Reference Services
Library Assistance:
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@uhls.lib.ny.us, 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.
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.
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.
Reader Services
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.
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.
- GPO Access
A service of the U.S. Government Printing Office that provides free electronic access to a wealth of important information products produced by the Federal Government. The information provided on this site is the official, published version and the information retrieved from GPO Access can be used without restriction, unless specifically noted. - Government Documents currently received at Troy Public Library
Item numbers, SuDoc numbers, and stack location. - Government Information at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Access to U.S. and New York State government documents as well as links to federal, state, local, and international government information. - Federal Depository Library Program Electronic Collection
Primary full-text data sources and secondary data sources or finding tools at GPO or at other official sites.
