Letter from the Executive Director

The mission of the Texas State Library and Archives Commission (TSLAC) is “to provide Texans access to information needed to be informed, productive citizens.” I am pleased to present the 2017-2018 Biennial Report, which describes the agency’s ongoing role supporting education, open government, historical preservation, economic development, research and public access to information.

Other highlights in 2017 and 2018 include:

• In 2017 the Texas Legislature appropriated $1 million to support increased broadband internet capacity in many Texas public libraries. TSLAC helped 84 libraries upgrade their internet speeds, with some libraries increasing connections by more than 1,500 percent.
   
• TSLAC’s Sam Houston Regional Library and Research Center in Liberty, Texas is undergoing major renovations. One key project completed in June 2018 was the installation of a large new interactive exhibition and museum reopening.
   
• In 2017 Texas Department of Transportation entered into an agreement with our State and Local Records Division to image and add metadata to all conveyance documents, which relate to the purchase of properties in the right-of-way of Texas highways. By making these documents available electronically, TSLAC will ensure the preservation and accessibility of these vital records.
   
• The Texas Talking Book Program transitioned from a legacy system to the WebREADS circulation system in June of 2018 to manage all aspects of the Talking Book Program’s circulation.
   
• TSLAC staff worked quickly in the fall of 2017 to assist libraries and cultural institutions dealing with the impact of Hurricane Harvey. TSLAC made emergency grants available to libraries. Allocating federal funds for this purpose, TSLAC awarded almost $200,000 in relief funding.

Libraries, archives and public records programs provide a tremendous fiscal and educational value. TSLAC services leverage state buying power and local expenditures to provide cost-effective solutions. TexShare and TexQuest resources provide access to crucial information at one-tenth the cost if purchased locally. State agencies save over $100 million in cost avoidance each year by storing non-current records with our agency. And these measures do not begin to capture the incalculable ROI that derives from open access to government and to reading and information programs provided or supported by our agency.

I am honored to work with a dedicated commission and an outstanding staff of motivated professionals who support the people of Texas.

 

Sincerely,

 

Mark Smith, Director and Librarian
Texas State Library and Archives Commission

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An Information Society

Providing access to information is part of maintaining an informed society, but state government must also equip an increasingly diverse population to negotiate educational needs, complex global communications and a competitive, evolving job market. Doing so requires a robust infrastructure for learning and using today’s broad informational assets and education resources in an effective, efficient manner. Knowledge has become the most valuable currency.

People need resources, skills and support to convert information intake into knowledge output. In practice, that translates to meeting school standards, starting up a business, engaging communities in meaningful discourse, ensuring public records are managed effectively, fostering open government, bringing primary documents into the learning equation, preserving Texas history, helping individuals find jobs and so much more.

The Texas State Library and Archives Commission reaches almost every Texan in multiple ways throughout their lives. By supporting education, cultural and government organizations, as well as serving the public directly, TSLAC equips communities and people with resources, training and programs. The agency’s work in library development, statewide digital content, archives, preservation, state and local records management, broadband and technology, services to the visually disabled, literacy and community engagement form an integrated network of intellectual assets and services to help Texans lead informed lives.

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About TSLAC

For over a century, TSLAC’s mission has been to ensure that citizens have access to the information they need to lead informed, productive and fulfilled lives.

We live in an information-based economy, and the continued success of the state depends on citizens’ access to information that is provided through educational programs designed to serve virtually every Texan regardless of age, geographic location or ability.

Archives and Information Services – Preserves and makes accessible the archival records of Texas.

Library Development and Networking – Enhances the capacity and resources of Texas public, academic and school libraries.

State and Local Records Management – Assists government agencies in maintaining public records.

Talking Book Program – Serves the reading needs of Texans with disabilities.

Texas Center for the Book – Stimulates public interest in books, reading, literacy and libraries.

INFORMING TEXANS THROUGH

• Education and Research Literacy
• Workforce Development and Economic Opportunity
• Open Government and Public Information
• The Historical Record of the State
• Technology and Global Communications
• Informed  and Innovative Communities

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About Our Commission

The “Texas State Library and Archives Commission” is both the official name of the agency and the name of its governing board. The seven members of the Commission are appointed by the Governor, who also designates a chair, and are confirmed by the Texas Senate. Commissioners serve staggered six-year terms; terms begin September 1 of odd-numbered years, following each session of the Texas Legislature.

Photo: TSLAC patron researching items from the Archives

TSLAC Serves

More than 25 million people  served by Texas public libraries.

• More than 5 million K-12 students
   
• Just under 1 million teachers, administrators and support  staff in K-12 schools
   
• Almost 2 million students and faculty members in Texas institutions of higher education
   
• Businesses, entrepreneurs, non-profit groups (such as literacy coalitions), and researchers and historians who rely on Texas libraries and archives
   
• Thousands of researchers using the archival resources of the State Archives, both online and in print
   
• 10,000 units of local government and state agencies who receive training  on public records management,  dissemination  and access
   
• More than 15,000 persons with visual or other disabilities  that prevent  them from reading standard print

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Impact and Initiatives  — Highlights from 2017-2018

Sunset Review

The Texas Digital Archive manages, preserves, and facilitates access to the electronic records collections of the Texas State Library and Archives Commission, including those transferred by state agencies or digitized by the State Archives. All records visible in the portal are unrestricted and available for public use.

