Upcoming Opportunities
These opportunities are available for free unless otherwise noted. Descriptions are provided by host organizations.
American Folklife Center Resources: Texas
February 12, 2026 | 10:00 a.m. (Central)
American Folklife Center collections from Texas display the depth of diversity found within the Lone Star State and span over a century. Beginning with the John A. Lomax Cylinder Recordings of American Cowboy Songs recorded between 1906 and 1910 (AFC 1940/022), the collections depict the lives and artistic achievements of the many communities of Texas. Collections of the American Folklife Center cover the vast geographic region that is Texas, and its many communities—through our collections one can conduct research on cowboys, view photographs of the Mexico-United States border, listen to prison songs and southern spirituals from African American and White singers, and study oral histories of Texan Veterans.
The Texas Talking Book Program and Texas Center for the Book
March 10, 2026 | 10:00 a.m. (Central)
Did you know the Library of Congress is already at work in Texas? The Texas Talking Book program is a direct service and is available to any resident who has difficulty reading or handling traditional print materials as a result of a permanent or temporary visual impairment, physical impairment, or reading disability. Learn how to access free services and audio books in this session. Also, the Texas Center for the Book is an affiliate of the Library of Congress and exists to highlight the state’s literary heritage and foster an interest in books, reading, and libraries. Texas Center for the Book organizes programs such as Letters About Literature Texas, Texas Great Reads, #TXBookChats with authors, and the Lone Star Libraries series of videos and articles which showcase exceptional Texas libraries.
For more information about these webinars, visit the Upcoming Webinars page.
Library Trustees and Advocacy
February 11, 2026 | 2:00 p.m. (Eastern)
One of the most important jobs for a library trustee is advocating for the public library the board represents. Many trustees consider their advocacy role to be conscripted to library crises. However, there is a great deal that trustees are allowed (and encouraged!) to do to advocate on behalf of the libraries they represent that isn’t tied to a specific event. In this webinar, Al Hayden, Library Advisory Specialist with the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners, will discuss ways that library trustees and other library advocates can keep their public library a part of the local, county, and state conversations throughout the year. For more information, visit the program webpage.
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.
A Call to Order: Better Board Management in 1 Hour
February 24, 2026 | 3:00 – 4:00 p.m. (Central)
Board members can be your greatest advocates! Learn new ways to manage your board and keep them engaged in you and your library. Whether your board is advisory or governing, elected or appointed, we can help! This webinar is free to Texas Library Association Members. For more information, visit the event homepage.
The Digital Shelf: Sustainable Ebooks
February 24, 2026 | 2:00 – 3:00 p.m. (Eastern)
The last decade has brought many challenges to providing digital content in libraries. Unfavorable license terms, at least when compared to print, have made ebooks and digital audiobook collection difficult to grow and sustain. In this webinar, we will discuss some ways librarians are working to meet these challenges, including metrics that foster better costs to use, a discussion about what costs might in fact be “reasonable” terms for digital, and some new license types–including ownership–that might help. For more information, visit the event homepage.
All-America City Award
February 26, 2026
Each year, the National Civic League honors ten outstanding communities with the All-America City Award, celebrating excellence in local innovation, civic engagement, and cross-sector collaboration. This prestigious award highlights the remarkable potential within communities to address critical issues and drive meaningful change when residents, businesses, and nonprofit and government leaders work in concert. For more information about the 2026 award, visit the award homepage.
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.
EBSCO Solar Grant
April 30, 2026
Submissions are now open for the 2026 EBSCO Solar grant program from EBSCO Information Services (EBSCO). Entering its eleventh year, EBSCO continues its commitment to sustainability by offering grants that fund solar installations at libraries around the world. As part of the 2026 EBSCO Solar initiative, EBSCO will award a total of $300,000 in grants to help libraries reduce energy costs and highlight the benefits of renewable energy. Since its inception, EBSCO has awarded more than three million dollars through the EBSCO Solar grant program.For more information, visit the grant press release.
