Volume 19, Number
2-February 2000
Published by the Texas
Library Association
Volume 19, Number 2-February 2000
Published by the Texas Library Association
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Houston 2000 is an event you simply can't afford to miss. Set in the biggest city in Texas, this the biggest state library conference offers a dazzling array of programs, authors, social events, industry products and services, and networking opportunities. Juan Williams, Marian Wright Edelman, Carmen Tafolla, Daniel Quinn, Laura Gasaway, Georgia Harper, Sarah Long, and First Lady of Texas Laura Bush are some of the speakers who will discuss library issues, services, and goals.
With over 250 scheduled programs, workshops, and events, TLA 2000 offers something for librarians in all types of libraries and for library supporters from all across the state. This year's conference features a first-ever Community Library Festival, bringing the library
community together with the public in a celebration of reading and libraries.Many authors and publishers attending this year's conference will be scattered among the tables as the popular Evening with the Authors dinner and literary event returns this year. Among those reading from their works will be David L. Lindsey author of nine novels including An Absence of Light, Mercy, and Requiem for a Glass Heart who earned accolades from the Houston Chronicle for moving "...into the top rank of international thrill writers, alongside such giants as John Le Carré;" Mary Willis Walker, who has won critical acclaim and many awards with works including Zero at the Bone, Red Scream, and Under the Beetle's Cellar; and Lionel G. Garcia (To a Widow with Children), a native of San Diego, Texas, who writes award-winning stories set in the isolated brush country of South Texas.
Be a part of the excitement, learning, and fun this year. Invest in your professional future and the future of libraries in our state. TLA Annual Conference 2000 is waiting for you!
By now you should have received your Conference Preliminary Program containing pre-registration and housing information. This year, TLA has included a sessions preference form. Please take the time to fill out this form. The information you provide will help us insure that each meeting accommodates everyone interested in attending.
By filling out the form, you do not lock yourself into attending any given meetings. The information simply helps the TLA office better coordinate seating and meeting room requirements.
TLA's Placement Center at conference offers TLA members the opportunity to connect with others interested in library employment. If you are interested in submitting a job listing or in registering your interest in library positions, complete the application forms that are included in the Conference Preliminary Program. There is no fee to use the Placement Center, but all Placement Center users must be registered attendees of the conference. Any conference attendee may register as either an employer or job seeker, and employers wishing to interview at the conference may reserve a booth in the Placement Center. John Lehner, director of library human services at the University of Houston libraries, will provide resumè critiquing services during scheduled Placement Center hours. See the TLA website for additional information.
Grants for School Library Materials
For the first time in their history, school libraries in Texas are eligible to receive state money to purchase library materials. The funds are included in the Texas Education Agency's budget in the form of a matching grant of up to 25 cents for the first dollar spent per pupil (or 25% of expenditures if less than one dollar per pupil) for school library materials.
Sponsored by Representative Henry Cuellar, the legislation is intended to help school libraries work towards meeting library standards and to provide them with the means to enhance collections at individual campuses. The total amount of the rider is set at $925,000 for each year in the biennium. This figure is based on an assumption that every district will spend at least a dollar for library materials per student and that every district will apply for the grant.
It is essential that librarians at every school library complete the grant application. Any portion of the fund that is not allocated by the deadline must be returned to the state. TEA has sent letters to all superintendents informing them of grant and application procedure. TEA has also developed an interactive web site that allows districts to complete the application online by answering only four questions about library resources. To complete the application, librarians will need the User ID and password that were included in the letter.
To apply, schools do not need to wait until they have spent all funds budgeted for library resources this year. As soon as school libraries have spent (i.e., paid out) $1.00 per pupil, they are eligible. The application is very simple and automatically computes the dollar amount libraries will receive. The grant opportunity provides librarians a context through which they can discuss district library needs and recommendations for library programs with district administrators.
This program signifies a major step in establishing legislative support for school libraries. While the grant amounts will depend on the number of students in a given district, the funds are a vital beginning. As the library community continues to marshal support for additional funding, the matching grant program gives school libraries the opportunity to show legislators the benefits of investing in library materials. For additional information on the grants, visit http://www.tea.state.tx.us/technology/libraries .
Study Correlates Libraries and Learning
"Information Empowered: The School Librarian as an Agent of Academic Achievement in Alaska Schools" confirms what previous studies have shown: test scores are higher where there are librarians. The presence of school librarians results in longer library media center hours of operation, higher usage, and increased library instruction.