TSLAC began the Sunset Review process in 2017. TSLAC staff submitted a self-evaluation report to the Sunset Commission in Sept. 2017, and the Sunset Commission staff issued a report in July 2018 evaluating the agency’s mission and execution of its duties. Sunset staff found that “The Texas State Library and Archives Commission (TSLAC) zealously performs its mission to provide Texans with the information needed to lead informed, productive, and fulfilled lives.” The Sunset Commission held a hearing on Aug. 30 to review recommendations from the staff report, hear public input and ask questions of agency staff. The Commission then held a hearing on Nov. 14 to vote on its recommendations for the Sunset legislation for the 86th Legislative Session, which begins on Jan. 8, 2019. The Commission recommended that TSLAC continue for another 12 years without any major reorganization.

Libraries Connecting Texas

TSLAC received $1 million from the Texas Legislature to help Texas libraries increase internet speeds through access to federal discounts on broadband internet connections. TSLAC hired a national consulting firm, E-rate Central, to guide Texas libraries through the process of applying for the Federal Communications Commission’s E-rate program, which helps schools and libraries get high-speed Internet at up to a 90 percent discount. TSLAC’s Libraries Connecting Texas program has helped 84 libraries upgrade the internet speeds in 2017 and 2018, with some libraries increasing their connection speeds by more than 1,500 percent.

A participating library: Brownwood Public Library, serving population: 38,271

With LCT: 233 percent speed upgrade

It’s so great to be able to triple our Internet speeds for our community! And for a small library like ours, the savings in cost means more funds we can use on books and other resources for our community. I would encourage any library who is not part of E-rate to take advantage of this opportunity while it’s available!

Becky Isbell, Brownwood Public Library

Sam Houston Regional Library and Research Center Museum Reopening

TSLAC received funding from the Legislature to make upgrades to the Sam Houston Regional Library and Research Center in Liberty, Texas. One of the projects TSLAC took on with the funding was to upgrade the facility’s museum exhibit space. The project was completed in June 2018, and the Southeast Texas community was invited to celebrate the reopening of the space with an event and ribbon cutting in June. More than 200 people attended the event.

Texas Department of Transportation Records – Project

TSLAC entered into an MOU with the Texas Department of Transportation (TXDOT) to image and add metadata to all conveyance documents for the state of Texas. These historical materials relate to the purchase of properties in the right-of-way of Texas highways. By making these documents available electronically, TSLAC will ensure the preservation and public accessibility of these vital records. TSLAC is also working with TXDOT’s Right of Way Division to digitize billboard license and permit records.

Photo: TSLAC staff preparing TXDOT documents for scanning.

 

Rebuilding Texas Libraries

Throughout the month of September 2017, several TSLAC staff were involved in assessing damage and offering assistance to Texas libraries and archives in the wake of Hurricane Harvey. In the days following the initial impact of the storm, and while southeast Texas continued to experience days of rainfall, dozens of Texas libraries contacted TSLAC to notify us of their status. Many libraries sustained significant damage, including Aransas County ISD libraries, the Barbara Bush and Kingwood Branch Libraries of the Harris County Public Library, the Beaumont and Port Arthur Public Libraries, and the Kingwood High School Library. To respond to the needs of libraries impacted by Harvey, TSLAC initiated a disaster recovery grant program called Rebuilding Texas Libraries, awarding $194,000 in FY 2017 federal funds for the purpose.

Photo: The Texas Constitution of 1876, page 1 (top) and the signature page.

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WebReads

The Texas Talking Book Program transitioned from a legacy system to the WebREADS circulation system in June of 2018. This enterprise software system created by the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped manages all aspects of the Talking Book Program’s circulation, from requests to holds to the cards used to mail materials to patrons. With this migration, TSLAC has successfully replaced all legacy systems.

Texas Center for the Book

The Texas Center for the Book, an office of TSLAC, was established in 1987 to stimulate public interest in books, reading, literacy and libraries. The Center, which is affiliated with the Library of Congress, builds partnerships with library professionals, educators, authors, publishers and booksellers who promote a love of literature throughout the Lone Star State.

Since TCFB found its home at TSLAC in 2015, it has become an integral part of the literacy and literary landscape in Texas, sponsoring the Letters About Literature program, which encourages children to write to authors, and the Texas Literacy Award. In 2017, the Center provided books to dozens of libraries statewide participating in Read Across Texas, a statewide reading program centered around veterans issues and in 2018 supplied over 2,400 multicultural books to 40 libraries participating in Lone Star Día, a statewide celebration of books and reading for children.

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Archives and Information Services

The Archives and Information Services Division (ARIS) preserves and documents the heritage and culture of Texas by identifying, collecting and making available the official archival records of Texas government. From historical treasures (such as the first Texas Constitution and Republic-era artifacts) to thousands of cubic feet of state records from agencies and elected officials, the holdings of the State Archives form the official record of the state. As the official and longstanding custodian of these state assets, the State Archives protects the chain of custody of these records, ensuring their long-term conservation and public availability.

The division comprises the Texas State Archives, the Library’s Reference/Documents Collection, the Genealogy Collection, Cataloging department, the Summerlee Conservation Lab and the Sam Houston Regional Library and Research Center in Liberty.

ARIS

• Administers, preserves, and facilitates access to electronic records collections through the Texas Digital Archive.
   
• Engages Texans through online and lobby exhibits, author visits and educational events.
   
• Connects people to family history resources available through the Texas Family Heritage Research Center.
   
• Manages the Sam Houston Regional Library and Research Center in Liberty, Texas.
   
• Supports access to the historical records of local governments through the Regional Historical Resource Depository System.

 

Photo: On April 6, 2017 at 10 a.m., the anniversary of the U.S. entry into World War I, TSLAC held a special event to return a flag commemorating students from Texas A&M University who participated in WWI to Texas A&M University. A&M had more students serving in the Great War than any other university in the country.

