Communities all over Texas have experienced increased demand for WiFi connectivity due to normal connection locations, such as schools, libraries, and places of work, being closed or operating on limited hours in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. Some public libraries have been lending mobile WiFi hotspots for a few years, while others are considering a…
Interested in learning more about expanding digital access to your community and the library’s technology capacity? Sign up for Friday’s webinar: Towards Digital Equity and Technology Access in Texas Libraries. Register here. Library parking lots were access points for WiFi even before social distancing requirements due to COVID-19 made them essential connection points for internet…
On Friday, May 8th from 10-11 am CST, join TSLAC Grants Administrator, and Erica McCormick, TSLAC Program Coordinator, to learn about the TSLAC CARES grant program for libraries in response to the COVID-19 emergency. Register for the webinar here. The TSLAC CARES Grant Program funds community needs identified by Texas libraries in areas of digital…
Thank you and congratulations! to the two-thirds of Texas public librarians who have locked their Annual Report for 2019! And if you are one of the nearly 50% who have submitted the signed Application for Accreditation, then give yourself an pat on the back! This report does more than accredit Texas public libraries. It provides…
During this time, it is extremely important that Texas library workers connect with their neighboring colleagues. To address this immediate need, the Texas State Library and Archives Commission is hosting a series of online discussions with other libraries in your region that will enable Texas library workers to share concerns and resources with one another.…
Help us improve our website! Take 5-9 minutes to complete the TSLAC Website Survey. bit.ly/tslacsurvey2020 The Texas State Library and Archives Commission (TSLAC) is conducting research to understand how the daily lives of Texans are touched by our work. The survey does not require that you have any knowledge or opinion of TSLAC, and our…
In response to the many requests for information we are receiving, we have developed a list of resources. ALA Checklist on Individual Library Policies: http://www.ala.org/tools/atoz/pandemic-preparedness Extremely relevant for libraries: CDC Interim Guidance for Administrators of US Childcare Programs and K-12 Schools to Plan, Prepare and Respond to COVID-19 — Depending on whether or not COVID-19…
As we all “spring forward,” it’s time for Texas public library directors to get all of the library statistics collected over the last local fiscal year and enter them into Texas LibPAS. This report is due no later than Thursday, April 30, 2020, a due date which cannot be extended. We recommend that libraries complete…
As library workers it can be tricky to assist patrons with legal questions while carefully staying out of the territory of giving legal advice. Thankfully, there are two excellent Texas-specific legal resources designed and delivered by licensed attorneys that library staff can use to connect their patrons with free and basic legal resources. Two upcoming…
The Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts manages a contract that allows Texas libraries to purchase books, audiobooks, textbooks, audiovisual materials, and cataloging services from a number of vendors with negotiated discounts. Roughly 500 Texas libraries use this SmartBuy contract, 715-M2, and on average spend about $8 million per year on materials from the selected vendors.…