Category Archives: News

Dive into Books: July at Gay Kimball Library!

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July’s been a busy month at Gay Kimball Library! From diving into summer reading challenges to finding ways to beat the heat of the dog days of summer, we’ve had a blast with our community through a number of events.

Thanks to our CLiF grant, we were able to purchase two book wagons and head out to the Historical Society’s Community Fair this month. There, we offered the town a glimpse at GKL history through storyboards. It was exciting to talk with patrons new and old about how the town’s library first began in the late 1800s as a room in our town hall. Our original circulation was just under 1,000 titles, and we started with one part-time librarian. It wasn’t until 1945 that the library moved out of the town hall into the brick portion of our building today. To learn more about our history, take a walk near the picnic table on the side of the library and read all about Gay Kimball’s history and the generous legacy of both the Gay and Kimball families!

In July, we also held an obstacle course event in conjunction with the rec department’s Community Day. Kids leveled up their agility by balancing balls, hoops, and noodles while following directions. We also created a new graphic novel section in our children’s room, leveled up our Lego building skills, hosted rec department camp visits, and saw a record number of children come out for story time – as many as 22 kids and 9 adults.

We also welcomed Rylan Christen to our volunteer team. He’s been a great asset in helping us with a variety of tasks, including setting up our shark scavenger hunt, collecting rocks for Storytime kids, helping patrons with computers, and troubleshooting building maintenance concerns. If you see Rylan around, please thank him for his service to the town.

We improved library safety this month by installing security cameras both in and out of the building. In addition to the town cameras for YouTube streaming of government meetings in our conference room, we are now able to ensure patron safety in all areas of the library and are thankful to all who helped make this happen!

With door counts rising and people meeting their summer reading goals, we are looking forward to meeting our own goals for August. This will include the addition of several new audiobook titles for adults, an extensive and diverse addition of adult titles, the announcement of new adult programming, the introduction of a Teddy Bear Tea program, a regular Story Walk for all ages, and an author visit. We will also be reaching out to local educators and speakers for a variety of adult presentations and programming opportunities.

We are super excited to have received word that our CLiF grant will cover tile replacement for our event space before summer’s end! This will come just in time for our author signing events and make for a brighter space for all!

Summer Reading Sign Ups and More! #LevelUp

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By Erin George, Director

It’s hard to believe summer is already here! If you haven’t signed up yet, there’s still plenty of time to participate and set your reading goals. Summer reading is for people of all ages. We have prizes for kids, teens, and adults, and encourage you to stop by and sign up!

After a successful LEVEL UP Comic Con-inspired summer reading kick-off June 21, here are a few of the events we’re looking forward to:

  • July 12, 10 to 2: Obstacle Course – Test your agility!
  • July 26, 10 to 2: Level Up Legos – Test your LEGO-building skills
  • August 9, 10 to 2: Tie Dye Day!
  • August 16, 10 to 2: Indoor Pool Party!
  • August 23, 10 to 2: Summer Reading Ice Cream Celebration

Keep an eye out on our Facebook page and in the town group on Facebook as we add events going forward. You won’t want to miss out, and we do have some fun surprises planned!

In May and June, we were busy with the Beyond the Bell Little Librarian program. For six weeks, our Little Librarians worked to build lemonade stands in teams. While reading The Lemonade War, kids learned how to run a small business and competed to see who could sell the most lemonade at the end of the program. Slay Girls, Jolly Ranchers, and Da Blue and Da Pink had a blast putting their spins on classic lemonade. Thank you to everyone who came out to support the kids’ entrepreneurial goals! A special thanks goes out to the police department, who took the time to try the kids’ lemonade. While visiting, they were spotted helping a teenager with his bike – how lucky our community is!

After a break from our regular Book Club group, we’re hoping to bring it back. We’re looking to see if there’s enough interest in a regular adult book club. If you’re interested or are a former member, please stop by or call the library. We hope to pick a book and bring the club (which meets monthly) back by fall.

As always, we’re interested in learning about your needs. We believe the library is a place not only for books, but for the community. If you have suggestions on titles you’d like us to purchase, programming we can offer, clubs or groups you’d like us to host, or other resources you believe would be helpful for the town of Troy, please reach out by calling (603) 242-7743.

Lastly, for those who haven’t heard, on June 24, I began my new position as director of the Gay Kimball Library. With over twenty years of experience in publishing, grant writing, writing, and management, as well as a master’s degree in therapy and group dynamics, I am excited to see what plot twists the next chapter will bring. I look forward to getting to know more about the patrons I’ve come to love during the three years I’ve worked as a library assistant at Gay Kimball. Thank you to everyone who has been so patient with us during this time of transition. Our goal is to continue doing what we can to make the library a welcoming, inspiring and helpful place for Troy and its amazing residents.

Our Hours:

Tuesday – 10:00 am – 7 pm

Wednesday & Thursday – 2 pm – 7 pm

Saturday – 10 am – 2 pm

Do those hours not work for you?  You can make use of our 24/7 Library Lockers!

