Troy Genealogy, Historical societies must vacate library by August
By Charles Bolinger • Editor • With just two months to secure a new location, moving assistance and funds to pay for it all, Diana Bauer struggles not to feel blindsided.
Bauer, president of the Troy Genealogy Society, spoke to a reporter on June 10 about a letter addressed to her group and to the Troy Historical Society from the Tri-Township Library Board dated May 19. In the letter, the library board of trustees asked both societies to vacate the library by Aug. 17.
“I was a little bit upset because I was one of the board members who attended the library board’s May 6 meeting,” she explained. “We told the board what we had accomplished and what our plans are for [the rest of] 2025 and the future. They already knew what they were going to do, so why didn’t they say something to us then?”
Vacating the library means more than just the groups can no longer meet there after August, it means they have to take their respective collections of items with them. In Bauer’s opinion, sending the letter after the board already made the decision cost both groups a couple of weeks.
Tri-Township Library Board President, Michele Erschen, replied to a reporter’s request for details on June 10 about the 150-square-feet space in question.
“As part of our effort to meet the growing needs of the community, the library board has made the decision to repurpose the meeting room to allow for more flexible space for expanding programs, services and collections,” she said.
“At the same time, we’re facing real limitations in space—both for public events and for the behind-the-scenes work that supports them,” she continued.
“While the formal letter we sent to the societies has not been made public, we wanted to reiterate our appreciation for their long-standing partnership with the library and our offer of support as they prepare for this transition.
“We understand that this change may present challenges, and we are committed to providing support where we can. In that spirit, we are pleased to offer the following assistance:
- Volunteer Support: Library volunteers are available to assist with packing and organizing materials. We’ve already scheduled several days with the societies to begin this process
- Promotion: We’d be glad to post on the library’s social media channels to inform the public of their relocation and to encourage continued engagement with both organizations
- Financial Assistance: The Friends of the Library have generously offered to provide a small donation to each society to help offset relocation expenses
- Shelving Units: To help reduce costs during the transition, we’re offering some of the shelving units currently in the meeting room for the societies to take with them if needed
Erschen declined to reveal how much monetary support was provided, saying any discussions about amounts or arrangements for that support would need to take place directly between the Friends of the Library group and the societies.
“We’ve also accepted an invitation to attend the genealogical society’s next meeting at the library on June 17, so we can continue the conversation and offer support in person,” she added.
“Our goal is to ensure both groups are set up for success moving forward and that they continue to thrive in their mission to preserve and share our community’s rich history.”
Imagine receiving a letter to vacate the day before going on an extended vacation. That’s how Steve Loos, president of the historical society, found out, he said on June 11, the day after returning home.
“We’re all disappointed and still trying to gather our thoughts and make plans to store items and literature until a new space can be found,” he said on June 9 before returning home.
He expounded on his thoughts to a reporter on June 11. He said he’s led the group for the past three or four years but the group’s met at the library for “decades.” He said there are hundreds of items in the group’s collection.
“I haven’t had a chance to discuss the decision with more of my teammates,” he said since he was out of town for a prolonged period.
“I’m disappointed that the material has been deemed irrelevant,” he said, noting that people have come to the group to find out their home’s history. “There was so much that could have been done differently,” he said regarding the entire relocation process, such as asking both groups to start cataloging their belongings earlier.
While Loos said he understands using the space for other programming, “There could have been other, alternate creative solutions other than, ‘just take your stuff and go.’
He said moving the collections will be easier said than done. Such a move will cost the groups time, effort and money. He reminded a reporter that neither group has the resources to build their own building(s) in Troy.
Bauer, who is retired, has been president of the group for three years, she said but the library has been the group’s meeting home for “a long time.” She said she has been notifying the group’s other members and making a plan.
She said she has done a lot to keep the organization going, has become involved in the group and now she wants to protect its accomplishments.
“I couldn’t ask for a better crew,” she said of her group. She is proud of her members, too. “Even though some of them can’t get out as much as they used to or they may have more medical appointments now [taking more of their time].”
Bauer said they work with groups such as the City of Troy, Atlas Preservation and Wreaths Across America. They have had visitors from Iowa, Missouri and New York.
One of the other things her group will do is sort through its collection to decide which items to keep and which ones to donate to surrounding historical societies, for example. She is also trying to get cardboard boxes and other moving supplies.
“My main concern right now is that we need a location in Troy for our things,” she said. Any old storage space won’t do; it will need to be climate-controlled, she confirmed.
Once they locate a suitable new home, however, she said the items will not remain shut up. “They shouldn’t stay in boxes; they should be displayed,” she said.
Bauer said the library board’s president, Erschen, who was elected this year, could have handled the entire process differently.
“The prior president was good to us but we haven’t had the same kind of treatment since the current president [was elected],” Bauer said. “We’re important to the community, but we’re being pushed out by the younger activities going on.”
Erschen described it differently.
“Repurposing the meeting room is part of a broader effort to make better use of our existing footprint so we can continue meeting those needs efficiently,” she said. “It also helps position the library to grow and adapt in the years ahead, ensuring we can keep pace with the evolving role libraries play in vibrant, engaged communities.”
Erschen discussed the volunteer opportunities to help both groups.
“We’ve worked with the Troy Historical Society and the Troy Genealogical Society to set specific dates and times for packing and organizing their materials. To help avoid any confusion or scheduling issues, we encourage interested community volunteers, including Scout groups or other community members, to coordinate directly with the societies.
“That way, everyone stays on the same page and efforts can be better organized. We appreciate the community’s willingness to lend a hand and support these groups during their transition.”
Loos summed up the situation from his perspective.
“We never thought we would be pushed into panic mode like this,” he said. “The last thing we want to do is split up our collections into storage anywhere and everywhere. That’s when things get lost. I realize that people have changed but [the collections] are material that’s still relevant to the public.”
Bauer said there will be a fundraiser to help pay for scanning items for digitization and for future projects on July 9 from 4 – 8 p.m. at the Troy Dairy Queen on Edwardsville Road, just east of the Interstate 55-70 and Route 162 interchange.
The Troy Genealogical Society meetings are open to the public and the next one will be June 17 at 6 p.m. The Troy Historical Society next meets on July 8 at 7 p.m. Both groups meet in the history/genealogy room on the library’s lower level until August.
