As we approach the end of the year, I wanted to take a moment to review the work our agency has done in 2022, a year of outstanding achievement for the Texas State Library and Archives Commission and the communities and customers we serve. Despite the many challenges of 2022, our staff, partners, and information professionals statewide rose to the occasion.
Let me give you just a taste of what has been achieved this year.
- TSLAC leadership, working with the guidance and support of the Commission, completed the agency’s strategic plan and legislative appropriations request, which prioritizes our public programs and services, as well as staff.
- Capital improvements, including construction started for HVAC upgrade and fire system expansion, began at our Sam Houston Regional Library and Research Center in Liberty.
- TSLAC opened the Promontory Point State Records Center Annex facility in south Austin, greatly increasing the agency’s total state records management storage capacity.
- We hired a new records management officer who is reenergizing the agency’s records management program and working across divisions on information governance.
- The Texas Center for the Book coordinated the designation and celebration of five new national Literary Landmarks across the state.
- We released a monthly e-newsletter for patrons, customers, and stakeholders.
- TSLAC welcomed two new commissioners and met in Liberty in November.
- We brought on a new Assistant State Librarian and division directors for LDN and TBP!
Library Development and Networking
- The agency awarded approximately $1.16 million in grants to Texas libraries through its annual competitive grants programs, as well as an additional $1.8 million to libraries across the state with federal funds from the American Rescue Plan Act, as appropriated through the Institute for Museum and Library Services.
- The Library Development and Networking Division (LDN) established the agency’s new Office of Statewide Digital Inclusion, which submitted a grant proposal (called the Infrastructure and Facility Access Improvement Grant) to request approximately $8 million to support broadband development initiatives and programs for libraries.
- LDN’s continuing education and consulting team developed and implemented training for new public library directors.
- The resource sharing unit completed solicitation for approximately $85 million in e-resources contracts for over the next 5 years to provide access to libraries.
- The agency accredited 498 public libraries—a year-long process.
- LDN also oversaw the completion of a Digital Literacy Study by the IC2 Institute at UT-Austin. The report, Texas Public Libraries: Serving Communities to Enhance Digital Literacy, contains information from 300 participating librarians that contributed time, thoughts, and information to help benchmark library digital literacy across the state. This report will help inform TSLAC priorities and partnerships in the coming years.
- In total, LDN exceeded its target by 17% for number of resources provided to Texans.
State and Local Records Management
- Our State and Local Records Management Division (SLRM) held the first annual Local Government Records Management Officer Zoom meeting and will plan to continue it annually in April as part of Records and Information Month.
- The Report of Reports was published once again with its usual excellence.
- SLRM held the statewide e-Records Conference virtually for last two years and was back in person this November, with 340 people in attendance!
- Records management assistance staff consulted with or trained more than 12,700 state and local officials by the end of fiscal year 2022 in August and interacted with approximately 10,000 units of government. This exceeded the target for training and assisting government employees in SLRM by 22%.
- Staff updated the University Records Retention Schedule and began work on updating all 12 local government schedules.
- State Records Center staff added many new customers in Imaging this year, including several divisions from the Board of Nursing, City of Cedar Park, and new divisions of the Secretary of State’s Office.
- Staff brought in an increase of 113% in imaging revenue for fiscal year 2022 and continue to outpace projections in the first few months of fiscal year 2023.
Archives and Information Services
- The Archives and Information Services Division (ARIS) accomplished the receipt, ingest, processing, and description of Texas Attorney General’s Office open records letter rulings, 1997-2003, 2007, available in the Texas Digital Archive and described on TARO. The receipt of these records, totaling 55,127 electronic files, is the result of a successful negotiation and partnership with the Texas Attorney General’s Office to transfer its archival electronic records to the State Archives, with ongoing transfers of similar rulings expected as well as transfers of other archival electronic records series from the OAG.
- Archives staff completed the revision and import of 448 EAD finding aids into ArchivesSpace, representing 53% of our EAD finding aids. That project is now 75% complete. The division also completed ingest of nearly all our legacy accession data, with 1,500 accessions imported this year. These are both major milestones in our goal to have all legacy accessions and finding aid data in ArchivesSpace for easier staff access and more efficient description of our archival holdings.
