Category Archives: Troy Communicator

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.