Upcoming Opportunities
These opportunities are available for free unless otherwise noted. Descriptions are provided by host organizations.
Awards and Scholarships
Open
The Texas Library Association (TLA) offers awards and scholarships honoring excellence in and contributions to the library profession. In addition, TLA offers stipends to help defray the costs of attending Annual Conference and membership, and many TLA units also offer awards and scholarships. Apply to help your work get recognized! For more information, visit the association’s awards, scholarships, and stipends webpage.
Mission Telecom – Matching E-Rate Discount/Protecting Affordable Wi-Fi
Open
Mission Telecom, a nonprofit telecommunications provider and grantmaker announced a new offer to help schools and libraries remain whole after losing federal E-Rate funding for Wi-Fi hotspots and school bus connectivity. Under the new offer, Mission Telecom is honoring the post-discount applicant share of cost on Form 471, not the quote cost from the provider, keeping schools and libraries connected by covering the loss of E-rate subsidies. To qualify for Mission Telecom’s new offer, schools and libraries need to complete this sign-up form and subsequently provide a copy of their E-Rate Form 471 for hotspots or bus Wi-Fi. Mission Telecom will then match their post-discount cost for broadband, guaranteeing unlimited 4G/5G Wi-Fi service at the same rate they would have paid under E-Rate. For more information, visit the grant’s press release.
Rural Library Network eSummit
December 3, 2025
At the end of each year, the Rural Library eSummit brings together more than 500 rural library practitioners and friends from across rural America to celebrate their role in building strong communities. At the eSummit, practitioners learn more about using cradle-to-career strategies to address educational and health disparities as well as having the chance to access resources needed to do this work. During the eSummit, incentives will be shared, and networking opportunities will abound!. For more information, visit the event website.
Navigating New Building Projects
December 15, 2025
Public library building and renovation projects are often once-in-a-generation events. Staff and leaders may never have done a similar project and may never do one again, making it imperative for libraries to learn from one another. Newton Public Library opened the doors to its new building on April 1, 2024, after raising more than $3.3 million to help fund construction. After a brief overview of design goals and features of the new library, this webinar will focus on lessons learned through a successful fundraising campaign and practical suggestions for how to manage input and expectations during the building process. For more information, visit the event webpage.
Literacy Opportunity Fund
January 3, 2026
Grants through the Literacy Opportunity Fund help US-based nonprofit organizations do their work in transforming lives through adult literacy. They award grants up to $6,000 to literacy organizations of all types and sizes that are doing direct work with adult students. Apply for a grant to fund your organization’s general operating expenses, such as salaries or teacher stipends, supplies or equipment, space rental, and more. Grant funds can also be used to fund adult literacy projects or develop new programming. For more information, visit the grant webpage.
Finding Local History in Library of Congress Collections
December 9, 2025 | 10:00 a.m. (Central)
There’s no place like home! The Library of Congress has many online collections related to Texas local history as well as national history. This session will help participants understand how to help patrons trace a family’s or town’s historic trail by introducing several collections—including panoramic photographs and maps, the Historic American Building Survey/Engineering Record/Landscapes Survey collection (HABS/HAER/HALS), and historic newspapers.
This the first webinar in a four-part series that aims to introduce library workers throughout Texas to the digital collections of the Library of Congress, focusing on using them in local history and Texas-centered research. This series will highlight a range of digital resources—including historic newspapers and buildings, maps, and photographic collections—and demonstrate practical research strategies that feature tips and structures to help library professionals and patrons navigate the Library of Congress website.
To register for this webinar, please complete this online form.
Annual Report, Part 2 – Telling Your Library’s Story
January 8, 2026 | 10:00 a.m. (Central)
The TSLAC accreditation team invites you to join them for a complete review of the Texas Public Libraries 2025 Annual Report. They’ll guide you through their expectations of each section of the report, emphasize definitions, respond to questions, and explain the importance of communicating the events and activities that took place in your library last year. This session is a great refresher for experienced submitters and provides essential information for those doing it for the first time.
For more information about these webinars, visit the Upcoming Webinars page.
National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) Big Read
January 15, 2026
The NEA Big Read is a program that awards grants ranging from $5,000 to $20,000 to organizations. These grants support community reading programs designed around a single NEA Big Read book. As our nation moves into its 250th year, the goal of this program is to honor America’s rich artistic and cultural heritage, inspire meaningful conversations, celebrate local creativity, elevate a wide variety of voices and perspectives, and build stronger connections in each community. Grantees will receive funding for their programming and purchasing books, and tools to support them in working with local partners, developing public relations strategies, and leading meaningful book discussions. For more information, visit the grant webpage.
