – we cannot take anything that has been previously wet or underwater
• All items should be free of tears, dents, writing, or other damage
• We do accept rare and collectible books and materials
• Unfortunately, we cannot accept the following:
  • encyclopedias
  • cassette tapes
  • time-sensitive magazines/periodicals one year prior to the current year
  • medical/computer books older than five years
  • business books older than ten years
  • textbooks older than ten years

All donations are tax-deductible within the limits of the law (please check with your tax advisor for specific details).  

If you’ve been following along, you’ve seen the complete clearing of materials in our Book Shop, then the demolition/removal of all old furniture and shelving. The next step called for bright coats of paint and snappy new carpeting!

We’re expecting the shelving and other furniture items to arrive within the next five to six weeks. And then we’ll begin the process of filling the space back up with books, DVD’s, CD’s, records, and other fun items we select for you.

We miss all of our customers and volunteers, but we’re thrilled to be able to bring our all-new Book Shop back to life very soon.

In the meantime, check our the progress in the pics below!

The basement Book Shop is now cleared and ready for remodeling! We’ll be sharing updates as we go along.

The first phase was packing away all the books and materials. Many faithful volunteers and the Book Shop management crew were on hand getting the books into boxes, shelves completely cleared, and details finalized for the renovation.

Soon we’ll have new carpet, new paint, all new shelving, a new sales area, and other adjustments to the shop in general. We can’t wait to show it off!

In the meantime, take a look at these photos. It’s the Book Shop like most of us have never seen it before!

Our shops may be temporarily closed, but that doesn’t mean we’ve halted all our work! We’d like to gather some information from you about our lobby Friends Shop.

Did you know that the revenues from that shop – and the lower-level Book Shop – support the Library? That means the more we make, the more we give! And the happier our customers are, the better we’re able to give back to the entire library community. So we’ve created a survey to gather some data that will help us do our best.

Simply click this link, take the survey, and know that we thank you for your input. Your small investment of time could make a huge impact on our operations. Friends Shop Survey

Thank you!