Troy Public Library

One of the premier libraries in the state is the Troy Public Library whose modern and inviting facility was built in 1971.  It ranks 10th in the nation among those serving populations of 50,000 or more. People check out more than a million items a year. So it's hard to believe that it almost closed two years ago. The city of Troy figured they could lop 1.7 million dollars from their budget by closing the facility.  An anti-tax group even promoted a book-burning party. Fortunately, a proposal to fund the library passed and it's still humming along, serving a large segment of the population.  They have a great poster with quotes from various people supporting libraries, like John Grisham saying: "I worry about how many children read. Libraries are more important today than when I was a kid."