Volume 42 No. 2 | February 2023 |
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Legislative update
The Senate Finance Committee held a hearing Monday, January 30 to consider the Texas State Library and Archives Commission budget request. TLA President-Elect Gretchen Pruett testified in support of the agency’s request. The Speaker of the House is expected to announce committee assignments in mid-February, then bills will be assigned to committees and we will start to see more hearings on bills impacting Texas libraries. A list of bills TLA is tracking can be found at txla.org/bill-tracking.
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TLA Elections
TLA Elections will open February 15. If you renewed your 2023 membership on or before January 31, you are eligible to vote and will be receiving email instructions regarding your ballot. Learn about TLA's Executive Board candidates here. Learn about Unit Officer candidates here. The candidates for President-Elect recorded their messages to TLA voters. View David Baca’s video and Elizabeth A.M. Howard’s video.
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TLA scholarships and award nominations due tomorrow, Friday Feb. 10
Last chance to apply for TLA awards and scholarships!
Nominations are due Friday for Librarian of the Year, Distinguished Service Award, Lifetime Achievement, Outstanding Services to Libraries, Wayne Williams Project of the Year, Libraries Change Communities Award and Benefactor Award. You can find the nomination form here.
TLA Scholarships support future librarians in their education. Several scholarships are available, the deadline is also Feb. 10. Learn more and apply here.
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TLA Learns: Online Self-Paced Learning now available!
We are excited to bring you this new, self-paced learning opportunity! TLA Learns: TLA Self-Paced Learning is a chance for you to earn CE credit from the comfort and convenience of your home or office. These on-demand learning sessions cover topics including management, user services, librarianship, literature, and technology. $19 per video or $49-$69 per bundle. Learn more and order your sessions here.
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TLA 2023 ANNUAL CONFERENCE NEWS |
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Gretchen Rubin of #thehappinessproject is the General Session I speaker
Gretchen Rubin is one of today’s most influential observers of happiness and human nature. She’s the author of many books, including the blockbuster New York Times bestsellers Outer Order, Inner Calm; The Four Tendencies; Better Than Before; and The Happiness Project. Her books have sold more than 3.5 million copies worldwide, in more than thirty languages. At #txla23 she'll discuss her new book, Life in Five Senses: How Exploring the Senses Got Me Out of My Head and Into the World. General Session I is Thursday, April 20, at 8:15 AM.
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March 31 is the deadline to purchase ticketed events!
From pre-conference events like Texas Bluebonnet Award Speed Dating; to ticketed social events like the Opening Awards and Author Session, the BCRT Author Session and the Texas Bluebonnet Award Author Session, you have until March 31 to purchase tickets. You can find the tickets in the member event registration area under Annual Conference. To add a ticketed event, if you have already registered for conference: log in, look under "your current registrations" and select TLA Annual Conference. Then select "edit registration/add ticket/pay" to add event tickets.
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Teacher Day at TLA: Sign up now
Up to 100 classroom teachers will have the opportunity to learn more about the value of teacher/librarian collaboration through specially designed activities, including conference sessions, guest speakers, and other engaging activities at this one-day special event during the TLA annual conference, Friday April 21. The goal of Teacher Day @ TLA is for classroom teachers, who experience this event and a TLA conference, to return to their districts as library advocates and collaborators. Keynote speaker is author Grace Lin, the bestselling author and illustrator of 30+ books, including A Big Mooncake for Little Star (a Caldecott Honor), A Big Bed for Little Snow, Where the Mountain Meets the Moon (a Newbery Honor), and many other books. Learn more and register.
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Learn about handling change and managing stress at the Leadership Symposium
Seeking some leadership learning at the Annual Conference? Consider attending the Leadership Symposium with Dr. Art Markman: "Handling Change & Managing Stress the Smart Way." In this two-hour ticketed program, learn how to be an effective change agent and how to manage workplace stress from Dr. Markman. He’s known for his radio show/podcast Two Guys on Your Head, and for his books, including Smart Change: Five Tools to Create New and Sustainable Habits in Yourself and Others. Sign up by March 31 to attend. Additional information can be found here.
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Applications open for TALL Texans 2023
We are now accepting applications for the 2023 TALL Texans Leadership Development Institute! This year we are using a new application system.
Watch this YouTube video to see how to apply using our new XCD application portal.
