News
Dear colleagues,
Texas Governor Greg Abbott has declared Thursday, September 15, 2016 as Power Up at Your Library Day. Libraries around the state have responded by organizing events geared to promote technology, innovation, creativity, and literacy in their respective communities. From McAllen to El Paso to Nacogdoches to Lubbock, and a rapidly-growing number in between, over 175 library events have been registered by academic, public, school, and special libraries.
The Texas Digital Library, through its home institution the University of Texas at Austin, and in collaboration with the University of North Texas and Houston Public Library, announced plans to increase the visibility of Texas archival materials in digital format through a statewide aggregation service thanks to a $71,877 grant made possible by the Texas State Library and Archives Commission and the Library Services and Technology Act.
The Texas Center for the Book, a project of the Texas State Library and Archives Commission, invites young readers to enter the 2016 Letters About Literature Contest. Held in conjunction with the Library of Congress, the literary competition encourages students in grades 4-12 to write to an author (living or deceased) about how his or her book affected their lives.
The Texas Center for the Book is seeking qualified non-profit organizations that have made outstanding contributions to increasing literacy in Texas for the 2016 Texas Center for the Book Literacy Award. The winning organization will receive a $1,000 cash award to assist in its future work promoting reading and combating illiteracy. The award provides public recognition to 501(c)(3) organizations committed to addressing the continuing need for literacy services and that increase public awareness of the importance of literacy.
Science, technology, engineering, art and math take center stage alongside reading, writing, robots and more in the list of grant proposals recently approved by the Texas State Library and Archives Commission. Agency commissioners gave the green light to 73 library grant awards totaling $2.1 million for numerous Texas libraries, institutions of higher education, and related nonprofit organizations.
Gloria Meraz has been appointed Assistant State Librarian at the Texas State Library and Archives Commission. Her role at TSLAC will continue her long-standing efforts to support the provision of library and archival resources and services to state and local government, researchers, communities, and people across Texas. Prior to her new position at the agency, Meraz served as Director of Communications for 17 years at the Texas Library Association where she oversaw government relations, publications, and public relations.
The Texas Historical Records Advisory Board (THRAB) is pleased to announce the creation of the Archival Award of Excellence to recognize significant achievements in preserving and improving access to historical records in any format by a Texas archival institution and individual achievements.
THRAB is accepting nominations until mid-September with announcement of the institutional and individual recipients named in October during Texas Archives Month. The award is funded by a 2016 State Programming Board grant from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission.
The Texas State Library and Archives Commission (TSLAC) received a $200,000 grant from the Texas Workforce Commission to expand library engagement with local Adult Education and Literacy (AEL) programs. Funding from the grant will be used to expand efforts to provide adult education opportunities to the more than 4.3 million Texans who qualify for assistance.