Recipients
TSLAC Competitive Grant Recipients for FY 2017
See Also: FY 2025 | FY 2024 | FY 2023 | FY 2022 | FY 2021 | FY 2020 | FY 2019 | FY 2018 | FY 2017 | FY 2016 | FY 2015 | FY2014
Balch Springs Library - Learning Center — STEM: Build It, $1,500
The Balch Springs Library - Learning Center will start a new STEM-based program for the 2017 Collaborative Summer Library Program (CSLP) by focusing on the 2017 architecture and building theme for school aged children in K-6th grades. The program will use STEM-based kits to help the children build buildings and bridges. After the summer reading program is over, the library will incorporate the building-based kits into monthly library programming.
Bedford Public Library — Reel Readers, $5,000
The Bedford Public Library is planning to create a Reel Readers Book Club for outreach to seniors. Library staff will create book club kits and train senior center staff and volunteers on how to conduct a book club. To engage seniors at all reading levels, the books selected will have been made into a movie. Each kit will contain 10 copies of the selected books, the corresponding audio book, and the associated movie.
Cross Plains Public Library — Book-to-Movie Discussions, $3,169
Cross Plains seeks funding to continue their Book-to-Movie program which is geared to three age groups — adults, teens and children. This grant would allow the library to purchase the books, movies, and licenses to provides 14 book-to-movie events during the grant period.
El Paso Public Library — Toddlers Make Your Mark, $5,000
El Paso Public Library seeks funding to implement a new program based on the Every Child Ready to Read @ Your Library program. The five daily practices emphasized in that parent modeling program are talking, singing, reading, writing, and playing. Writing will be the focus of the Toddlers Make Your Mark program which will help parents and caregivers understand the importance of writing in the development of early literacy.
Harris County Public Library — Tournament of Books (Houston), $4,815
The Tournament of Books is a competition for high school students designed to develop and encourage a love of reading. Harris County library branches will partner with four high schools to form student teams to read 20 individual books on a designated list of diverse Young Adult (YA) books and hold book parties to foster enthusiasm and discussion around the books. Teams will prepare to test their knowledge of the books and compete for the championship at the tournament in the spring, where teams will work together to answer questions about the 20 books.
Irving Public Library — Build a Better World, $5,000
Irving Public Library will host a total of 8 STEM-related summer reading programs that will tie in with the Collaborative Summer Library Program 2017 Summer Reading Challenge theme of architecture and building, Build a Better World.
Livingston Municipal Library — Meet Hank the Cowdog Creator John Erickson, $4,140
Livingston Municipal Library will host a visit by author John Erickson. Mr. Erickson will perform "Hank the Cowdog in Concert," a 60 minute program of fun and family entertainment. Through songs and readings, Erickson will bring to life the characters from his award-winning Hank the Cowdog series of books and audio books. This would be the first in a series of author visits the library would like to add to its annual summer reading program.
Plano Public Library System — Brain Food, $5,000
Plano Public Library System (PPLS) will partner with Minnie’s Food Pantry in central Plano to provide a literacy corner for children and parents at that facility. PPLS will provide a curated collection of materials for Minnie’s patrons to check out and digital devices for children to use while parents shop and take classes. Library staff will also visit Minnie’s on a regular schedule to share information about the libraries and their literacy programs, sign up residents for library cards, and provide other literacy programs such as puppet shows, storytime, and hands-on discovery activities to introduce simple STEAM concepts.
The Library at Cedar Creek Lake — Cedar Creek Lake Summer Reading Program (Seven Points), $5,000
Using volunteers, staff, and educational programs and reading logs, the library will offer enhanced summer reading programming five days a week during June and July 2017. Weekly programs will be themed, and library materials related to program themes will be placed on display for all age groups from age 4 to adult.