Tocker Foundation Library Grants
January 15, 2026
The Tocker Foundation is dedicated to the support of rural, public libraries in Texas serving populations of 12,000 or less. Library grants go towards collection, technology, programming, outdoor spaces, interior redesign, automation, and newspaper digitization that enhances the services provided by the public library. Grant programs include the Foundation’s Professional Development Grant which provides not only a travel stipend to attend the Texas Library Association’s (TLA) Annual Conference but also a one-year membership to the TLA, the Newspaper Digitization Grant, the Automation Grant which assists in the implementation and training of automated library systems, the General Library Grant which focuses on enhancing public library services, and the Transformation Grant which helps libraries rethink and recreate space for today’s uses with flexibility for future changes. For more information, visit the grant webpage.
Ongoing Tools
These tools are available for free unless otherwise noted. Descriptions are provided by host organizations.
988 Lifeline Materials Available for Your Library
The Association for Rural & Small Libraries has joined with Vibrant Emotional Health to bring 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline awareness materials to libraries across the community. The 988 Lifeline is a national network of crisis contact centers that connects people with skilled, compassionate crisis counselors around the clock, offering support for anyone in suicidal crisis or struggling with mental health challenges, emotional distress, or substance misuse. Libraries can request a free package containing promotional materials to help spread awareness of this vital resource to patrons. These materials provide important information about how to access help. By displaying these resources in your library, you can play a crucial role in connecting community members to life-saving support. To order promotional materials, complete the ARSL online form.
Change Management: The Power of Advocates
When managing change initiatives, leaders need to engage and effectively utilize supportive stakeholders who are willing to reinforce key change messages and encourage others to try out and adopt new behaviors. At the same time, leaders need to seek out, hear, and potentially act upon views that are in opposition to what the change is intended to accomplish or how the change is being implemented. This tutorial will explain how to tap into and leverage both perspectives – advocates and the devil’s advocate – during any change effort. For more information, visit the webinar homepage.
Spotlight on Strong Library Management
Is your library finding smart, creative, or efficient ways to manage programs, services, or operations? We want to hear about it! Whether it’s a new approach, a refined process, or a management strategy that just works for your community, your story not only matters but also could inspire others. Use our quick form to tell us how your team is making an impact, and upload a few photos that you have permission to share. Don’t be shy—share your management success today!
Texas Grants Resource Center (TGRC)
For more than 63 years, the Texas Grants Resource Center (TGRC) has served as a bridge between the grant-seeking and the grant-making communities. The TGRC is a resource for the community provided by the Hogg Foundation for Mental Health at the University of Texas at Austin. The TGRC contains core publications from Candid, the leading source of philanthropy information, as well as other major materials in fund development, grants, and nonprofit management. It provides free access to multiple Candid online funding research tools. The TGRC offers trainings and orientations for funding research, for both nonprofit organizations and individuals. Because of the availability of electronic information on state and federal grant opportunities, the TGRC emphasizes private sector funding options and information (i.e., private foundations and corporate foundations/direct giving programs). It has little on-site information about small business startups. For more information, visit the center’s website.
Texas Municipal Library Directors Association
The Texas Municipal Library Directors Association (TMLDA) was organized in 1966 to promote the public library profession, to improve the methods of providing library service, and to maintain high standards of professional ethics. Since its inception, TMLDA has continued to offer its members the opportunity to discuss and share ideas, interests and concerns affecting library professionals and the provision of library service. TMLDA is an affiliate organization of the Texas Municipal League, which represents some 98 percent of Texas’ urban population through its member cities and towns. For more information, visit the association website.
Build Your Management Toolkit: New Webinars on Hiring and Supervision (webinar series)
Courtesy of the Vermont Department of Libraries, which provided three new webinars for library staff new to supervising employees (or those who could use a refresher) and those looking for tips on hiring and onboarding, WebJunction is offering this webinar series which supports library managers in hiring, onboarding, and supervising staff well to ensure they can retain a solid team. These webinars provide invaluable tools for library managers, equipping them with practical strategies to hire, onboard, and supervise staff effectively, ultimately strengthening the foundation of their libraries. For more information, visit the series announcement.
Local Open Data Made Simple: A Toolkit for Any-sized Library (article)
For small libraries with limited resources, the prospect of publishing local open community and government data may seem daunting. The Open Data Toolkit, by the Asotin County Library, offers resources for libraries of any size to explore how they can publish local open data and the benefits for their community. For more information, visit the article.
Need more support?
Resource Archive
Wish you had access to a repository of all the tools that are featured in the monthly Library Management Updates? Check out our Resource Archive for more information.
Continuing Education
In addition, be sure to peruse our continuing education offerings. Our resources are constantly updated, so check back often.
Questions?
For more information, visit our management services page or contact Christina Taylor at ctaylor@tsl.texas.gov.