The study was conducted by Keith Curry Lance of the Colorado Research Service in cooperation with the Alaska State Library and the Institute for Social and Economic Research. Building on earlier research of Colorado libraries, the Alaska study breaks new ground by examining specific staff activities and their relationship with student achievement. Some of the areas Lance assesses include level of librarian staffing, hours of operation, staff activities (e.g., collaboration with instructors, delivery of library and information literacy instruction), library usage, cooperation with the local public library, and collection development.
To purchase a copy of the study, contact the Alaska State Library, Attn: Lois A. Petersen, 344 W. 3rd Ave., Suite 125, Anchorage, AK 99501. A $10 fee applies to cover printing and shipping costs. To borrow a copy (there is currently a waiting list), contact Anne Ramos at the Texas State Library: anne.ramos@tsl.state.tx.us
TLA's "Read For Your Life" media campaign is on the move literally! King size bus signage featuring some of TLA's celebrity posters will debut in February. TLA has contracted with bus companies in San Antonio and Austin to showcase the campaign beginning in February and running through National Library Week in April. The ads feature images of Tish Hinojosa and Chuck Norris with the caption "Follow Me To The Library."
This latest round of ads builds on productions that included television and radio public service announcements last year. TLA's Public Relations Committee is continuing the momentum by running cinema advertising in Houston, preparing newspaper ads that communities throughout the state can use in local advertising, and selling mouse pads with TLA's celebrity theme. The committee is beginning plans for a new public service announcement and a series of promotional tools that all types of libraries can integrate into their activities. Stay tuned for more information and don't miss the bus!
The library workplace is a complex arena where professionals and the public they serve interact in a variety of ways. For the most part, this interaction runs smoothly with routine difficulties being solved in the course of a normal day. Occasionally, however, difficulties persist and evolve into legal matters. Lawsuits by library users who receive erroneous information, litigation involving intellectual freedom issues, and suits over physical safety or injury are a few examples of workplace scenarios that have escalated.
In recent months the TLA staff has fielded many questions from librarians regarding their options in situations such as these. Much of the concern is over personal liability and the costs of legal representation. Increasingly, librarians are joining the ranks of other professionals who must guard against workplace liability.
Librarians also face situations of wrongful termination, actions involving tenure, and the revocation of certification and other professional rights. The majority of legal actions in the library workplace revolve around personnel matters, and contention over the denial of pay raises or advancement and sexual harassment are becoming topics of recurrent dread for library administrators and staff alike.
While options for these types of problems have been somewhat limited, professional liability insurance for librarians offers a solid measure of security. TLA's professional liability insurance covers a wide variety of workplace situations whether one is a staff librarian or library administrator.
Over the last few years the number of librarians electing to have insurance
has steadily increased as growing complexity in the library workplace leaves librarians wondering how to deal with potential turmoil. While no single safeguard exists, professional liability insurance has already offered invaluable protection for many librarians in Texas.For information on TLA's plan visit http://www.txla.org/html/insurance .html or call the TLA office.
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Chili Cook-Off Warms Yankee Hearts The TLA-ALA sponsored Chili Cook-Off fundraiser drew a huge crowd of ALA Midwinter attendees and dished out over $4000 to TLA's and ALA's Spectrum Scholarships. More than 20 participants from all over the country stewed, simmered, spiced, sautéed, and stirred their way to chili nirvana. From hot Texas spices to New England maple syrup, from Mexican flavors to Boston recipes, the chili mixtures offered a delicious albeit messy variety of tastes and textures. The playing field included such winning names as Lizard Lips Chili (whose creator Steve Brown wound up shedding his specially designed T-shirt in an impromptu auction), Y2K Surplus Chili, Long Suffering Husband Chili (an entry from the TLA executive director's husband, David Smith), and Rhode Island Red Hot ChiliIt's Not For Chickens. The top prize went to Sheila Itner and Em Claire Knowles from the library science program at Simmons University in Boston who were awarded two round trip tickets on United Airlines. William Gordon, ALA executive director, came in second in the tally. The winner was selected by
the LBJ voting method: vote early and vote often. For every purchase of
four chili tickets, attendees were able to cast a vote. ALA president
Sarah Long, TLA president Gleniece A. Robinson, and TLA president-elect
Julie Todaro were on hand to present awards and thank all the entrants.
