Recipients

Texas Reads Grants - FY 2024

COMING SOON!

TexTreasures Grants - FY 2024

Allen Public Library 
$15,550.00
The Allen Public Library (APL) will work with the University of North Texas Digital Newspaper Program to digitize printed versions of Allen American (AA) newspaper issues published in 1997-2002 (some editions are lost). The images will be added to and accessible through the Portal to Texas History digital collection. The APL website will provide a link that directs patrons to the collection. This is a multiphase project that will result in the digitization and free access of the local history contained in the AA, providing an invaluable resource to those researching events and individuals in Collin County, the north Texas region, and beyond. 

Castroville Public Library
$39,858.00
The Castroville Public Library will partner with the University of North Texas Digital to digitize seven local newspaper titles spanning dates from 1889 through 2017. The project will support the digitization of approximately 38,600 pages stored in bound volumes and microfilm. The digitized files will then be housed with the Portal to Texas History for enduring public access.

Ennis Public Library
$24,820.00
The Ennis Public Library will digitize three Ennis-area newspapers, collectively referred to as the Ennis Daily News (EDN), beginning with issues published as early as 1938 through the end of 1978. The digitized images will be added to the collection of Ennis newspapers currently accessible through the University of North Texas Libraries' Portal to Texas History. This is the last phase of a project that will result in the digitization and free accessibility of all printed issues of the EDN, one of the oldest surviving newspapers in Ellis County, which have been archived at the Ennis Public Library. 

Fort Worth Public Library
$39,189.00
In this second-year project, Fort Worth Public Library (FWPL) in partnership with the University of North Texas Digital Libraries will continue digitization of the Fort Worth Press newspaper issues from 1921 to 1932, archival preservation of the electronic files created, and publication of the content on the Portal to Texas History website. FWPL hopes to add 37,950 page-images to the digitized collection. 

Patrick Heath Public Library (Boerne, TX)
$38,717.00
The Patrick Heath Public Library (PHPL) will digitize the 1994-2010 printed issues of area newspaper, The Boerne Star, and make them accessible through the University of North Texas’ Portal to Texas History (Portal).

Southern Methodist University
$40,000.00
The DeGolyer Library at Southern Methodist University (SMU) holds 2,717 Texas imprints that are only found at the DeGolyer Library or at two to four other libraries (“Historic Texas Imprints”). The DeGolyer Library and Norwick Center for Digital Solutions (nCDS), both units of SMU Libraries, will digitize and make available online an estimated 631 imprints (final number of items will vary based on the page length of each document) comprising approximately 15,150 pages. 

Texas A&M University Corpus Christi
$39,974.00
Special Collections and Archives in the Mary and Jeff Bell Library at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi will transcribe and create PDFs and closed captions for the Corpus Christi Coffee Club VHS Collection. This collection consists of 739 tapes donated by Reynaldo Madrigal, the founder of the “Corpus Christi Coffee Club”. The tapes document over a decade of activism and engagement with Hispanic residents. Both local and national figures made appearances to discuss current events. 

University of North Texas
$39,998.00
The University of North Texas will continue digitization of the Jewish Herald-Voice up to 2009, and will fill in gaps for newspaper titles representing other underrepresented communities in the Houston area and wider Texas. In addition to the Herald-Voice, issues of the Houston Informer, the city’s African-American newspaper, up to 1931, as well as the South Belt-Ellington Leader, a free community newspaper that has been at the forefront of civic protection and rights since its founding will be digitized.

Library Capacity Grants - FY 2024

Partners Library Action Network (PLAN)
$75,000.00
The Partners Library Action Network will provide a year-round cadence of practical training programs that will enhance the tactical and strategic knowledge and skills of 1,160+ librarians across the state. While any Texas library staff member will be welcome to join any or all of these training workshops and sessions, PLAN will target libraries and librarians that have a service area of less than 50,000 residents. In-person sessions will be held in each of the ten former library system geographies, to meet librarians where they are. Virtual training options will also be available. By providing a year-long series of 3 different, yet complementary training to meet the needs and circumstances of all Texas libraries and librarians, PLAN can enhance the professional and leadership development of library staff statewide.

Regional ILS Collaborative Grants - FY 2024

MetroShare Library Consortium
$75,000.00
Among its 11 member libraries, the MetroShare Community of Libraries (MSCL) plans to focus on improvement of courier services, creating a shared Library of Things Collection, joint public program initiatives, and staff training.

Special Projects Grants - FY 2024

Benbrook Public Library
$49,076.00
Benbrook Public Library will reinforce community impact as a technological service provider via the purchase of a laptop checkout kiosk and accompanying laptops to grant computer access to patrons both inside and outside of the library facility.

Celina Public Library
$75,000.00
The Celina Public Library will establish a bookmobile to improve access to books and other educational materials and promote literacy and lifelong learning among underserved community members who may not have access to the main library.  The Bookmobile will be stocked with reading and educational materials, including fiction, non-fiction, children’s literature, graphic novels, and periodicals. The Bookmobile will travel regularly scheduled routes, stopping at designated locations.

