The Troy Public Library is located in the city complex, near the Troy Family Aquatic Center. The Children’s Department is one of the largest I have visited in the area with many special and unique areas.
We walked around to explore a little bit and admired the big colorful rugs and the sheer amount of BOOKS. So many books! There were early readers, picture books, board books, books in different languages, book bundles, nonfiction, chapter books, audio books, and an entire section dedicated to Universal Access.
According to the TPL, The Universal Access Collection houses a variety of materials for those with differing abilities (including, but not limited to, patrons with physical disabilities, visual impairments, hearing impairments, learning disabilities, cognitive disabilities, intellectual disabilities, and developmental disabilities), as well as those who work with them. The collection includes books (including fiction, informational, and braille), magnifiers, adapted and therapeutic toys, learning manipulatives, assistive devices, and more, with a goal of providing more equitable access to library resources for patrons whose needs are not being met by other, traditional library collections.
I was so impressed to see you can borrow the Boardmaker program, which any teacher can tell you, is very expensive! This program is perfect for those people who require visual schedules, or those who need symbols to communicate.
There were also plenty of places to sit and read or work. There was a room at one end labeled Crafts and Stories where story-times and special events are held.
My kids enjoyed playing restaurant in the kitchen area, using the toys in the Tech Farm, and working on the early literacy the computers the most. We spent about an hour here and we could have stayed a bit longer, had my son not started to get hungry. (Also notable-the library has a cafe!) We weren’t able to check out any books this time, because Troy is a part of the Suburban Library Cooperative, which is a coop of Macomb County libraries (Armada, Center Line, Chesterfield, Clinton Township, Eastpointe, Fraser, Harper Woods, Harrison Township, Macomb Township, Mount Clemens, New Baltimore, New Haven (Lenox Township), Ray, Richmond, Romeo (Washington, Bruce), Roseville, Shelby Township, St. Clair Shores, Sterling Heights, Troy, Utica, and Warren) and TPL. If you have a library card at any of those libraries, you are able to borrow materials and use the computers at Troy Public Library.
If you would like to check out the Troy Public Library, here is all the info you will need!
Regular Hours
Monday – Thursday | 10 am – 9 pm
Friday | Closed
Saturday | 10 am – 5 pm
Sunday | 1 pm – 5 pm
510 W. Big Beaver, Troy, MI 48084
248.524.3538
info@troypl.org
Julie is first and foremost a mom of two amazing kiddos, Elliott and Bennett. She is an elementary school librarian whose passion is to create safe spaces for all children.