Tom Green County Library System — There and Back Again (San Angelo), $5,000
There and Back Again is a summer reading program that allows youth who are ready to advance out of children’s reading (third to fifth grade) to explore The Hobbit — There and Back Again through a month of related activities. The program is designed to expand reading ability and develop writing skills through a variety of creative exercises and allow readers to bridge from the Children’s Department to the Teen Republic – TGCL’s teen-dedicated department. A second month of activities will allow readers to continue their journey with The Lord of the Rings trilogy.
Arlington Public Library System — Soft Skills, $10,000
Arlington plans to expand its programming to include a soft skills curriculum and an intern position to teach a series of workshops on interviewing, communication, professionalism, business etiquette, and teamwork. The programming would complement the library’s Career Advancement Program (CAP), which was started with a 2015 Impact grant for patrons to explore career opportunities at their own pace through a series of classes and refine their skills to enhance employability and improve workplace performance.
College of the Mainland — OverDrive Project (Texas City), $10,000
The College of the Mainland Library is seeking to enhance its current eBook collection. The Library will add titles in subject areas that will support its Distance Education and Dual Credit enrollments.
Dickinson Public Library — Intermediate Level Computer and Job Search Classes, $4,500
Dickinson Public Library will offer intermediate computer, Internet, and resume-building classes to patrons to improve their technology skills. Classes will also be offered to introduce the LinkedIn social media tool to help users effectively use the tool for online job applications.
El Paso Public Library — Creative Space, MakerSpace, $9,994
The El Paso Public Library plans to offer higher-level programs for teens and children on coding, robotics, engineering, film making and music recording. Funding would support upgrading computers, software, and equipment.
El Paso Public Library — Early Developmental Literacy, $10,000
El Paso Public Library will implement an early literacy program geared toward expectant parents and parents with infants up to the age of one year. The goal of this program is to incorporate early developmental literacy activities to jumpstart a child’s language development by utilizing library resources such as the Ritmo Audio System (designed specifically for in utero development), PlayAway BookPacks, BellyBooks, and music, while also educating caregivers on the benefits of reading to their infants.
Forest Hill Public Library — The Forest Hill Public Library Skill Development Series, $2,870
The Forest Hill Public Library is seeking funding to purchase laptop computers, instructional books, and MS Office productivity software for a 6-part skill development series. This series of classes will provide basic productivity skills in Microsoft Word and Excel, as well as skills focused on e-mail, resume creation and job applications. The program will target high school seniors, new college students and continuing education adults entering the workforce and seeking jobs.
Harris County Public Library — Animal Science for Kids (Houston), $9,025
Harris County Public Library seeks to offer Animal Science for Kids, a comprehensive life science and literacy learning exploration designed for youth ages 2 -14. This program will encompass several theme-based activities with an emphasis on Science, Technology, Reading, Engineering, Arts and Math (STREAM) based program concepts. Participants will be able to observe and study avian embryos through an interactive ‘egg hatching’ learning experience. HCPL will take this educational experience to the next level by extending the project into a ‘foster-chick- parenting’ program, enabling the youth of Harris County to explore and experience Animal Science & Agriculture with a hands-on approach. The final step will focus on Math and Engineering providing chicken coop building workshops for youth and their parents.
Jacksonville Public Library — Digital Literature For Everyone, $10,000
Jacksonville Public Library seeks to update and expand patron access to digital books and other literature to help promote literacy. It will provide ‘Play Away’ and ‘Launchpad’ style devices for their young and emerging readers and create book kits for adults who are new readers.
Llano County Library System — Tech Tools for Better Business, $9,826
The Llano Library will partner with the Llano Chamber of Commerce to bring design and marketing concepts to Llano’s local businesses and nonprofits. The Library will create a business center with a computer, design software, color printer, scanner, and a laptop computer for remote use. In addition, a series of workshops and classes will be scheduled covering a variety of topics key to building and growing a small business or nonprofit.
McAllen Memorial Library — McAllen Public Library Mobile Application Project, $10,000
McAllen Public Library proposes a Mobile Application Project (MAP) that will provide patrons with easy access to digital content. The MAP will increase the number of patrons using online resources and the circulation of online resources at the library.