2017 – 2018 ARIS Highlights

• In 2017, ARIS staff digitized 62,500 records.
   
• TSLAC acquired 1,966 titles and 6,660 volumes (items) Sept. 2017-Aug. 2018.
   
• During FY17, staff provided responses to more than 3,000 written requests for information.
   
• 88 percent of the requests were handled in 5 or fewer working days. Archives staff arranged and described approximately 1,151 cubic feet of records and created and revised 84 finding guides to enhance public access.
   
• TSLAC staff also ingested or updated 6,440,540 files at a volume of 28.6 TB within the Texas Digital Archive between Sept. 2016 and Aug. 2018.

Community Engagement

Staff outreach activities included the Dallas and Austin Archives Bazaars, a grand reopening event for the museum at the Sam Houston Regional Library, Family History Day, a digital archive scavenger hunt, a talk on Southeast Texas history and the Andy Kyle Collection at the Sam Houston Center, several exhibit grand opening events for the lobby exhibit at the Lorenzo de Zavala building, and numerous orientations, workshops and tours.

Protecting History for the Public

The agency continued to make safety, security and functional upgrades to the Sam Houston Center (SHC), including earthwork and installation of drains to prevent standing water around the buildings and roadways, repair and pavement of damaged roadways, addition of ramps to two buildings to ensure accessibility, and installation of septic system to ensure proper waste disposal. Renovation of the Center’s museum space was completed in June 2018, including the addition of fire suppression, cover of tile flooring with asbestos mastic, installation of track lighting and secure casework appropriate for display of original historic records and artifacts.

Critical safety and security repairs and maintenance began on the Center’s buildings in June 2018 and should be complete by the end of 2018, including waterproofing of the elevator shaft in the Jean and Price Daniel Home and Archives to ensure accessibility to all visitors as well as leveling and repairing other historic structures administered by SHC.

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Library Development and Networking

Photo: The effects of hurricane Harvey. These images of Little Boy Primary Library in Aransas County ISD in Rockport (left) and Mauriceville Elementary in Little Cypress - Mauriceville CISD in Orange (right) show before (above) and after (below) Harvey.
 

FY2017 Resources Provided to Persons: TexShare - 81,014,673, TexQuest - 37,897,159

FY2018 Resources Provided to Persons: TexShare - 114,799,594, TexQuest - 32,574,231

The Library Development and Networking (LDN) Division provides services to Texans through statewide resource sharing programs that expand the capabilities of local public, academic, school and special libraries. The division also manages programs that provide training, workforce assistance, library resources and grant funds.

LDN

• Awards state and federal grants to Texas libraries.
   
• Manages a statewide interlibrary loan program.
   
• Supports school, public and academic libraries through continuing education training and consultation.
   
• Deploys educational programming to serve children, adults and communities.

LDN also administers the popular TexShare and TexQuest programs that provide statewide access to licensed, high-quality digital learning resources. The agency and Texas libraries partner in this cost-effective and efficient system for sharing library resources.

TexQuest serves approximately 800 school districts.

TexShare serves public libraries, community college libraries, college and university libraries, and libraries of clinical medicine.

 

Library Development and Networking 2017-2018 Highlights

Prison library initiative

LDN began outreach to the prison library community in FY 2018. Spurred by grants awarded to academic libraries serving incarcerated persons, LDN began working with the Windham School District, which provides educational and library services to prison units across Texas, to identify the most pressing needs of the prison library community. Staff provided training at an annual conference for prison librarians and have plans to offer dedicated funding to enhance training and services to the prison library community.

Library Technology Academy Grant

TSLAC launched a pilot program in 2018 called the Library Technology Academy. The project-based training grant uses both online and in-person learning experiences to enable library staff more time, guidance, and individualized attention to support technology planning and management. Each library will build on what they’ve learned through the training by designing and implementing a technology project supported by a reimbursement grant of up to $11,000 per library.

Rebuilding Texas Libraries

Throughout the month of September 2017, several TSLAC staff were involved in assessing damage and offering assistance to Texas libraries and archives in the wake of Hurricane Harvey. In the days following the initial impact of the storm, and while southeast Texas continued to experience days of rainfall, dozens of Texas libraries contacted TSLAC to notify us of their status. Many libraries sustained significant damage, including the Aransas County ISD libraries, the Barbara Bush and Kingwood Branch Libraries of the Harris County Public Library, the Beaumont and Port Arthur Public Libraries, and the Kingwood High School Library among others. To respond to the needs of libraries impacted by Harvey, TSLAC initiated a disaster recovery grant program called Rebuilding Texas Libraries, awarding $194,000 in FY 2017 federal funds to public, school and academic libraries damaged by the storm. TSLAC also networked with a wide coalition of other federal, state and local agencies to aid the recovery of cultural heritage organizations, including libraries and archives.

School Library Standards

The Commission formally adopted revised guidelines for school libraries in Feb. 2018. School Library Programs: Standards and Guidelines for Texas provides communities, educators, and the public a tool for assessing and building quality school library programs and ensuring students benefit from robust instruction and resources. A statewide committee of teachers, school administrators and librarians worked over 18 months to evaluate and update the school standards based on state and national standards and evaluation tools. The development of the standards is authorized under the Texas Education Code, which directs the Texas State Library and Archives Commission, in consultation with the State Board of Education, to adopt standards for school library services statewide.

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State and Local Records Management

 

2017 eRecords Conference

 

The State and Local Records Management Division provides an infrastructure for managing Texas public records. SLRM assists state and local officials with training, resources, guidelines and consultation to ensure that government information is stored, retained and made accessible.

