For general program, staff, or other announcements.
Upcoming Events and Training Opportunities Summer Symposium Registration for the Collaborative Summer Library Program’s annual virtual Summer Symposium is now OPEN! The Summer Symposium will be Thursday, December 5, 2024, from 10:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. central. There is no cost to attend! It will be recorded. Register today! Highlights: 10:00 a.m. – Welcome and Keynote: “You Belong in Libraries”…
Minimum standards for accreditation of libraries in the Texas Administrative Code were last updated in 2014. Over the past 18 months, TSLAC has held extensive discussion and review of the existing criteria with librarians from every part of the state. A proposal of updated standards has been drafted, submitted, and approved for public comment by the…
The Texas Department of Information Resources (DIR) held their annual conference on Oct. 22, 2024, at the Palmer Center in Austin, Texas. The focus of the conference was all about exploring data and technology’s impact on government agencies and organizations. In the opening remarks, Doug Robinson of the National Association of State Chief Information Officers…
Summer Materials Ordering Open until November 15th Ordering materials for Summer 2025 has now been open for over 3 weeks! Library Directors of eligible libraries were able to express an interest in ordering materials and designate a person authorized to order for your library system. Those designated individuals have been given your library’s budget, ordering code,…
The Innovation and Technology Round Table (ITRT) of the Texas Library Association (TLA) aims to promote and improve the use of innovation and other technologies in Texas libraries. On the last Thursday of each month, ITRT holds informal, half-hour Lunch & Learn chats about an innovation and technology topic via the TLA’s Zoom room. Starting…
The Library Infrastructure Facility Improvement (LIFI) grant is entering the first phase of assessments. The Texas State Library and Archives Commission (TSLAC) is inviting a select number of small rural public libraries in Texas who reported slow speeds on TSLAC’s annual Texas Public Library Speed Test to receive a free IT assessment that will determine…
Upcoming Events and Training Opportunities Texas Youth Services Listening Sessions I want to thank all of you who came to the Youth Services Listening Sessions. I enjoyed meeting all of you. You have inspired me and helped me map out my priorities in this role! If you were not able to come, there will be…
In 2021-22, The Texas State Library and Archives Commission (TSLAC) awarded one-year American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) grants to 10 Texas public libraries to support Digital Navigator programs. Afterwards, TSLAC funded a research study by UT Austin’s Technology and Information Policy Institute (TIPI) to evaluate the grant. The researchers, Sharon Strover, Whitney Nelson, and Sheila…
The end of September heralded the final bow for my visits to small public libraries in Central Texas, tours of their spaces, and chats about how the Texas State Library and Archives Commission (TSLAC) can best support library leadership. For this last round, Library Digital Opportunity Program Coordinator Henry Stokes accompanied me to Schulenburg Public…
E-rate is a federal discount program available to accredited public libraries that pays up to 90% of broadband costs, but we at TSLAC know the process to complete an application like this can be daunting. TSLAC is continuing its support of libraries this year in applying for E-Rate. The project, called Libraries Connecting Texas (LCT),…