Fiscal Year 2020 Federal Library Funding

The Fiscal Year (FY) 2020 appropriations included a $10 million dollar increase for the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), including $6.2 million dollars for the Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA). That is the largest increase for the LSTA program in 12 years.

On February 10, the White House released the national budget proposal for fiscal year 2021, which, as expected, proposes (for the fourth consecutive time) eliminating the IMLS. The American Library Association released this statement about the White House's 2021 budget.

Our goal for this year is to get a record number of signatures on ALA’s “dear appropriator” letters in the House and Senate, both for LSTA and Innovative Approaches to Literacy (IAL) program.

Learn more about the #fundlibraries campaign.

2020 National Library Legislative Day 

More than 400 library advocates from across the country will travel to Washington, D.C. May 4 – 5 for the 45 ^th Annual National Library Legislative Day (NLLD). Attendees will experience a full day of advocacy training to learn and discuss the latest research and legislative priorities. The following day, hundreds of library workers, supporters, leaders, and patrons will take their passion, knowledge, and stories to Capitol Hill to meet with their congressional leaders and underscore the importance of increased public funding and strong policies that support libraries and information access. The registration deadline is March 31 and space is limited. We hope you’ll join the Texas delegation in DC!  Learn more and register .

Teach Me How to Texas

The Texas Tribune is offering a free five-week email course on Texas elections called Teach Me How to Texas. In the course, you’ll learn interesting facts about Texas’ past and culture, how different communities and regions in Texas vote, how candidates raise and spend money, how to spot a good poll from a bad one, and how to decode your November ballot. Subscribe here.

New Tejas Star and 2x2 Reading Lists Released

The 2020-2021 Tejas Star Reading List and the 2020 2x2 Reading List are here! The Tejas Star Reading List i s a carefully curated list of Spanish and bilingual titles. It is designed to encourage children ages 5 to 12 to explore multicultural books and to discover the cognitive and economic benefits of bilingualism and multilingualism. The 2x2 Reading List is comprised of the best of recent books for children age two to grade two.

Applications Open for Texas Book Festival Grants for Public Libraries

Each year, the Texas Book Festival awards grants to support collection enhancement for Texas public libraries. This funding enables libraries to share the diversity and breadth of literature with their entire communities. Funding comes from book sales at the Texas Book Festival and other generous donors. The 2020 application is now available, and the deadline is Monday, April 6.

Names in the News

Jack Alton Strawn, formerly of Sam Houston State University, and the TLA Librarian of the Year in 2007, passed away on Feb. 6, 2020.