Ongoing Tools
These tools are available for free unless otherwise noted. Descriptions are provided by host organizations.
How Technology can Improve Your Disaster Plan (webinar)
Every library needs to have a disaster management plan in place before disaster strikes. Making use of new technologies can greatly reduce the stress and effort required to create an effective plan. In this one-hour webinar, Carmen Cowick discusses the best websites, apps, and other technology to add to your current disaster plan. She’ll show you how to enable your staff with tools and information that they can access on-the-go, and highlight tools that can make you better prepared for a disaster. For more information, visit the webinar homepage.
The Marketing Funnel (webinar)
Most of us who work in marketing in libraries spend our time thinking about how to promote library programs, services and collections. We create and share messaging across platforms such as email, social media, website, news media and more. But have you ever paused to think about the many ways your customers interact with your library outside of your promotional messaging? Join Cordelia Anderson, APR, to learn about the traditional concept of the “marketing funnel” to look at the ways that libraries get, keep, and sometimes lose customers. We will talk about the stages of the funnel, the ways that customers move through the funnel, and some of the “holes” that cause us to lose customers along the way. Finally, we will discuss strategies to close these holes and increase customer engagement for your library, making your marketing more effective. For more information, visit the webinar homepage.
Telling Your Library’s Story (webinar)
OCLC’s From Awareness to Funding studies exposed a disturbing truth: use has nothing to do with library support. Moreover, public support for libraries is falling. Yet those of us working in libraries know how powerful and even transformational our services can be both for individuals and communities. So if the threat to our existence has been growing, and it has, for over 60 years, how do we tell a library story that actually changes hearts and minds? In this free webinar, Jamie LaRue shares how to break through confirmation bias and tell an emotionally powerful story about your library. For more information, visit the webinar homepage.
Webinar: Brief, but Descriptive: Writing Effective Alt Text (webinar)
Effective alt text can be tricky. How detailed does one need to be? Would context change the alt text? And if alt text is supposed to be brief, how does one describe complex images like artwork and research data? In this webinar, Melissa Wong will help participants learn to write effective alt text for different contexts and types of content, from simple social media posts to complex scientific and artistic materials. For more information, visit the webinar homepage.
Trauma Informed Physical Environments – Assessment Tools
The Trauma Informed Physical Environments – Assessment Tools blog post on PACEsConnection highlights the importance of evaluating an organization’s physical space through a trauma-informed lens. It encourages organizations to consider how their environments might affect individuals who have experienced trauma or adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), asking whether the space adds stress or supports psychological and physical safety. To help with this, the post shares a downloadable checklist tool that outlines a variety of factors to consider when assessing whether a space is trauma-informed versus not trauma-informed. The checklist is intended to give organizations practical guidance on examining and improving elements of their physical environment to better promote safety, wellness, and regulation for those they serve. For more information, visit the blog post.
Disability Information and Referral Center (DIRC)
The Disability Information and Referral Center (DIRC) of the Talking Book Program houses information and materials on types of disabilities and health conditions, as well as related organizations, publications, products, and technology. The DIRC is a free service available to assist anyone with a disability-related question; users do not have to be members of the Talking Book Program. For more information, visit the program website.
2024 Library Data Visualization Tool – Tell your library’s story with impact
Explore a tool that turns data into clear, compelling visuals. Designed for demonstrating library value, it can help to engage both local government and community stakeholders by highlighting the library’s value, reach, and leadership within the community. Use it to support funding conversations, inform decisions, and emphasize the importance of your library’s role. Find it on the Public Library Accreditation and Statistics page.
Generative AI and collection development policies: A proactive approach (webinar)
As materials created by AI continue to flood the marketplace, it is inevitable that acquisitions librarians will encounter materials generated wholly or partially by AI. Libraries can prepare for this reality with selection guidelines and collection development policies that intentionally address AI generated materials. Learn how to craft a collection development policy and create selection guidelines that address the rapidly growing amount of AI generated materials. For more information, visit the webinar homepage.
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.
