Reference Services

Library Assistance:Reference desk attendant
The Main Library has a full Reference Department, with a librarian always available to help find the book or information you need. We can also answer quick reference questions by telephone or e-mail, or help you use library resources from your home computer. Call the Reference Librarian at (518) 274-7071, email us: troyref@thetroylibrary.org, or complete our contact form.

Interlibrary Loan
If we don’t have the book or article you need, we can request it for you through our interlibrary loan system. The material will be delivered to Troy Public Library for you. Please ask at the Information Desk for assistance.

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Electronic Resources

A number of online Reference Databases are accessible on terminals in the library or from home with your Troy Public Library card. Use these resources to search for magazine and newspaper articles, search online encyclopedias, or to locate business and financial information. Please ask at the Information Desk if you need assistance in using these databases.

Internet access and word processing are available on computers in the library to patrons with valid Troy Public Library or Upper Hudson Library System cards. All users must agree to follow Troy Public Library’s Internet and Computer Policy.

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Genealogy and Local History

Our Troy Room Collection contains hundreds of books, pamphlets, and other local history and genealogy documents. Works by local authors, Troy City Directories, local newspapers, family histories, and census records are all part of this valuable collection. The library also subscribes to three genealogy research databases: Ancestry Library Edition , HeritageQuest Online, and Jewish Data.  These databases are available only on computers in the library.

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Reader Services

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Job and Small Business Information Center:
The library has reference materials and books to check out on the topics of choosing or preparing for a career, job searching, resume and cover letter writing, interviewing, and career advancement. Also included are civil service examination announcements and job openings, and classified job ads. We maintain a collection of study guides for civil service, military, postal, police, and professional examinations. This collection is located on the first floor of the Main Library, to the left-hand side of the rear staircase.

 

Education Center:
This collection has both reference and circulating materials to assist students in selecting and applying to colleges. The collection includes information on financial aid. Also contained in this section are Adult Education materials, including GED preparation books, and test preparation guides for standardized exams like the SAT, NYS Regent’s Exams and the GRE. This collection is located on the first floor of the Main Library, to the left-hand side of the rear staircase.

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TPL Federal Depository

Troy Public Library has been a Federal Depository Library since 1869. Since 1979 the collection has been developed in cooperation with Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute according to the guidelines of a selective housing agreement.

We serve the government information needs of the 21st Congressional District along with other depositories located at the New York State Library, Union College, State University of New York, Albany, and the Albany Law School. Troy Public Library places special emphasis on acquiring publications from the Census Bureau, the Department of Defense, the Department of Health and Human Services, and the State Department. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) emphasizes publications from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, NASA, the Department of Energy, patents, and technical information from most departments.

For assistance in locating U.S. Government documents at the library, at other local depositories, or online, or for further information about our holdings, please call 274-7071 or stop by the Information Desk at the Main Library.

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This library is a Congressionally designated depository for U.S. Government documents.  Public access to the Government documents is guaranteed by public law.

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