Corpus Christi Public Libraries
$75,000.00
Corpus Christi Public Libraries (CCPL) will create a community sensory room for special needs children ages birth to 14. The project will also introduce sensory programs, activities, collections, and presentation sessions on sensory topics geared towards caregivers. The sensory environment will provide areas with education and recreation opportunities with therapeutic equipment such as soft play equipment, bubble tubes, and interactive wall panels to create an immersive sensory experience.

Dallas Public Library
$67,627.00
Dallas Public Library proposes a Culinary Literacy program to provide educational opportunities through food, cooking, and community engagement.  Though certainly nutrition is a critical issue in many communities, Culinary Literacy is not just about food.  It covers multiple literacies and promotes social engagement. The program will utilize the Mobile Kitchen Unit and the Kitchen in a Box to provide classes on topics such as diabetes meal prep, cultural meal program, plant-based cooking, and seasonal cooking. 

Dickinson Public Library
$14,077.00
The Dickinson Public Library will create a Podcast Network, called Beyond the Stacks. The podcast network will include a variety of shows focusing on local history, book reviews and recommendations, events, and stories from the library and the community told through interviews with staff, patrons, and other locals including Dickinson teachers and librarians. Beyond the Stacks will allow the library to reach patrons in a new way.

Ector County Library (Odessa, TX)
$75,000.00
The Ector County Library will establish a bookmobile to reach underserved populations in the northern and eastern parts of the city that do not have easy access to the library's central downtown location.  The bookmobile will be customized to modern specifications and outfit with several different types of material for checkout.

Grapevine Public Library
$42,500.00
The Grapevine Public Library will acquire an environmentally friendly vehicle to support their established homebound delivery service to seniors and others who are unable to make it into the library to check out materials. In the past, staff had to use their own vehicles to deliver materials to the various partner locations and homebound patrons, with limited cargo space, necessitating multiple trips to deliver materials. The addition of the vehicle will allow the library to expand the program to reach more members in the community while making the service more efficient and more sustainable.

Judy B. McDonald Public Library (Nacogdoches, TX)
$2,214.00
Building on its currect F.A.F.S.A. (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) workshops, the Judy B McDonald Public Library will  host a series of classes for parents and students. These sessions will address recurring question such as, how to apply for college, what happens after the student is admitted, how do students select their classes, transferring to another college, and advice for student success. Grant funds will cover marketing and class materials for participants.

Lancaster Veterans Memorial Library
$23,953.00
Lancaster Veterans Memorial Library will implement and introduce a recreational gaming and esports program to the community of Lancaster. This program will provide an opportunity for the community to access high end gaming and esports equipment, software, and other related resources.  The library believes that providing a well organized program will provide participants with leadership, sportsmanship, teamwork and social skills.

Mammen Family Public Library (Bulverde, TX)
$17,200.00
The Mammen Family Public Library Out and About program will build on an existing outreach model to expand and improve library services in the community by adding new outreach locations, a homebound program, and supplemental literacy-based programming at existing locations. Additionally, programming will be developed to provide a more inclusive atmosphere in an effort to support current patrons and bring in new patrons.

Midland County Public Library
$72,076.00
Midland County Public Libraries will develop a Mobile Skills Lab outreach program which will provide workforce development and trade skills training for the community at large. MCPL aims to provide this service as an interactive mobile learning program and partner with local schools, workforce development offices, and local justice systems. The Mobile Skills Lab will address local trade skills shortages by targeting audiences of all ages who will benefit the most from the flexibility of learning key, employable skills in trade industries and beyond.

Partners Library Action Network (PLAN)
$75,000.00
The Partners Library Action Network (PLAN) will support Texas libraries through the Texas Library Rescue initiative. The program is designed to support libraries in need of dramatic capacity building and engages a team of volunteers who conduct intensive hands-on work, lead training, and provide support over the course of a 5-day work week. At the end of the week, the participating library will have its challenges addressed with an action plan for follow-on strategies.

Tom Green County Library System (San Angelo, TX)
$74,721.00
In this second-year grant, the Tom Green County Library (TGCL) will continue to grow and support career focused, hands-on, STEM engagement for underserved K-12 students with its partner organizations and regional rural libraries through their rocketry program.

Tye Preston Memorial Library
$75,000.00
The Tye Preston Memorial Library will purchase a bookmobile to expand existing outreach programming in an effort to further their mission to provide for the informational, recreational, and educational needs of the community. The library has determined the need for improved access to the library and its materials and resources, due to the rural and widespread nature of its surrounding district. The library will expand its services to under-served populations, enhance existing services to the public, and bridge the gap to further promote and provide literacy support for all ages.

Victoria Public Library
$41,675.00
The Victoria Public Library will install a self-service locker providing 24/7 access to reserved materials. The library will also expand Wi-Fi to include the building’s entire block so patrons may access the internet and digital resources before and after hours. This project targets individuals and families whose work, school schedule, or other physical limitations inhibit access during library business hours.