SLRM

• Works with 153 state agencies and more than 10,000 units of local government.
   
• Deals with all types of information.
   
• Promotes practices to save taxpayer money.
   
• Aids agencies in meeting legal and financial requirements.
   
• Partners to make public information available consistently and efficiently over the short and long term.

SLRM works with government offices to maintain records retention programs that maximize efficiency, use cost-effective approaches, meet legal and financial requirements, preserve records of public interest, and promote transparent government. By developing core records retention specifications (that apply to all electronic, audio/visual, and print records), SLRM analysts pave the way for statewide uniformity.

SLRM Highlights 2017 – 2018

Training and Consulting

In FY 2017-2018, the Records Management Assistance unit trained or consulted with approximately 18,235 state and local government personnel through approximately 20,788 contact hours. In addition, staff adds content to and distributes The Texas Record blog. Over 105 different posts on topics from class schedules to frequently asked records management questions were sent to over 2,400 members, up from 1,800 members at the end of the last biennium.

Online training courses were updated and 31 records management webinars were developed, delivered and archived as another way to provide training across the state of Texas. These training materials are available for state and local government employees interested in records management training to take advantage of when convenient. TSLAC also partnered with the Texas Department of Information Resources to host two conferences on electronic records.

Storage

At the end of FY 2018, 81 agencies and local governments were storing 345,000 cubic feet of paper records, 246,000 rolls of microfilm and 1.75 million microfiche, in addition to utilizing other storage services provided at the Records Center, such as map and building plan storage and backup tape disaster recovery rotations. The Records Center also offers a full-service imaging shop; creating, duplicating, and processing microfilm from paper and electronic formats as well as converting all sizes of paper documents and microfilm to electronic formats for state agency and local government customers.

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Talking Book Program

Total patrons registered: 16,766 (2017), 16,563 (2018)

Volumes circulated: 770,201 (2017), 731,710 (2018)

BARD downloads: 243,087 (2017), 276,460 (2018)

Photo: TBP’s Volunteer Recording Studio

The Talking Book Program (TBP) provides free library services to qualifying Texans with visual, physical or reading disabilities. TBP is part of the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped,  a program administered by the Library of Congress.

TBP

• Provides free books and magazines in digital audio, Braille and large-print formats.
   
• Records digital audio books with trained volunteers  in state-of-the-art recording studio.
   
• Administers  personalized  reader advisory services by phone to patrons across the state.
   
• Offers comprehensive resource materials through Disability Information  & Referral Center.

The TBP collection consists of more than 100,000 titles, including bestsellers (fiction and nonfiction), classics, mysteries, westerns, science fiction, children’s books, biographies, books of interest to young readers, and more. Our collection also contains hundreds of titles in Spanish, and some in French, German, Russian, and other languages. In addition to items from the NLS collections, TBP also offers books by Texas authors, books about Texas, and books in Spanish, recorded by volunteers in our recording studios in Austin and Midland.

TBP Highlights - Talking Book Program 2017 – 2018 Highlights

• Texas Talking Book Program patrons are among the heaviest users of the Braille and Audio Reading Download (BARD) in the country. One-in-four registered patrons make use of the online service.
   
• TBP audio staff continued to upload local recordings to the site, with more than 500 TBP recordings available to all BARD patrons around the country. During FY 2018, these recordings alone were downloaded 41,317 times by TBP patrons and other BARD patrons all over the country.

40th Anniversary of the Volunteer Recording Studio

The Talking Book Program studio celebrated 40 years of storytelling in 2018. The studio, in collaboration between staff and dedicated volunteers, produces audio recordings of books and magazines. Volunteers record materials in English and in Spanish. Staff and volunteers have recorded more than 7,000 books in the 40 years the studio has been open, and their hard work was recognized at an event in May 2018.

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Appendices

Commission Grants | Conferences, Reports, and Publications | Partnerships | Exhibits, Educational Programs, Acquisitions |

Educational and Continuing Education Programming | About the Agency

Appendix — Commission Grants

TSLAC Competitive Grants

The Texas State Library and Archives Commission provides competitive grants to support innovative practices that enable libraries to develop programs for populations with special needs; promotes cooperative services for learning and access to information; promotes reading and literacy within local communities; provides seed money for new or innovative programs and services; and provides access to their special or unique holdings and to make information about these holdings available to library users across the state.

Texas Reads Grants — FY 2017

Balch Springs Library - Learning Center — STEM: Build It, $1,500

Bedford Public Library — Reel Readers, $5,000

Cross Plains Public Library — Book-to-Movie Discussions, $3,169

El Paso Public Library — Toddlers Make Your Mark, $5,000

Harris County Public Library — Tournament of Books (Houston), $4,815

Irving Public Library — Build a Better World, $5,000

Livingston Municipal Library — Meet Hank the Cowdog Creator John Erickson, $4,140

Plano Public Library System — Brain Food, $5,000

The Library at Cedar Creek Lake — Cedar Creek Lake Summer Reading Program (Seven Points), $5,000

Tom Green County Library System — There and Back Again (San Angelo), $5,000

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Texas Reads Grants — FY 2018

Aransas County Public Library — Fall in Love With Reading (Rockport), $5,000

Arlington Public Library System — Libraries Rock! Author Visits, $3,500

Bedford Public Library — Neighborhood Book Club Program, $5,000

Carl & Mary Welhausen Library — “Hank the Cowdog in Concert” (Yoakum), $3,194

Cedar Park Public Library — Teen Book Club, $1,530

Harlingen Public Library — Reading Rooms, $4,575

 