GKL Receives CLiF Grant!

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June 12, 2025

Contact:

Gay Kimball Library
Erin George
(603) 242-7743

Sarah Hall, CLiF Communications Manager
communications@clifonline.org, (802) 244-0944

Gay Kimball Library Receives Grant from the Children’s Literacy Foundation

Troy NH: The Gay Kimball Library is pleased to have been selected to receive a Rural Library Grant for the 2025-2026 school year from the Children’s Literacy Foundation (CLiF), a nonprofit based in Waterbury Center, Vt.

Awarded annually to 12 public libraries in Vermont and New Hampshire, the Rural Library Grant is designed to help small-town libraries create excitement around literacy, update their collections, increase circulation, and strengthen connections with the communities they serve. The grant is also intended to fill funding shortfalls for libraries with extremely limited budgets.

“We are so pleased to have been fortunate enough to receive this grant. Our objective is to help our town’s children stay inspired by reading quality books! This opportunity will allow us to work closely with Troy Elementary School to introduce young readers to new experiences, books, and authors. We plan to incorporate family activities into our programming so people of all ages are involved and look forward to working with our young patrons and beyond,” said Erin George, Interim Director for Gay Kimball Library.

The grant provides $2,000 in new children’s books for the public library; $500 in new books for the local elementary school; two storytelling events for children at the local elementary school or library; a book giveaway for each child at the elementary school to take home; and funding for mini-grants that support family engagement over the course of the year.

Recognizing the increasing needs of small, rural libraries, CLiF recently expanded the grant to include a summer kickoff event featuring a storyteller and book giveaway; early childhood book kits for circulation in the library; board books for children ages 0-5; a selection from a multi-choice menu of options worth $1000; and a small stipend to recognize the time commitment from librarians who manage the grant in addition to their regular duties.

“CLiF’s Rural Library Grant is all about strengthening connections and building a community around literacy,” said CLiF Program Manager Cassie Willner. “In addition, we know how important it is to help small libraries update and diversify their children’s book collection and promote outreach through new titles and events.”

The Rural Library grant is one of CLiF’s longest running programs. Libraries with limited annual budgets that serve Vermont and New Hampshire towns with populations of about 5,000 or less are eligible to apply.

Since 1998, CLiF has been dedicated to creating literacy experiences that support success in life and learning for under-resourced children in communities across Vermont and New Hampshire. For more information, please visit www.clifonline.org.

What’s new and coming soon at GKL?

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Special thanks to all who came out for our Spring book sale despite the downpours. We had great success with our $5 a bag pricing and will be able to order fantastic prizes for this year’s summer reading program. We sold 31 bags in two hours on Friday night and 30 more bags on Saturday. Between sales and donations, we raised around $300 for library programming and summer reading prizes!
In May, we re-started our preschool story time program, The Hungry Caterpillars Book Club! The kids have had a great time seeing each other again, making Mother’s Day presents, and painting up bird houses donated by a generous patron. Story time will continue to run on Tuesdays at 11. All are welcome, including older and younger siblings! Story time includes a story, craft, and play time. This is a drop-by program and you don’t need to register. The only thing you should bring is play clothes and your imagination.
Also in May, we are busy with the Beyond the Bell Little Librarian program. For six weeks, our Little Librarians worked to build lemonade stands in teams. While reading The Lemonade War, kids are learning about how to run a small business and will compete to see who can sell the most lemonade at the end of the program. We have three teams – Slay Girls, Jolly Ranchers, and Da Blue and Da Pink. Each team is working on marketing, pricing, creating a stand, and making other decisions around how to make their stand successful. You can help by purchasing a cup and voting for your favorite when you see the kids selling outside the library. Watch social media for more information on dates and times the kids will sell their favorite flavors.
Looking ahead, we’re planning our summer reading programming and hope to see kids and adults meeting summer reading challenges! Coming soon is our Level Up Comic Con event, which will kick off this year’s Level Up Summer reading program. This event will take place on June 21 from 10 to 2. We will begin summer reading sign-ups for kids and adults at that time and for the weeks following June 21. Please keep an eye on social media and in the Troy group on Facebooks for specific events as the summer progresses.
After a break from our regular Book Club group, we’re hoping to bring it back. We’re looking to see if there’s enough interest in a regular adult book club. If you’re interested, or are a former member, please stop by or call the library. Our hope is to pick a book and bring the club (which meets monthly) back in July or August.
As we wait for news about a new director, we’re interested in learning about your interests and needs. We believe the library is a place not only for books but for the community. If you have suggestions on titles you’d like us to purchase, programming we can offer, or other resources you believe would be helpful for the town of Troy, please reach out by calling (603) 242-7743.
Thank you to everyone who has been so patient with us during this time of transition. Our goal is to continue to do what we can to make the library a welcoming, helpful place in town as we continue to grow!