Mesquite Public Library — Technology Training, $10,000
The Mesquite Public Library System will expand its Technology Training to provide additional opportunities for patrons to improve their technical and job-hunting skills. The library will collaborate with local Workforce offices and other organizations to determine the necessary competencies for program participants to be competitive in the current job market. The expanded Technology Training program will include classes on basic computer use, email, Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, job and resume resources, and other topics as determined.
Pasadena Public Library — Play, Grow and Read with AWE Early Literacy Stations, $9,699
The Pasadena Public Library will purchase three Advanced Workstations for Education (AWE) Early Literacy Stations to enhance their preschool programs, including Baby & Me, Story Time, Parent-Toddler Fun Time, and collaborative programming with AVANCE Houston, the Texas Afterschool Centers on Education with the Pasadena ISD, and day care centers. The Early Literacy Stations cover seven curriculum areas with emphasis on print awareness, letter knowledge, vocabulary, phonological awareness and more. The stations will be placed in the newly renovated Family Place Libraries Area (which was funded by the Texas State Library) along with educational toys and age appropriate reading materials.
Plano Public Library System — Play in the Library, $10,000
Plano Public Library System (PPLS) is planning to expand and replicate the training and knowledge of the Family Place Library model to the other four locations in the system so each of the libraries can fully participate in building healthy communities by nourishing healthy families. PPLS will use Impact funds to purchase age- and development-appropriate toys, furniture, and other materials to use during early literacy programs.
Richardson Public Library — Books & Babies, $9,975
The Books & Babies program—in cooperation with Methodist Richardson Medical Center—will distribute “Books for Babies” packets to the mothers of newborns in the hospital. Each packet will include a new board book for infants, pamphlets on how to read to babies, and invitations (in Spanish and English) to attend early literacy library programs. The program seeks to educate mothers at the very beginning of their child’s early literacy learning window, to reach parents and children who would not otherwise become acquainted with the library, and to create ongoing and increased participation in existing early literacy programs in the library.
Sachse Public Library — Sachse Children's Literacy Project, $9,858
Sachse Public Library will purchase two Advanced Workstations for Education (AWE) Early Literacy Station computers for learners aged 2-8 and one AWE Afterschool Edge computer for ages 6-14. These resources will enhance the library’s childhood literacy programs and services.
The Library at Cedar Creek Lake — Adult Education and Workforce Development Digital Literacy Advancement Initiative (Seven Points), $9,997
The Library at Cedar Creek Lake will purchase ten laptop computers to supplement the library’s Adult Education offerings and assist in their collaboration with Workforce Solutions and Trinity Valley Community College. The laptops will be used in Adult Education programming, including ESL, GED,adult literacy, workforce development, and computer classes.
Wimberley Village Library — STEAM Ahead!, $3,810
The Wimberley Village Library plans to offer monthly STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math) programs to enhance and support curriculum taught at local schools for grades PreKindergarten through 2nd grade, and at the library through current toddler and pre-school programming. The library will hire presenters who will provide special monthly programs at the library throughout the year. The library’s youth librarian will create and plan other STEAM activities to supplement the special monthly programs.
Abilene Library Consortium — Flying High in the Texas Sky: Legacy of the WASP, $29,410
In partnership with the National WASP WWII Museum, the Abilene Library Consortium seeks to digitize and preserve the archives (documents, correspondence, photographs, and journals) of the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP) at Avenger Field in Sweetwater, Texas. The proposed collection will increase worldwide knowledge of the WASP and share accounts of their skills and heroism during 1942-44 that illustrate the WASP’s impact on WWII victory.
Austin Public Library — Dewey Mears Photography Collection Negative Cataloging and Digitization Project, $25,000
The Austin History Center of the Austin Public Library (AHC) will process and make available the negatives of the Dewey Mears Photography Collection.The collection consists of the entire body of work of photographer Dewey G. Mears who was well known for documenting mid-century modern architecture in Central Texas. The collection contains approximately 100,000 negatives, contact proof prints, and some finished enlargements. A finding aid will be made available through Texas Archival Resources Online, a selection of images will be digitized by the Portal to Texas History, and an exhibit will be mounted at the AHC.
