The E-rate Application Window for 2025 closes on March 26 (with the first form due mid-February), so act now! If you’re from an accredited public library and want to apply for this funding, TSLAC offers free E-rate consultants as part of its Libraries Connecting Texas (LCT) program. Please contact Henry Stokes at LDO@tsl.texas.gov as soon as…
As the Library Community Engagement and Outreach Coordinator at TSLAC, I went to the Library Marketing and Communications Conference in St. Louis last November. While there, I was able to participate in many sessions covering social media, fundraising, outreach, and other marketing efforts at libraries all over the country. In my final session, I saw…
Texas libraries are stepping up to meet an essential community need: access to healthcare. Thanks to innovative partnerships and funding, telehealth pods are now offering rural residents a lifeline to critical medical services. This groundbreaking project highlights how libraries continue to evolve as pillars of their communities, offering resources far beyond books. The Power of…
The 2024 Library Marketing and Communication Conference held November 13-14 in St. Louis, Missouri, brought together hundreds of library marketers from across the nation to share best practices, creative strategies, and inspiring success stories. The event covered topics ranging from social media and email marketing to fundraising and outreach—all crucial for today’s libraries striving to…
This past Summer, researchers at Texas A&M University, along with non-profit Community Action Inc. of Central Texas (CAI), published an article on adult literacy in Texas. This study examined how Texas adult education and literacy (AEL) programs integrate technology, highlighting both successes and challenges. It used interviews with program directors to identify factors that enhance…
Upcoming Opportunities These opportunities are available for free unless otherwise noted. Descriptions are provided by host organizations. Collaborative Summer Library Program (CSLP) Newsletter The most recent edition features information about a survey requesting input for the 2028 slogan and 2029 theme. Read the CSLP newsletter online or subscribe and receive it in your inbox each month. Awards, Scholarships,…
Upcoming Opportunities These opportunities are available for free unless otherwise noted. Descriptions are provided by host organizations. Collaborative Summer Library Program (CSLP) Newsletter The most recent edition features information about this year’s Summer Symposium, the 2027 slogan and the 2028 theme, resources for inclusive programing as well as community outreach, and library success stories. Read the CSLP…
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 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…
I recently attended the 2024 Association for Small and Rural Libraries (ARSL) conference. The theme “Libraries are (r)Evolutionary” proclaimed that the event aimed to provide an opportunity for exploring the transformative power of rural and small libraries in our communities. Thus, I’d spend the next four days flitting from session to vivid session through the meadow of…