I. State Library Sunset Hearing Next Week

II. State Library Revises Budget

 

I. State Library Sunset Hearing Next Week

The Texas Sunset Commission will meet next week to hear testimony regarding several agencies, including the Texas State Library and Archives Commission. The hearing dates are November 14 and 15. The State Library is one of eight agencies that will be reviewed during two days of hearings.

The Sunset Commission will meet in the John H. Reagan Building, which is located at 105 West 15th Street, at 9 am in room 120. Members of the public are encouraged to attend and give testimony.

The Sunset Commission will not make a final decision about the agency until early December. In addition to attending the hearing, library supporters can also communicate with the Sunset Commission by contacting their offices. (The Sunset Commission members are listed below the Sunset staff recommendations.)

Sunset Staff Recommendations

As reported in Texline 209, the Sunset Staff made the following recommendations:

Issue 1: Texas Has a Continuing Need for the Texas State Library and Archives Commission.

Key Recommendation

• Continue the Texas State Library and Archives Commission for 12 years.

Issue 2: The Structure for Funding Regional Library Systems Fails to Provide Flexibility to Meet Changing Conditions or Encourage Innovation.

Key Recommendations

• Remove the system funding formula from statute and require the Commission to adopt a new formula in rule that provides flexibility but continues to ensure funding for basic system support services.

• Require TSLAC to distribute a portion of system funds in competitive grants aimed at increasing innovation and targeting state and federal goals.

• TSLAC should use its Library Systems Act Advisory Board in the development of a new system formula.

Issue 3: State Certification of County Librarians Is Not Needed to Ensure Public Access to Quality Library Services.

Key Recommendation

• Eliminate TSLAC’s certification of county librarians.

Issue 4: Lack of Statutory Direction Could Threaten the Success of Efforts to Provide Online Access to Texas’ Historic Documents.

Key Recommendation

• Authorize TSLAC to promote, and provide leadership to, collaboration between a wide range of Texas institutions to develop an online tool for searching digitized cultural resources.

The full report may be accessed at: http://www.sunset.state.tx.us/80.htm#lac. Click on “Staff Report” under the State Library.

Sunset Commission Members:

The Honorable Kim Brimer, Chair
Texas Senate, P.O. Box 12068, Room E1.810, Capitol Station, Austin, Texas 78711; (512) 463-0110 Fax; (512) 475-3745

The Honorable Bob Deuell
Texas Senate, P.O. Box 12068, Capitol Station, Austin, Texas 78711; (512) 463-0102; (512) 463-7202 fax

The Honorable Craig Estes
Texas Senate, P.O. Box 12068, Capitol Station, Austin, Texas 78711; (512) 463-0130; (512) 463-8874 Fax

The Honorable Eliot Shapleigh
Texas Senate, P.O. Box 12068, Capitol Station, Austin, Texas 78711; (512) 463-0129

The Honorable John Whitmire
Texas Senate, P.O. Box 12068, Capitol Station, Austin, Texas 78711; (512) 463-0115

Mr. Howard Wolf (Public Member)
600 Congress Avenue, Suite 2400, Austin, TX 78701; (512) 536-5366

The Honorable Vicki Truitt (Vice Chair)
Texas House of Representatives, Room EXT E2.502, P.O. Box 2910, Austin, TX 78768; (512) 463-0690; (512) 477-5770 Fax

The Honorable Byron Cook
Texas House of Representatives, Room EXT E1.322, P.O. Box 2910, Austin, TX 78768; (512) 463-0730 ; (512) 463-2506 Fax

The Honorable Dan Flynn
Texas House of Representatives, Room EXT E1.324, P.O. Box 2910, Austin, TX 78768; (512) 463-0880 (512) 463-2188 Fax

The Honorable Lois Kolkhorst
Texas House of Representatives, Room EXT E1.510, P.O. Box 2910, Austin, TX 78768; (512) 463-0600; (512) 463-5240 Fax

The Honorable Ruth McClendon
Texas House of Representatives, Room EXT E1.304, P.O. Box 2910, Austin, TX 78768; (512) 463-0708; (512) 463-7071 Fax

II. State Library Revises Budget

During the October 27th State Library Commission meeting, state librarian Peggy Rudd announced that she was revising the agency’s Legislative Appropriations Request (LAR) for 2008-2009, which had been approved by the Commission on August 4, 2006.  The changes were limited to “in-strategy” funding, meaning that the revisions did not change the total dollars finalized in the Legislative Appropriations Request (LAR). “In-strategy” funding refers to budget allocates designated for particular programs within a broader sphere of funding priorities, or strategies. The library development strategy, for example, includes funding for the Library Systems program and direct aid to libraries. Most of the changes were made in the area of library development.

Agency staff and commissioners noted the broad and extensive communications they had received stating concern over several aspects of the budget, in particular, the cuts to the Library Systems program.  The agency now proposes to fund both the Systems and TANG grants at $6.0 million in 2008 (as opposed to the $4.675 detailed in the LAR) and $5.25 million in 2009 (as opposed to the $3.9 million detailed in the LAR). The agency has postponed the reinstatement of two grant programs until 2009 and is allocating a smaller budget to those competitive grants in order to offset some of the cuts made to the Library Systems program.