Houston Public Library — Texas Films Revealed, Take Two, $34,975
The Houston Public Library and the Houston Metropolitan Research Center (HPL/HMRC), in partnership with The Texas Archive of the Moving Image (TAMI), will continue to digitize and make widely accessible historically important and previously unavailable Texas films. The films record significant events in Texas from the 1940s to 1970s. A representative selection of the films will be available for streaming from the TAMI library and as a gateway link to the HMRC website.
Lee College — Lee College Baytown Veteran/Local Oral History Project (Baytown), $7,490
Lee College will digitize 104 recorded veteran oral histories (61.2 hours) and approximately 22 oral histories on the history of Baytown (35 hours). These files will be sent to the Portal to Texas History at the University of North Texas for preservation storage, metadata creation, and Internet access.
Southern Methodist University — George W. Cook Dallas/Texas Image Collection Digitization Project (Part 2) (Dallas), $25,000
Southern Methodist University (SMU) seeks second-year funding to digitize and annotate 908 additional photographs, documents, and ephemera from the George W. Cook Dallas/Texas Image Collection (Cook Collection) at the DeGolyer Library. The collection contains a rich overview of Texas history in the form of photographs, documents, and ephemera related to the city of Dallas and the state of Texas overall, ca. 1829-1950s. Year one (2016) of the project allowed SMU to digitize and annotate 1,317 items from the collection.
St. Mary's University of San Antonio — Digitizing and rehousing the Spanish Archives of Laredo, $24,972
St. Mary’s seeks to have 13,343 pages of 3,452 original, handwritten, documents of the Spanish Archives of Laredo digitized by the University of North Texas Digital Lab and uploaded to The Portal of Texas History. Digitizing the originals of the Laredo Archives will greatly increase access to these documents that are important to Texas history. The project will also provide appropriate long-term storage of the original documents.
Stephen F. Austin State University — Loblolly Oral History Project (Nacogdoches), $`12,674
Stephen F. Austin State University proposes to digitize 384 audio interviews and stories as published in Loblolly Magazine by Gary High School students in Panola County, Texas, from 1973-2003, and make them available online through the East Texas Digital Archives & Collections (ETxDAC) with links to the Portal to Texas History. These audiocassettes contain stories of life in rural East Texas and personalities significant in Texas history.
Texas Lutheran University — A Geographer's Journey: Digitizing Slides from the Evelyn Streng Collection (Seguin), $10,075
Texas Lutheran University (TLU) seeks funding for the digitization and metadata creation for portions of the Streng Slide Collection by the University of North Texas. Professor Evelyn Streng, a native Texan and the daughter of a pioneer Fredericksburg family, was an educator in the state of Texas for over 40 years. The slides document her travels throughout Texas and the southwestern United States.
Texas State University — Digitization of At-Risk San Marcos Daily Record Negatives (San Marcos), $25,000
Texas State University proposes to digitize and provide access to approximately 6,000 film negatives, dating from the 1930s through the early 1960s, from the San Marcos Daily Record, the local newspaper. Funding will support the development of a custom-built film negative capture station and workflows that can be scaled up to digitize the estimated 1.5 million film negatives within the University Archives.
Texas Wesleyan University — Mason Johnson Theatre Collection (Fort Worth), $6,570
Texas Wesleyan University seeks funding to digitize items from the Mason Johnson Theatre Collection consisting of large poster advertisements, reel-to-reel and cassette audio performance recordings, playbills, photographs and other memorabilia of the university’s celebrated musical theatre productions during the era of Mr. Mason Johnson, associate professor of theatre arts & speech at Texas Wesleyan University from 1958 to 1985. The digitized files will be made available on the West Library’s Academic Archive for university community access, and access through the Portal to Texas History in the future.