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Impact Grants — FY 2017

Arlington Public Library System — Soft Skills, $10,000

Dickinson Public Library — Intermediate Level Computer and Job Search Classes, $4,500

El Paso Public Library — Creative Space, MakerSpace, $9,994

El Paso Public Library — Early Developmental Literacy, $10,000

Forest Hill Public Library — The Forest Hill Public Library Skill Development Series, $2,870

Harris County Public Library — Animal Science for Kids (Houston), $9,025

Jacksonville Public Library — Digital Literature For Everyone, $10,000

Llano County Library System — Tech Tools for Better Business, $9,826

McAllen Memorial Library — McAllen Public Library Mobile Application Project, $10,000

Mesquite Public Library — Technology Training, $10,000

Pasadena Public Library — Play, Grow and Read with AWE Early Literacy Stations, $9,699

Plano Public Library System — Play in the Library, $10,000

Richardson Public Library — Books & Babies, $9,975

Sachse Public Library — Sachse Children’s Literacy Project, $9,858

The Library at Cedar Creek Lake — Adult Education and Workforce Development Digital Literacy
Advancement Initiative (Seven Points), $9,997

Wimberley Village Library — STEAM Ahead!, $3,810

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Impact Grants — FY 2018

Arlington Public Library System — Small Business Workshops, $9,200

Arlington Public Library System — 1000 Books Before Kindergarten, $9,800

Arlington Public Library System — E-content Access and Delivery, $10,000

Balch Springs Library -Learning Center — Family Fun with 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten, $9,700

Brownwood Public Library — Baby Literacy, $9,977

Bulverde/Spring Branch Library — Enhanced E-resources for Adults and Seniors, $10,000

Deer Park Public Library — Industrial Intelligence Series, $10,000

Dickinson Public Library — TumbleBooks for Dickinson, $2,724

El Paso Public Library — Show Me a Story/ Enséñame un cuento, $8,384

El Paso Public Library — La Cueva Quest, $9,997

El Paso Public Library — ¡Repararlo! Repair It @ Your Library, $8,552

Houston Public Library — Liftoff Houston Reloaded @ OJL!, $9,977

Houston Public Library — STEM in a Box: Early Learner Edition, $10,000

Houston Public Library — Houston TECHLink, $8,996

Lancaster Veterans Memorial Library — Workforce Improvement Program for Job Seekers, $9,650

Plano Public Library System — Bilingual Backpacks, $10,000

Plano Public Library System — EBSCO Discovery Service, $10,000

University of North Texas — An Iterative Model for Developing Online Video Instructions to Promote Digital Literacy, $6,499

University of North Texas — Mobile GIS Mini-Lab, $9,713

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TexTreasures Grants — FY 2017

Abilene Library Consortium — Flying High in the Texas Sky: Legacy of the WASP, $29,410

Austin Public Library — Dewey Mears Photography Collection Negative Cataloging and Digitization Project, $25,000

Houston Public Library — Texas Films Revealed, Take Two, $34,975

Lee College — Lee College Baytown Veteran/Local Oral History Project (Baytown), $7,490

Southern Methodist University — George W. Cook Dallas/Texas Image Collection Digitization Project (Part 2) (Dallas), $25,000

St. Mary’s University of San Antonio — Digitizing and rehousing the Spanish Archives of Laredo, $24,972

Stephen F. Austin State University — Loblolly Oral History Project (Nacogdoches), $`12,674

Texas Lutheran University — A Geographer’s Journey: Digitizing Slides from the Evelyn Streng Collection (Seguin), $10,075

Texas State University — Digitization of At-Risk San Marcos Daily Record Negatives (San Marcos), $25,000

Texas Wesleyan University — Mason Johnson Theatre Collection (Fort Worth), $6,570

University of Houston — Digitizing Historical News Programs from KUHT, $24,305

University of North Texas — Borderland Newspapers Digitization Project (Denton), $24,961

University of Texas at Arlington — Through the Lens of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram: A Photographic View of World War II in Fort Worth, $25,000

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TexTreasures Grants — FY 2018

Abilene Library Consortium — Flying High in the Texas Sky — Preserving the WASP Legacy, TexTreasures Original, $32,055

Austin Film Festival — Austin Film Festival Archive, TexTreasures Original, $33,000

Brownwood Public Library — Digitization of Brownwood Bulletin, TexTreasures Original, $24,820

El Paso Public Library — Historical Maps Digitization Project, TexTreasures Original, $20,181

Houston Community College — HCC Historical Fashion Collection, TexTreasures Original, $24,971

Lee College — Lee College Baytown Veteran/Local Oral History Project - ADA Transcript Continuation Grant, TexTreasures Original, $11,182

Southern Methodist University — Promotional Texas Literature Project, TexTreasures Original, $25,000

Southwestern Adventist University — Adventism in Texas Digitization Project, TexTreasures Basic, $7,500

University of Houston — This Is Our Home, It Is Not for Sale 16mm Film Preservation Digitization and Access Project, TexTreasures Original $24,750

University of North Texas — Borderland Newspaper Digitization Project - Part II, TexTreasures Original, $24,777

University of Texas at Arlington — Through the Lens of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Pt. 2: A Photographic View of World War II, TexTreasures Original, $25,000

University of Texas at Rio Grande Valley — Digitizing Contaminación, TexTreasures Original, $24,376

University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston — Digitizing the Charles A. Berry, M.D. History of Space Medicine Collections, TexTreasures Original, $25,000

 

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Library Cooperation Grants — FY 2017

Arlington Public Library System — STEAM Kits, $64,577

Blanco County South Library District — English Language Through Library Services and Technology (Blanco), $25,242