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Grants available for Texas public libraries
Public libraries across Texas can now apply for a 2023 grant to help expand their library collections and share the diversity and breadth of literature with their communities. These Texas Book Festival Collections Enhancement Grants are made possible by funds raised at the annual Festival and through TBF's generous donors. Since 1996, the organization has funded 1,169 grants totaling over $3 million to 600+ libraries in every corner of the state. Deadline is April 26. Apply today.
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Calling All Texas Public Libraries: Take the 2023 TSLAC Public Library Speed Test!
During February 2023, the Texas State Library and Archives Commission is collecting data about Internet speeds from all Texas public libraries (both mains and branches) with an online speed test. The test measures how much Internet speed (how fast things load from the Internet) patrons can receive from their library location and automatically sends the results to us at the State Library. Please use the link from the email sent to public libraries and conduct your test at the library location(s) by Tuesday, February 28. The title of the email is "Record Your Library's Internet Speed to Help Texas Public Libraries." If you did not receive the invitation on February 6, please contact TSLAC Broadband Technology Consultant Henry Stokes at hstokes@tsl.texas.gov, 512-463-6624, or Library Development and Networking at ld@tsl.texas.gov, 512-463-5465.
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Texas Bluebonnet Award Voting Deadline Feb. 10
Voting for the Texas Bluebonnet Award is rapidly coming to a close! If you have not registered your school yet, you can register here. Here is the current list and a guide to voting. Voting closes this Friday, February 10 at midnight.
Branding Iron Award Deadline February 15
TLA’s Branding Iron Awards honor the inspiring and creative marketing efforts of all types of libraries with awards presented in several categories, and one overall Best of Show winner. Share your best work with us!
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Sam Whitten Intellectual Freedom Award; Jack Alton Strawn Standing TALL Award
Nominations are open for the Sam Whitten Intellectual Freedom Award, which recognizes an individual or organization in the library community who actively promotes intellectual freedom in Texas. Nominations must be submitted by February 28.
The Jack Alton Strawn Standing TALL Award recognizes outstanding leadership demonstrated by a librarian who is an active or retired member of the Texas Library Association. Nominees do not have to be a graduate of the TALL Texans program. Nominations must be submitted by February 17.
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UPCOMING EVENTS
TLA Talks: Uniting All Makerspace Patrons through Accessible Practices
Tuesday Feb. 28, 3:30 – 4:30pm (Central). Cost: Free for TLA members; $25 for nonmembers
What makes a library makerspace accessible? This session presents the findings learned from public library makerspace patrons with disabilities and the librarians who serve them. Barriers that participants identified will be described, along with ideas for creating more inclusive and welcoming spaces. Our featured speaker is Dr. Amelia Anderson, Old Dominion University. Dr. Anderson teaches at the graduate level for ODU’s Masters in Library and Information Studies program and does research at the intersection of neurodiversity and libraries/information professions. Register.
TLA Legislative Update Webinars
February 21, 7:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Members of the TLA Legislative Committee and staff will provide an update on the 88th Legislative Session and bills impacting libraries. Free, open to TLA members only. Register.
February 23, 11:30am - 12:30pm
Members of the TLA Legislative Committee and staff will provide an update on the 88th Legislative Session and bills impacting libraries. Free, open to TLA members only. Register.
This is a repeat of the Tuesday, February 21 update.
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Names in the News
Mary D. Lankford passed away on February 6. She was the director of library services for the Texas Education Agency and received many awards, among them the Texas Library Association Distinguished Service Award. She was president of the Texas Library Association from 1975 to 1976 and chair of the Texas Association of School Librarians from 1973 to 1974.
Dr. Julie Todaro, Dean of Library Services at Austin Community College, retired after 40 years of service. She served as president of the American Library Association from 2016–2017. She previously served as president of the Association of College and Research Libraries from 2007–2008 and was TLA President from 2000–2001.
Rio Grande City Public Library was chosen to participate in the three-year Connected Lib project; and will be participating in Connected Lib Fest. Norma Fultz, director of Rio Grande City PL, and Janice Cantu, youth coordinator, were selected to participate. ConnectedLib is an Institute of Museum and Library Services-funded initiative tailored to meet the needs of rural and small library staff to serve their community’s teens successfully. The main goal of this project is to provide continuing education opportunities to library staff in rural and small libraries on how to embed CL principles into teen programs and services by scaling the ConnectedLib Toolkit.
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