University of Houston — Digitizing Historical News Programs from KUHT, $24,305
The University of Houston’s project will preserve and provide open public access to over 200 hours of original news programs from the nation’s first non-commercial educational television station, KUHT, giving Texas students, teachers, and citizens a unique, online documentary record of their state’s pre-digital history. Tape master copies of the news programs will be digitized, made discoverable through catalog records and finding aids, and made accessible through the University of Houston Libraries’ Digital Library and an online exhibit.
University of North Texas — Borderland Newspapers Digitization Project (Denton), $24,961
UNT Libraries propose to digitize newspapers from 18 counties near the Texas–Mexico border, comprising at least 23,000 pages, beginning in 1887. At present, these counties have few resources freely available on The Portal to Texas History or elsewhere.
University of Texas at Arlington — Through the Lens of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram: A Photographic View of World War II in Fort Worth, $25,000
UTA Libraries requests funding to support digitization and metadata creation for 15,000 negatives of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram dating from 1943-1946, the majority of which were never published. The Fort Worth Star-Telegram (FWST) captured the transformation of Fort Worth from a slow-paced city whose economy depended on cotton, cattle, and oil to a fast-growing city generating tens of thousands of jobs related to World War II. The collection documents the war effort, industrial expansion, and everyday life on the home front. Scanned images will be available through the UTA Libraries Digital Gallery.
Arlington Public Library System — STEAM Kits, $64,577
Arlington, Grand Prairie, Kennedale, and Mansfield libraries seek to expand their resource sharing partnership by creating and sharing STEAM kits. Each theme-based kit would contain books, AV materials, and hands-on activities (K’nex Education, Kaleido Gears, Snap Circuits) and be distributed, with instruction on how to use the kits, among partner libraries for use by parents, childcare centers, and schools to help build children’s science, technology, engineering, arts and math literacy skills.
Blanco County South Library District — English Language Through Library Services and Technology (Blanco), $25,242
In this second year funding request, the library, in partnership with the Community English Classes (CEC), plans to continue integrating technology and e-content as a complement to teacher-mediated English language instruction.
Central Texas Library System — 'Bots and Books Again (Austin), $75,000
In this third-year funding request, Central Texas Library System (CTLS) will reach 12 public libraries through its Bots & Books robotics program. The program gives public libraries in Texas the equipment and training needed to begin and sustain robotics programming for young patrons.
Dallas Public Library — Testing Center and Workforce Development Project, $75,000
Dallas Public Library seeks a third year of funding to support its Testing Center and Workforce Development Project. Funding will support the continuation of one full-time testing coordinator and one part-time library associate. The Testing Center administers state-approved High School Equivalency (HSE) exams. This currently includes the GED, and starting January 2017, will include the HiSET and the TASC exams. In addition to administering tests, grant-funded staff facilitate monthly HSE Information Sessions on HSE preparation and post-secondary resources for adults. This grant will ensure continued operations of the Testing Center while leveraging $100,000 in scholarship funding from a private partnership with Atmos Energy.
Nancy Carol Roberts Memorial Library — Library Small Business and Workforce Development Hub (Brenham), $15,500
The Nancy Carol Roberts Memorial Library (NCRML) in partnership with the Blinn College Small Business Development Center (SBDC) proposes to offer a small business and workforce development hub. This program will assist individuals, entrepreneurs and small businesses by offering a business and workforce development space, including a mobile printing center, a series of small business workshops and digital skill development trainings, as well as a “SMART” conference meeting room space.
Pottsboro Area Public Library — Media Mentoring for Digital Literacy, $43,298
The Pottsboro Area Public Library will institute a media mentoring program around key community needs such as health/wellness and education while providing digital connectivity. A media mentor will create programs based on skill-appropriate technological environments, including assistive technology and inclusive design, tablets, touch-screen computers, apps, WiFi at the library, and mobile hotspots and tablets for home use. The library is working with the Pottsboro Senior Center, Head Start, the Texoma Council of Governments, and BubTown DayHab for Adults with Special Needs.