Although the Bostonians won by a large majority and the Texans started
talking rematch, everyone agreed that anyone who travels one thousand
miles with gallons of chili certainly deserves Special thanks to Nancy Gandara, Craig Zapatos, Ana Hartnett, Sonia Isaac, Rhonda Davila, and Matt DeWalsche for their help in sponsoring the chili cook-off at the San Antonio Public Library. Other TLA volunteers were Mary and Charles McAfee, Richard and June Berry, Judie Lutz, Irene Hoadley, Carol and Kenneth Bartz, Linda Garrett, Gay Patrick, Danita Barber-Owusu, Liz Haynes, June Koelker, Sue Compton, Jo Ann Rogers, Jana Knezek, Cathy Hartman, Amy Shaffer, Carolyn Reynolds, Cathy Campbell, Velvet New, Patricia Smith, Mary Ann Emerson, and Mendell Morgan. In addition to entries from Steve Brown and David Smith, other Texas entrants were Ruth Semrau and Scherel Carver, Cindy Boyle, Gloria Meraz, Robert Martin, James Stewart, Ana Hartnett, and library school students from The University of Texas at Austin Graduate School of Library and Information Science. |
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With funds donated to TLA from the estate of Leon Sherrill, TLA was able to double its space at its headquarters on Bee Cave Road in Austin. An avid library user and reader, Mr. Sherrill left his estate to the Texas Library Association upon his death in 1997. The TLA Executive Board authorized that the Sherrill funds be used to purchase and remodel the upstairs facility, including a conference area for use by members.
In December 1999 the last phase of the remodeling project was completed with the construction of an elevator to connect the two floors. A meeting room on the second floor is now available for use by all TLA units and members. In the near future, the meeting room will be equipped with video conferencing equipment to facilitate training activities and remote meetings.
In addition, the Sherrill Fund underwrites TLA's Spectrum Scholarship program to recruit minority students to library schools and to the profession. The Association has already awarded nine scholarships over the past two years and will continue funding this important program.
And now we are nine!
Bulverde, Canyon Lake, and Forest Hills recently joined the distinguished list of public library districts in the state. As a result of the library district law, local voters can add up to a half-cent to the local sales tax to fund local public library service. This process involves the creation of library districts and the concurrent approval for a sales and use tax increase. The other library districts in the state include Westbank, Salado, Benbrook, Wimberley, Dripping Springs, and Wells Branch.
To learn more about establishing library districts and to participate in a discussion group on the topic during annual conference, please contact Beth Wheeler Fox (beth@westbank.lib.tx.us).
A Library for Terlingua
The Big Bend Education Corporation announced its intent to help build the first high school/community library in the isolated Terlingua Common School District. The proposed library on the campus of Big Bend High School will offer Internet access to the rural community. School board members and library advocates see the library as the prime connection to information resources that presently are at least 80 miles away in Alpine, Texas.
The district does not have a sufficient tax base to float a bond issue and does not qualify for much if any of the funding provided through state and federal sources. The community has set a goal of $690,000 and is relying on private donations and grant money. The BBEC, which headed the campaign to fund and build Big Bend High School, will lead the effort.
Libraries Crossing Borders
El Paso Public Library (EPPL) has been named as a participant in "Sister Libraries: A White House Millennium Council Project" by the United States National Commission on Libraries and Information Science (NCLIS). EPPL is one of 47 participating libraries in 24 states that were announced as members of the project on November 15, 1999. "Sister Libraries" is a major initiative of NCLIS and Sister Cities International. The goal of the project is to pair public and school libraries in the US with other libraries worldwide. Initially, the project will focus on programs involving children and teenage populations.
Working with the Border Regional Library Association (BRLA), EPPL will develop school libraries in Juarez, Mexico, as part of its Sister Library Project. Already, staff members from both Juarez PL and EPPL have begun an exchange program and continue developing training opportunities. Dr. Patricia Phillips, university librarian at the University of Texas, El Paso, chairs the project in El Paso. Marta Castro, special collections librarian at the Universidad Autonoma de Cuidad Juarez and BRLA president, conceived the idea and continues to guide the effort.
Wells Branch Receives Grant
Wells Branch Community Library announced a $12,000 cash and equipment grant from Compaq Computer Corporation. The equipment portion of the grant will allow the library to substantially improve library services and offer patrons access to technology. The cash contribution will be used toward the acquisition of additional fiction and reference materials for the library's permanent collection.