- Archives staff also completed processing and descriptive work that resulted in the creation or revision of 38 finding aids published on TARO.
- TSLAC’s continuing partnership with the Texas Department of Transportation for archival transfers of that agency’s Right of Way Division records resulted in publishing 60,488 electronic files from the Laredo, Lubbock, Pharr, San Angelo districts, on the TDA. Our custom search page makes accessing these records much more efficient and highlights our ability to provide information in an efficient and cost-effective manner.
- Information Services resumed full public services, including walk-in access to both reading rooms and interlibrary loan.
- ARIS curated and opened two exhibits in the lobby and online. A Home for Texas History and Texas Governors and their Times, 1846-1946.
- Sam Houston Center in Liberty opened the newly renovated Hull-Daisetta Rotary Building to the public, including unveiling a permanent exhibit designed by ARIS and traveling exhibit from the Bob Bullock State History Museum.
Talking Book Program
- The Talking Book Program (TBP) exceeded its target outcome measure by 11%, serving 5% of the eligible Texas population, exceeded the annual target for the number of TBP items circulated (929,963 total!) by 3%.
- TBP cataloged more than 20,000 digital, braille, and large print titles; added over 700 large new print titles to the collection; and added over 125 new braille titles to the collection.
- Readers’ Services registered 4,088 new patrons, added 2,465 BARD accounts, jumped to 235,787 BARD downloads, and served 380 Summer Reading Program participants.
- TBP piloted easing access to NLS for people with reading disabilities and signed up more than 7,000 patrons.
- The TBP Volunteer Recording Studio uploaded 58 titles to BARD.
- The studio currently has more than 1,800 books on the BARD site, and NLS has confirmed that Texas has more books on the site than any other state program.
- And as of October 2022, there has been a total of 435,289 downloads of TBP-recorded books!
- TBP participated in 21 outreach opportunities in 2022—a mix of virtual and in-person events across Texas.
- TBP circulation is planning the imminent addition of braille e-reader machines, iPads, and DA-2 machines in the machine area. 2023 and beyond will be very busy for machine lending.
- The TBP circulation facility inspection area at the State Records Center was upgraded.
Now, looking forward to 2023, our work is equally vital. In the new year, TSLAC will be continuing its key role supporting state government through the 88th Legislative Session; spearheading major digital inclusion projects; releasing updated standards for libraries; increasing records and archival storage; building upon our existing infrastructure; and undertaking more digitization efforts.
This is just a snapshot of the incredible work done by our team in 2022 and a sneak peek of some of the great things coming in the new year. We remain committed to serving our diverse public and welcoming people to our agency and programs—both in person and virtually.
On behalf of the staff of the Texas State Library and Archives Commission, I hope you have a wonderful holiday season.
- The Patrick Heath Public Library in Boerne was awarded a TSLAC CAP Grant to upgrade and expand the children’s collection of Spanish and bilingual materials, plus furnishings.
- Our Chair, Dr. Martha Wong, officially opened the new Promontory Point State Records Center Annex with other commissioners and TSLAC leadership in attendance.
- New Assistant State Librarian Tim Gleisner joined the team in August.
- Our annual Texas e-Record Conference was back in person this year, with a fantastic in-person and streaming on-demand turnout in November.
- TSLAC TSHA Research Fellow Caitlyn Jones examines media from the State Archives.
- The Talking Book Program engages in year-round outreach to current and potential patrons, librarians, and supporters.
- The Dr. Theodis “Ted” Shine, Jr. Literary Landmark in Dallas was one of five new national designations unveiled by the Texas Center for the Book since 2021.
- Our two lobby exhibits in 2022, “A Home for Texas History” and “Texas Governors and Their Times, 1846-1946,” drew visitors both in person and online.
- Student at Bill Burden Elementary in Liberty Hill participating in Read Across Texas by recording his response to one of the books.
- Audiobooks in the circulation department of the Talking Book Program.
- Chair Dr. Martha Wong delivering remarks at the opening of the renovated Hull-Daisetta Rotary Club Building at the Sam Houston Regional Library and Research Center in Liberty.
- Cupcakes reflect the 60th anniversary of the Lorenzo de Zavala State Archives and Library Building at the Texas Library and Archives Foundation’s April event for the “A Home for Texas History” exhibit.