Central Texas Library System — ‘Bots and Books Again (Austin), $75,000

Dallas Public Library — Testing Center and Workforce Development Project, $75,000

Nancy Carol Roberts Memorial Library — Library Small Business and Workforce Development Hub (Brenham), $15,500

Pottsboro Area Public Library — Media Mentoring for Digital Literacy, $43,298

Schulenburg Public Library — Digital Inclusion 2, $75,000

University of North Texas — Nonprofit Capacity Building (Denton), $38,107

University of Texas at Austin — The Development of a Statewide Aggregation Service for Texas Digital Collections, $71,877

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Library Cooperation Grants — FY 2018

Amigos Library Services — SimplyE in Texas, $75,000

Arlington Public Library System — Artist in Residence and Makerspace, $73,350

Blanco County South Library District — English Language Through Library Services & Technology 2018, $27,841

Bulverde/Spring Branch Library — Rolling Library DIY, $70,064

Central Texas Library System, Inc (CTLS) — 3-D Printer Labs @ Your Library, $75,000

Frisco Public Library — Community Publishing Hub, $75,000

Houston Public Library — Houston Public Library —Learning Link, $75,000

Port Isabel Public Library — LMYC Learns!, $32,263

Schulenburg Public Library — Digital Inclusion 3, $75,000

University of Texas at Austin — From Prototype to Service: Development of a Statewide Aggregation Service for Texas Digital Collections, $74,920

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Special Projects Grants — FY 2017

Lake Travis Community Library — Lake Travis Community Library Bookmobile (Austin), $45,000

Lancaster Veterans Memorial Library — Mobile Outreach Trailer, $55,280

Lee College — Lee College Huntsville Center COEP project, Phase 2 (Baytown), $74,999

Nancy Carol Roberts Memorial Library — Play On (Brenham), $16,350

Nueces County Keach Family Library — Tech You’re It @ the Library 2.0 (Robstown), $74,761

Plano Public Library System — Art Spark, $75,000

Pottsboro Area Public Library — HEALTH LITERACY HAPPENS HERE!, $49,822

Texas A&M University-Central Texas — Library Programming for Multiple Intelligences (Killeen), $41,292

Texas Lutheran University — Rock Trunk Petting Zoos (Seguin), $20,407

Texas Tech University — SHAPES (Sharing and Helping Academics Prepare for Educational Success) (Lubbock), $74,406

Tom Green County Library System — STEAM Central (San Angelo), $75,000

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Special Projects Grants — FY 2018

Bedford Public Library — I.D.E.A.S. Phase II, $25,820

Bertha Voyer Memorial Library — Bringing Art To Life (Honey Grove), $37,000

Brownwood Public Library — Little Free Libraries Outreach, $9,786

Buda Public Library — Pop Up Makerspace, $29,558

Bulverde/Spring Branch Library — Young Scholars Enrichment Program, $9,150

Dallas Public Library — Applied ESL Program, $75,000

El Paso Public Library — Pop-Up Civics Lab, $25,963

Euless Public Library — HEB Reads On the Go!, $75,000

Georgetown Public Library — Community Resources Coordinator, $67,712

Houston Public Library — Camp STREAM Unleashed, $74,800

Jennie Trent Dew Library — Honoring our Heritage (Goldthwaite), $8,145

Johnson City Library — 2018 Discovery Academy, $13,519

Lake Travis Community Library — Lake Travis Community Library Bookmobile - Year Two, $72,722

Lee College — Smartboards for Prisoners, $75,000

North Richland Hills Public Library — MaKits: The Maker Spot Circulating STEAM kits, $30,611

Nueces County Keach Family Library — Tech You’re @ the Library 3.0, $74,962

Plano Public Library System — Art Spark, Year 2, $67,250

Pottsboro Area Public Library — Placemaking for a Healthier Community, $72,889

Texas A&M University Central Texas — Pop-up Library Programming, $45,210

Tom Green County Library System — STEAM Central, $73,491

 

The Texas Center for the Book Literacy Award — October 2017

Midland Need to Read, $1000

The Texas Center for the Book Literacy Award — October 2018

Catch Up & Read (Dallas), $1000
Team First Book Matagorda County, $500

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Appendix: — Conferences, Reports and Publications

E-Records Conference. Held November of each year in partnership with the Department of Information Resources, the extremely popular conference supports improved electronic records management in Texas government by bringing together staff responsible for and interested in records management and information technology.

Open Educational Resources Summit. Planned in the late summer and fall of 2018, the summit was held in San Antonio, Nov. 15-16. TSLAC partnered with the Texas Digital Library and the University of Texas San Antonio Libraies to discuss a possible statewide plan for OERs.

Library Services and Technology Act Five Year Plan for Texas, 2018 – 2022. This report lays out the state’s plan for using federal library funding from the Institute of Museum and Library Services to support educational initiatives.

Required Reports Prepared by State Agencies and Institutions of Higher Education (Fiscal Year 2019). This biennial report evaluates the usefulness of reports prepared and submitted by a state agency to other state agencies by law. Each biennium, the commission will recommend to the legislature the repeal or consolidation of statutory reporting requirements, striking a balance between reducing the volume of reports and protecting the public interest and ensuring government accountability.

HB 8. TSLAC working in partnership with the Department of Information Resources on the completion of a study and legislative report on statewide digital storage and electronic records issues.

Agency Blogs: The TSLAC team of information professionals maintains a series of blogs designed to provide the public and practitioners updated on the latest techniques, best practices, news, and research.