Schulenburg Public Library — Digital Inclusion 2, $75,000
Digital Inclusion (DI2) Round 2 will continue the cooperative effort between Flatonia ISD Libraries, Schulenburg ISD Libraries, St. Rose of Lima Catholic School Library, and the Schulenburg Public Library to build e-content, share e-books, and provide tablets for the schools. The focus of Digital Inclusion 2 is to maximize delivery of in-school and out-of-school reading material to area students and residents to demonstrate broadband relevance .
University of North Texas — Nonprofit Capacity Building (Denton), $38,107
Through the Nonprofit Capacity Building project , the University of North Texas Libraries and the Denton Public Library will expand the programming, services, and resources currently offered to the Denton area nonprofit community.
University of Texas at Austin — The Development of a Statewide Aggregation Service for Texas Digital Collections, $71,877
The University of Texas at Austin, in collaboration with the University of North Texas and Houston Public Library, hopes to increase the visibility of Texas digital collections through statewide aggregation and inclusion in the Digital Public Library of America (DPLA). The proposed service will increase access to valuable Internet resources from Texas libraries and archives. Because the development of a fully functioning statewide aggregation hub is a 2-year project, UT proposes to focus on 3 objectives in the first year: 1) needs assessment, 2) sustainability planning, and 3) technology development, concluding with a demonstration project to aggregate collections from a select group of institutions.
Austin Public Library — My Library Keeps Me Healthy - Year 2 Cultivating Health Literacy - Mental and Behavioral Health, $74,995
In this second-year funding request, Austin Public Library seeks to build on successful health literacy activities put in place in 2016. The My Library Keeps Me Healthy program will focus on overlooked mental and behavioral health literacy topics. Texas State University School of Social Work will create field service sites at three library locations and provide supervision for Master’s Level social work practicum participants. The Austin Free-Net, as a vendor, will provide bilingual digital literacy service addressing digital literacy skills needed to access online library health resources, and Austin Travis County Integral Care will bring professional expertise to programming along with other local organizations such as the National Alliance on Mental Health.
Bedford Public Library — I.D.E.A.S. LAB, $28,615
The Bedford Public Library proposes to create the I.D.E.A.S. Lab, an acronym for “Innovate, Design, Engineer and Apply Science.” The goal of the I.D.E.A.S. Lab is to improve STEM literacy and increase family engagement to reduce the summer decline in school skills. A 3-part project centered on STEM education through informal learning environments, the project introduces I.D.E.A.S. STEM Kits, I.D.E.A.S. Lab Tours and Series, and I.D.E.A.S. Robot. Each component is designed to reach audiences with different learning styles and guided by the 4 C’s: Critical Thinking, Communication, Collaboration and Creativity.
Buda Public Library — Mobile Makerspace, $14,255
The Buda Public Library proposes to create a mobile makerspace in collaboration with Dahlstrom Middle School, Barton Middle School, and Hays High School. The mobile makerspace will provide an environment for innovation for youth ages 12-18 by establishing monthly programs and offering this resource at the schools.
Central Texas Library System — 3D Labs @ Your Library (Austin), $74,997
This collaboration between CTLS, Inc., and 7 public libraries in the Texas Rio Grande Valley will provide each library with a 3D printer, hands-on training, guidance in managing the service, and a network of colleagues with whom to share expertise. The recipient libraries will provide youth and adults with training and access to the emerging technology and information about how to use it.
Dallas Public Library — Homeless Engagement Initiative,$75,000
The J. Erik Jonsson Central Library requests a third year of funding for one full-time engagement coordinator and one part-time library associate to continue and expand the Homeless Engagement Initiative (HEI) and the TSLAC-funded Community Exchange. The project will affect approximately 4,000 customers through specialized services, engagement programs, and community partnerships.
El Paso Public Library — Promoting Inclusion by Removing Barriers, $17,892
The El Paso Public Library will promote inclusion by providing programs for intellectually and developmentally disabled young adults. Through a series of weekly programs, the Library hopes to enhance technical skills, reading skills, job search skills, and social and recreational skills to promote independence, increased self-esteem and participation in the larger community.
