Friends History Timeline

Friends of the Troy Public Library Logo

Late 1950s

  • Group of Troy residents initiates the idea of creating a city library and works for several years to develop and advance the concept.

1959

  • Troy City Commission creates a Library Commission to further investigate the possibility of a library in Troy.

1962

  • June – Committee sends a letter to all Troy residents inviting them to attend an organizational meeting on June 28, 1962. Forty citizens attend the meeting.
  • July – First Friends Board of Directors elected with Thomas Austin as President.
  • August – First Friends of the Troy Public Library are incorporated.
  • First Friends book drive yields 8,500 books. 2,500 books are selected as nucleus for the proposed library. Remaining books are set aside for a fundraising book sale.
  • September – Friends partner with the Troy Board of Education and the Troy Public Library Reading Room is opened in 2 rooms adjacent to the Troy High library.
  • November – First Friends book sale brings in $500.

1963

  • Membership drive results in 430 members in first year.
  • Friends help to inform Troy voters of the need for a revision of the Troy City Charter to provide legality for a Library Board of Trustees. City Charter amendment passes and the Library Board of Trustees is formed to replace the Library Commission.
  • Library closed in the summer due to lack of operating funds.

1964-1984

  • Friends continue to raise funds and actively promote and support the TPL via countless programs and projects.

1984

  • Friends donate $60,000 to the library expansion.

2005

  • Book Shop moves to TPL main floor for 7 months so that income is sustained during Library’ climate control system renovation.
  • Friends host a Visioning Session to get input from the Troy community on how to best promote and support the Troy Public Library.

2006

  • Current Friends logo is adopted.

2007

  • Special Needs Collection is established through a $5,000 gift from the Friends.

2009

  • TPL receives the ALA World Book award to fund the Information Literacy for the Job Seeker program, the only public library in the country to receive this award. Subsequently, Friends fund ongoing Job Seeker Program.

2009-2010

  • Friends lead the grassroots effort to save the library from closure.

2010

2011