• Director’s Report: Insights and observations written by Mark Smith, Director and Librarian of the Texas State Library and Archives Commission.
   
• Conservation: Covers activities at TSLAC’s Summerlee Conservation Lab including treatment of book and paper items, conservation processes, and challenges within library and archives collections.
   
• Texas Talking Book Program: Book reviews and recommendations by staff.
   
• The Texas Record: Records retention, inventory, disposition, managing electronic records, and emergency planning.
   
• Library Developments: Library focused news and posts on available grants, webinars, professional development, TexShare/TexQuest consortium, and many other services for libraries.
   
• Texas Resource Sharing Project: Information and updates on statewide interlibrary loan and the TExpress courier program provides.

Various user group email distribution lists and newsletters continue to keep the agency’s diverse array of stakeholders informed about activities.

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Appendix — Partnerships

The Texas Historical Records Advisory Board (THRAB) working in collaboration with TSLAC announced recipients of the THRAB Archival Awards for 2017 and 2018:

• The Austin History Center and Susan Smith Dorsey of the Texas General Land Office were chosen to receive the 2017 Archival Awards of Excellence. According to State Archivist Jelain Chubb, Smith Dorsey was selected because of her many contributions in “digitizing, preserving and championing access to the records of the General Land Office, among them the creation of the Adopt-A-Map and Adopt-A-Document programs.”
   
• University of North Texas (UNT) Libraries was chosen to receive the 2018 Archival Award of Excellence for their NBC5/KXAS (WBAP) Television News Archive Project. The award was presented at the DFW Archives Bazaar at the Dallas Heritage Village on Oct. 14, 2018.

Authors Celebration: Working in collaboration with the Texas Book Festival and Writers’ League of Texas, TSLAC and TCFB brought together Texas authors in celebration of Texas storytelling. This kick-off event for TBF activities highlighted the work of authors using Texas historical records as the basis for their books.

Literacy on the Capitol Grounds: Continuing the annual tradition, the Commission once again participated in the Texas Book Festival, the event held on the grounds of the State Capitol.

Summer Lunch at the Library extends the US Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) to Texas libraries. Through a partnership between TSLAC and the Department of Agriculture, many Texas libraries provide nourishment to children, educate their minds, and support success in school and beyond.

School Library Standards: TSLAC partnered with the Texas Education Agency and the library community to release the Standards for School Libraries in February of 2018, an essential policy and planning framework to ensure that Texas school children benefit from world-class school library service.

TSLAC, along with 26 other Central Texas archival repositories, joined forces at the Austin Archives Bazaar on Oct. 28, 2018 to offer the local community an opportunity to discover the photographs, documents, films, maps, video games, and more held in the rich archival collections in Austin and Central Texas.

In October 2017 and October 2018, Texas joined archival repositories across the nation to celebrate Archives Month and promote the preservation of our country’s documentary heritage with outreach events, participation in social media initiatives and the release of a limited-edition poster.

ARIS works with the Legislative Reference Library to digitize pre-1972 bill files. The division also regularly works with the Bullock Texas State History Museum to loan the museum artifacts to exhibit.

Read Across Texas 2017: TSLAC partnered with public libraries, Texas Veterans Board and local veteran agencies to create conversations about the veteran experience.

Throughout the year, TSLAC staff participate in conferences and events statewide to offer information about state library, records management, archival, technology and reading services.

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Appendix — Exhibits, Educational Programs, Acquisitions

Exhibit: Setting Up Camp: The Early History of Texas State Parks / Oct. 2016 – Mar. 2017

 This tour of the early history of Texas state parks, first established by Governor Pat Neff in 1923, helped visitors gain a better understanding of the state’s natural resources though hand-drawn park blueprints, vintage tourism guides, period promotional photographs, and more compiled from the collection at the Texas State Archives.

Exhibit: Texans Take to the Trenches / April 2017 – Sept. 2017

The Texas State Library and Archives Commission marked the 100th Anniversary of the “Great War,” with its latest exhibit: “Texans Take to the Trenches.” The collection of photographs, documents, and dispatches commemorate the Texans who responded to Uncle Sam’s “I Want You” rally cry and showcases the individual experiences of Texans dealing with the war both at home and abroad.

Exhibit: Archives À la Carte / Feb. 2018 – Sept. 2018

Our history is revealed through the records we produce. Manuscripts, photographs, maps, government documents, artifacts, and sound and moving images tell us about our past. They also help us understand who we are today. TSLAC manages millions of these and other types of records. So, we decided to let our staff take you on a tour of our stacks by spotlighting some of their favorite things. Archivists and librarians selected items that offer a fascinating glimpse into our state’s past, and they share something about what makes those records unique and important.

Exhibit: Atascosito: The History of Southeast Texas (Sam Houston Center) / June 2018

Artifacts, images, historical documents, and interactive media in the exhibit tell the story of the region from prehistoric times through early settlement periods, the Republic through Civil War eras, industrialization, economic growth, and the modern age. The exhibit also features the bases of two Clovis points dating back to 11000 B.C.E.—the earliest recorded evidence of human life in the Atascosito region—on display for the first time ever.

Exhibit: Special Selections from the Stacks (Sam Houston Center) / June 2018

Current display items include a summer spread sewn by the wife of Sam Houston, Margaret Lea Houston, and correspondence between the couple. Also available for viewing is what is purported to be a diary (ca. 1850) written by French pirate Jean Lafitte.

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Appendix — Educational and Continuing Education Programming

Professional Development and Support for Librarians: Professional resources for continuing education and training are among the most valued services of the agency. The agency’s Library Development and Networking Division offers access to scores of webinars, tutorials, demonstrations, and in-person training opportunities every year.