Flower Mound Public Library — STEM Kits, $10,259
The Flower Mound Public Library plans to offer a minimum of 60 kits for circulation in the areas of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) to its patrons under the age of 18. By providing hands-on activities on multiple STEM topics, the Library hopes to foster interest in STEM starting with preschoolers and continuing through high school.
Georgetown Public Library — Community Resources Coordinator, $63,350
The Georgetown Public Library proposes to hire a community resources coordinator to work with key nonprofit social service organizations in Georgetown, Texas, that provide services to seniors, residents with disabilities or limited mobility, low-income families with children, and the homeless. The Community Resources Coordinator would be a licensed social worker and would assess patron needs and directly assist patrons with obtaining social services. The position will also assist nonprofit organizations in the utilization of library materials and resources. The library will provide space for nonprofit organizations to meet with clients, conduct trainings, and provide information fairs.
Harris County Public Library — Outreach Robotics & Coding (Houston), $13,500
The Harris County Public Library, in collaboration with community partners, will offer outreach programming in robotics and coding to children ages seven and up to teach digital literacy skills including programming and coding, to help children explore STEAM disciplines, to offer opportunities for creative collaboration, and to encourage independent and interest-driven learning.
Houston Community College — Total Access @ Your Library, $72,845
The Houston Community College District will provide access and training to disabled students for portable video magnifiers and laptop computers with licensed ADA software. The portability and functionality of the hardware will allow students to conduct research and to fully participate in group activities anywhere in the library and campus. Targeted training will be provided to staff and students to effectively use the hardware and software to access library and campus resources. The goal will be accomplished by circulating ADA hardware at 14 locations, and using three video magnifiers and laptops to test a semester-long checkout program that will measure the impact of long-term checkout on student success and retention.
Irving Public Library — North Texas Teen Book Festival, $75,000
Irving Public Library, along with other key stakeholders throughout the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex and the state of Texas, will host the third North Texas Teen Book Festival (NTTBF) in spring 2017. In its third year of operations and funding, NTTBF will feature approximately 60 authors of middle grade (MG) and Young Adult (YA) literature and will be marketed to tweens, teens, and adult lovers of YA. Interest in the event has grown in each of the first two years.
Johnson City Library — Discovery Academy, $10,800
The Johnson City Library requests $10,800 to fund Discovery Academy, its after-school science and math enrichment program, for a second year. The program is for students in grades 3-5 and includes robotics and other STEM-based programs.
Kaufman County Library — Kaufman Connects (Kaufman), $31,768
The Kaufman County Library seeks to enhance the job searching experience for job seekers. The project will provide: ten computers and five laptops with word processing software and internet access; one wireless printer; one multi-function copier that faxes, scans, and copies in black and white and color; one laser printer; one wireless printer; and expand the library’s current programming.
Lake Travis Community Library — Lake Travis Community Library Bookmobile (Austin), $45,000
The Lake Travis Community Library District will hire a community outreach librarian to staff its new bookmobile that will start service in Fall 2016. The bookmobile will provide library services to the underserved, outlying areas of the library district.
Lancaster Veterans Memorial Library — Mobile Outreach Trailer, $55,280
Lancaster Veterans Memorial Library will provide library services through a mobile literacy trailer to senior living facilities, rehabilitation facilities, multiple dwelling complexes, and summer school sites. These services would be available year round to both adults and children. The mobile library would also be utilized during citywide special events hosted throughout the year.
Lee College — Lee College Huntsville Center COEP project, Phase 2 (Baytown), $74,999
Lee College Huntsville Center requests a second year of funding to continue a project that has created computer labs in several prison units in Huntsville. In Phase 1, Corrections Offline Educational Platform (COEP) servers were purchased for three of these units. The 2017 grant will provide COEP servers for three more units as well as Student Success labs for one unit. Students will gain access to educational resources from thousands of web sites as well as interactive information literacy tutorials and benefit through practice in searching and evaluating information, thereby enhancing their opportunities for success.
