Awards, Scholarships, and Stipends

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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.

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.

Historical Newspapers from the Library of Congress

January 13, 2026  |  10:00 a.m. (Central)

Chronicling America, a database of over 16 million digitized historic newspapers, provides curious researchers insight into daily life in towns large and small from as far back as the 18th century. This session will show how patrons can browse the collection using an interactive map and timeline as well as access the research guides to help with sought-after topics. This session will be recorded for those unable to attend the live presentation.

SHAREit Interlibrary Loan Basics for Beginners

January 16, 2026  |  10:00 a.m. (Central)

Join Texas State Library and Archives Commission staff for an overview (or refresher!) of using the SHAREit ILL system to place and respond to ILL requests. This webinar is a very high-level overview geared specifically to Texas library staff that are new to statewide ILL or have had limited use of the SHAREit ILL system to date.  This webinar will be recorded for those unable to attend the live event.

SHAREit Interlibrary Loan: Intermediate Functionality and Frequently Asked Questions

February 5, 2026  |  10:00 a.m. (Central)

Join Texas State Library and Archives Commission staff for an overview (or refresher!) of using the SHAREit ILL system to place and respond to ILL requests. This webinar is a very high-level overview geared specifically to Texas library staff that are new to statewide ILL or have had limited use of the SHAREit ILL system to date. This webinar will be recorded for those unable to attend the live event.

For more information about these webinars, visit the Upcoming Webinars page.

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.

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.

Grants for Friends Groups

January 21, 2026

In celebration of the 20th annual National Friends of Libraries Week, Penguin Random House and United for Libraries announced new grants for Friends of Libraries serving rural and small libraries across the country. Grants of $500 and $1,000 (totaling $25,000), will be awarded to support libraries in need. These funds will assist Friends of Library groups, or nonprofit groups that support and fundraise for libraries in their communities, with priority projects. In-kind book donation grants of $500 will also be awarded to 20 libraries to purchase Penguin Random House titles.  For more information, visit the grant homepage.

Library of Congress Literacy Award

February 17, 2026

The Library of Congress Literacy Awards Program honors organizations that have made outstanding contributions to increasing literacy in the United States or abroad. The awards are intended to draw public attention to the importance of literacy, and the need to promote literacy and encourage reading. By recognizing current achievements, the awards seek to enable any organization or program that does not operate on a for-profit basis to strengthen its involvement in literacy and reading promotion and to encourage collaboration with like-minded organizations. The awards also encourage the continuing development of innovative methods for combating illiteracy and the wide dissemination of the most effective practices. For more information, visit the program webpage.

Big Talk From Small Libraries

February 27, 2026  |  8:45 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. (Central)

This free one-day online conference is tailored for staff from small libraries – the smaller the better! Each of the speakers is from a library serving fewer than 10,000 people or is directly partnered with a small library and co-presenting with the library. Topics range from technology to programming to new roles for the library. This event is a great opportunity to learn about the innovative things your colleagues are doing in their small libraries. Everyone is welcome to register and attend, regardless of how big or small your library. But, if your library serves a few hundred to a few thousand people, this is the day for you! For more information, visit the conference webpage.

How Comic Books Can Help You Learn (TEDEd)

In the 1940s, comic books became a mass medium, with millions of copies selling every month. Teachers even began experimenting by bringing comics into their classrooms. So, can comic books and graphic novels really help you learn? Gene Luen Yang explores the history of comics in American education, and reveals some unexpected insights about their potential for helping kids learn. For more information, visit the event webpage.

If you’d like a thought partner or assistance managing your library’s graphic novels.,  the Texas State Library and Archives Commission is here to help. Contact  Library management Consultant (and comics librarian)  Christina Taylor at ctaylor@tsl.texas.gov

#TuesdayTags

#TuesdayTags are a series of blog posts from the New Hampshire State Library (NHSL) that provide an overview of MARC (Machine-Readable Cataloging) tagging. The purpose of this series, published on the NHAIS Notes blog, is to educate library staff on the meaning and application of specific MARC tags used for cataloging library materials. Each post, published on a Tuesday, focuses on a single tag to facilitate a self-guided review of library cataloging standards. You can access the compilation of these posts and quizzes for review on the New Hampshire State Library website. 

Checklist for Trauma-Informed Human Resources Practices

The National Council for Behavioral Health (now National Council for Mental Wellbeing) offers a Checklist for Trauma-Informed Human Resources Practices that guides organizations in creating safe, supportive workplaces by focusing on the entire employee lifecycle (hiring, onboarding, performance, separation), emphasizing safety, choice, collaboration, trustworthiness, empowerment, and cultural humility in human resource processes. Key elements include transparent hiring, clear communication, safe interview environments, collaborative salary discussions, and supporting staff well-being to prevent burnout and compassion fatigue. 

Meetings That Matter: Seven Steps to Running an Effective Meeting

The meeting started late and went over the scheduled time. Attendees were updated on events that had already occurred. Speakers talked too long and repeated themselves in unstructured presentations. Those on video tried to surreptitiously knock off some email while trying to appear fully present. No forward-facing decisions were made. If any of this sounds familiar, know that it does not have to be. Join best-selling author, CEO, and Stanford faculty member David Dodson as he describes seven steps you can implement to create meetings that matter. For more information, visit the webinar homepage.

Talking Book Program

The Talking Book Program (TBP) provides free library services for Texans of any age who are blind or have a visual, physical, or reading disability. Registered TBP patrons may borrow books and magazines in digital audio, Braille, and large print. Furthermore, materials and playback machines are mailed to their door, completely free of charge. For more information, visit the program homepage.

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.

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