Call-in Book Club Series for Talking Book Program Participants: Designed for TBP patrons, this easy to access program allows patrons to share their reading experiences with others across the state. This service allows individuals with visual or physical challenges who cannot read standard print to share the joy of reading.

Talking Book Program Training: With webinars and other online resources, the TBP offers specialized training to librarians and other stakeholders who serve TBP patrons as well as the patrons themselves who need extra assistance with the technology and resources associated with using the service.

Texas Summer Reading Club (2017, 2018); The longstanding program promotes reading to students over the summer months and has long been praised as an important resource for preventing the “summer slide” of reading skills. The campaign centers around a statewide membership for public libraries in the Collaborative Summer Library Program (CSLP). The Texas State Library and Archives Commission provides a basic starter kit of materials including a program manual, clip art, and a themed CSLP catalog to qualified participating public libraries.

Día de los niños/Día de los libros (2017, 2018) a national celebration of diversity and literature. TSLAC promotes Lone Star Día and works with libraries across the state to celebrate this event at the end of April each year.

State and Local Records Continuing Education and Training: SLRM provides foundational records management training to state agencies and local governments. Face-to-face and online sessions are designed to help agency heads, elected officials, records management officers and other staff establish and administer efficient records management programs.

Letters About Literature Contest: The agency’s Center for the Book launched a reading and writing contest for students. The program is under the direction of the Library of Congress and offers a channel for students to personalize their reading experience by writing to their favorite book’s author. State winners are selected who then compete at the national level.

 

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Appendix — About the Agency

Directors

Mark Smith, Director and Librarian

Gloria Meraz, Assistant State Librarian

Donna Osborne, Chief Operations and Fiscal Officer

Steve Rapp, Director, Information Technology Services

Jelain Chubb, Director, Archives and Information Services

Craig Kelso, Director, State and Local Records Management

Jennifer Peters, Director, Library Development and Networking

Ava Smith, Director, Talking Book Program

 

Agency Locations

Lorenzo de Zavala State Archives and Library Building

1201 Brazos Street, Austin, TX 78701

State Records Center

4400 Shoal Creek Blvd., Austin, TX 78756

Sam Houston Regional Library and Research Center

650 FM 1011, Liberty, TX 77575

 

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State Librarian E.W. Winkler writes in the First Biennial Report

The State Library is a place for information. It should have the information needed by the State officials to give to Texas the very best administration possible. It should have the information needed by the members of the legislature to give Texas the best laws that can be enacted. It should have the information needed by the historian to portray truthfully the history of...this State.

Organization Chart

Organization Chart Text:

The Governor of Texas is at the top of the TSLAC organizational chart. Reporting to the Governor is the Texas State Library and Archives Commission, which is a seven member commission appointed by the Governor. The Commission is advised by three advisory boards. Reporting directly to the Commission is the Director and Librarian Mark Smith (Direct reports: 7 FTE). The Executive Office staff reports to the Director and Librarian, as does the Assistant State Librarian Gloria Meraz (Direct reports: 4 FTE) and the Chief Operations and Fiscal Officer Donna Osborne (Direct reports: 8 FTE).

The next layer of the chart shows Administrative Services and Information Technology Services (Steve Rapp, Director. Direct reports: 9 FTE) reporting to the Chief Operations Officer.

The next layer of the chart shows four areas that report directly to the Director and Librarian: Archives and Information Services (Director, Jelain Chubb. Direct reports: 8 FTE), Library Development and Networking (Director, Jennifer Peters. Direct reports: 13 FTE), State and Local Records Management (Director, Craig Kelso. Direct reports: 4 FTE), and Talking Book Program (Director, Ava Smith. Direct reports: 17.5 FTE).

Executive Office: Key functions include providing statewide leadership for library archival, and records management programs and services in Texas, inspiring agency staff to achieve shared goals and objectives, managing day-to-day agency operations, and ensuring alignment of programs and services with statewide goals.

Administrative Services: Key functions include accounting and grants management, purchasing and procurement, support of the agency’s human resources, reproduction and mail services, facilities management, agency records management, and safety and risk management.

Information Technology Services: Key functions include technical support for all agency programs and services by procuring, installing, operating, and maintaining computer and telecommunications resources and working closely with the State Data Center to ensure optimal support for technology infrastructure.

Archives and Information Services: Key functions include securing and making accessible historical Texas documents in print and digital formats, providing library materials and information upon request, administering interlibrary loans, harvesting of state agency web sites, administering the state’s publications depository program, supporting researchers and historians, and promoting Texas history. The division also includes the Sam Houston Regional Library & Research Center located in Liberty, which holds archives for a 10-county area in southeast Texas.

Library Development and Networking: Key functions include promoting resource sharing among libraries of all types in Texas, managing the statewide TexShare and TexQuest consortia, administering statewide interlibrary loan, grant administration, providing continuing education and consulting for all types of libraries, collecting statistics, developing policies, standards, and long-range plans to achieve statewide library development goals and objectives.

State and Local Records Management: Key functions include providing guidance and training to state agency and local government staff on the effective and efficient management of government records, operating a storage facility for infrequently used non-current state and local records that have not come to the end of their retention periods, providing imaging services for state agencies and local governments. Records storage and imaging services are offered on a cost-recovery basis.

Talking Book Program: Key functions include providing reading materials in digital, Braille, and large-print format to Texans who are blind or who are physically disabled and cannot read standard print, managing a volunteer program that produces recorded books that are not available elsewhere; and assisting patrons to use the national Braille and Audio Reading Download site at the Library of Congress.

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