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E-Rate Central: TSLAC’s “Bulldogs” Help Librarians Navigate the Complexities of E-Rate for Big Broadband Discounts

On October 10, the Library Digital Opportunity team (LDO) held a kick-off webinar with E-Rate Central for the upcoming 2025 E-Rate Funding Year. E-rate is a federal discount program available to accredited public libraries that pays up to 90% of broadband costs. While that is an amazing benefit, it can be challenging to complete the…

Broadband and Technology

Takeaways from the 2024 DIR Discover Conference: AI Dominates the Conversation

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…

Broadband and Technology

Check Out the Artificial Intelligence Themed Tech Chats from TLA’s Innovation and Technology Round Table

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…

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TSLAC’s LIFI Grant Kicks Off With Assessment Phase: What Texas Public Libraries Need to Know

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…

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Closing the Digital Divide: TSLAC’s Digital Navigator Program

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…

Broadband and Technology

Public Libraries: E-rate Kick-Off Party on October 10, Now with Hotspots and Cybersecurity

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),…

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Pottsboro Library Takes Charge of Community Broadband Planning

The Broadband Development Office (BDO) established the Technical Assistance Program (TAP) to provide additional resources to communities that need help with broadband planning. The program aids local governments and communities by providing assistance to identify local broadband development opportunities and prepare for forthcoming state and federal funds. Greg Conte, director of the Texas Broadband Development…

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How Harris County Public Library Gave Out a Whopping 70,000 Hotspots and Chromebooks and Won the Nation’s Top Library Award

Devices and internet accessibility are two crucial necessities to help close the digital divide. As difficult as it can be for libraries to pull together those resources, it’s often still not enough, as patrons often lack the digital literacy skills to use the devices or connect to the internet. TSLAC’s Library Digital Opportunity team recently…