Nancy Carol Roberts Memorial Library — Play On (Brenham), $16,350
The Nancy Carol Roberts Memorial Library plans to offer “Play On,” a therapeutic music program that utilizes assistive technology and creative music tools to benefit people with disabilities.
Nueces County Keach Family Library — Tech You're It @ the Library 2.0 (Robstown), $74,761
“Tech You’re It! @ the Library 2.0” is a continuation of the existing “Tech You’re It! @ the Library” at the Nueces County Public Libraries. This second-year grant will provide instruction and materials to increase proficiency in using technology in community locations. The library will offer resources and programs at locations such as the Boys and Girls Clubs of the Coastal Bend and area schools.
Plano Public Library System — Art Spark, $75,000
Through the Art Spark program, Plano Public Library System (PPLS) will fund the 18 Street AIRSpace Artist-in-Residence program at Harrington Library as well as library programs, exhibits, and performances at the other four libraries in Plano. The program will bring in artists and performers to expand the cultural and artistic experience of the residents of Plano.
Pottsboro Area Public Library — HEALTH LITERACY HAPPENS HERE!, $49,822
Pottsboro Area Public Library will implement a community garden program to promote the relationship between fresh foods and maintaining good health. Adults (including seniors), children, teens and individuals with special needs will benefit by participating in chef-led food presentations and healthy eating programs. In addition, participants will be able to engage in a variety of health and healthy eating learning opportunities: growing and picking the vegetables for presentations, accessing health-related databases, viewing the library’s expanded collection of cookbooks, gardening and health-related volumes, and using health-related software.
Texas A&M University-Central Texas — Library Programming for Multiple Intelligences (Killeen), $41,292
The Texas A&M University-Central Texas (TAMU-CT) University Library is requesting funding to support programming targeting children with disabilities. The primary goal of this project is to explore how programs that appeal to the seven multiple intelligences, as defined by Howard Gardner, can be used to engage special education students, and particularly students with an Autism Spectrum Disorder diagnosis. Components of this project include offering library programming for Oak Creek Academy, a local nonprofit private school for grades Pre-K-12; working with TAMU-CT education students to use innovative resources in the classroom; and providing workshops and training for families, educators, and librarians in the local community.
Texas Lutheran University — Rock Trunk Petting Zoos (Seguin), $20,407
Texas Lutheran University (TLU) proposes to create “Rock Trunk Petting Zoos” to be given to the seven elementary schools in the Seguin Independent School District (SISD). These collections will consist of rock samples that are in the Fiedler Memorial Museum on the TLU campus. Each collection will be in a rolling bin, or “trunk,” which will reside in the school media centers. TLU education majors will create curriculum tailored to Kindergarten and 2nd grade, although the trunks will be available to all elementary grades at SISD.
Texas Tech University — SHAPES (Sharing and Helping Academics Prepare for Educational Success) (Lubbock), $74,406
Texas Tech University and the University of Houston will work together to create a shared database of 3D plans, and expand resource sharing through a networked 3D printing service. Students will benefit from and have access to models created at the other institution and printed on demand at both institutions for instruction and research. The service can also be used as a means of “loaning” unique or rare items that can currently only be experienced in-person. Items from the special collections of both libraries could be replicated and the plans shared, allowing students at one institution to see, touch, and interact with an exact replica of a rare item held at another institution. Funding will allow the schools to purchase large 3D printers for each location.
Tom Green County Library System — STEAM Central (San Angelo), $75,000
With the assistance of dedicated community organizations, local businesses, artists, and hobbyists, the Tom Green County Library (TGCL) will convert unused library space into a makerspace and community outreach service point. This area will provide a place for users to share knowledge; access tools and equipment for making, creating, and tinkering; and to attend guided maker programs for all ages. In addition, the library will provide outreach kits and programs in computing, electronics, and robotics to area schools and after school programs. Requested funds will be used for the initial purchase of furnishings, equipment, and staffing.