Meeting on December 3-4, 1999, in Austin at the TLA Office, the TLA Executive Board reviewed a report submitted by the 1998-99 Nominating Committee chaired by Paul Dumont. In discussing organization-wide elections procedures, the Board first reaffirmed the importance and benefit of a contested slate as is now the practice. They also affirmed the current policy that candidates have the right but not an obligation to campaign. Candidates wishing to purchase mailing labels of TLA members may do so from the TLA Office at the nonprofit rate, and the TLA districts will be asked to publicize the candidates at their fall meetings.
The TLA executive director will create a procedures manual for use by candidates and for reference by all members on TLA's website. TLA staff will continue to print and mail the election brochure using camera-ready copy provided by the Nominating Committee and will distribute the ballots in the election brochure to eligible members those who are members as of February 1. Ballots will be mailed to an outside auditing firm to be counted and the results reported to the TLA President. After all candidates have been notified of the election results, members may call the TLA office for the voting report.
In other actions, the Executive Board:
Fourth Annual Texas Book Festival
First Lady of Texas Laura Bush announced that the 1999 Texas Book Festival, held November 6-7, 1999, raised a record $300,000 for public libraries. The proceeds are to be used for grants to fund the purchase of library materials. Mrs. Bush will recognize this year's award winners at TLA's annual conference in April. As in previous years, the fund will reach Texas public libraries in the form of competitive grant awards of up to $2,500 from the Texas Library Association. With the proceeds from this year, the Texas Book Festival has generated almost $900,000 for Texas public libraries.
The 1999 Texas Book Festival hosted readings and panel discussions by 137 authors at the State Capitol in Austin. Pulitzer Prize-winning and Academy Award-winning writer Horton Foote from Wharton, Texas, was honored with the annual Texas Book Festival Bookend Award for lifetime achievement in literature for his body of work that includes the screenplays To Kill A Mockingbird and Tender Mercies. Fundraising activities included a tasting event with food prepared by cookbook authors, an authors party and swing dance, a silent auction, and the First Edition Literary Gala with author Larry L. King as emcee. Featured speakers at the gala included Roy Blount, Jr. (Be Sweet), Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni (Sister of My Heart), and Peter Matthiessen (The Tiger in the Snow and Bone by Bone). Guests were treated to a surprise reading by Texas Governor George W. Bush from his memoir Taking Charge.
This year Texans can also benefit from a donation of 170 titles by 1999 Texas Book Festival authors. The collection of books includes works of fiction, biographies, Hispanic books, children's books, poetry, and others. Many of the books are signed by their authors, such as Octavia Butler, Edward James Olmos, Keith Graves, Kathleen Pierce, and Scott Turow. This gift from the Texas Book Festival represents another step in supporting the reading needs of Texans. The Texas Book Festival books can be checked out from the Reference/Documents Collection at the Texas State Library and Archives Commission.
New Award and Grant Opportunities
Tocker Conference Stipends
The Tocker Foundation has provided funds to the Texas Library Association to award a stipend to one person from each of the 10 Texas library systems to attend TLA 2000 in Houston. Persons from libraries that serve a population of 12,000 or fewer qualify to apply for this grant. Staff directly involved in the day to day operation of the library are the primary focus of this grant. Each stipend will be for $2,000 and can be used for travel, conference registration, hotel, and meals. Some funds may also be used to pay for a person to run the library while the recipient is at Conference. For an application and guidelines, contact your system coordinators. The application deadline is 5 p.m. on Thursday, February 24, 2000.
Grant Recognizes Contribution to Young Adults
Millbrook Press has announced a new grant of $10,000 to be awarded annually to a school or public library that has made a major contribution to young people through the utilization of the library facility and collection. The grant is to be used for any type of program designed to continue, expand, or enhance the library's community program. Applications and additional information are available at http://www.millbrookpres.com/GrantApplication.htm. The deadline for applications is April 30, 2000, and the winner(s) will be announced in July 2000.
Award for Services to Students
The Gale Group and School Library Journal officially launched the Giant Step Award, the largest single award ever developed for libraries that serve young people. The annual award, which carries a $10,000 prize, honors the school library or public library working in partnership with schools that has made the most dramatic improvement in service to students. "We're looking for libraries that may have been under performers in the past, but recreated themselves," said Renee Olson, editor of School Library Journal. "We're looking for libraries that have become vital community assets, distinguished by exemplary services to young people."
The nominating season for the 2000 award will open on February 1, with guidelines available at http://www.slj.com. Nominations are due by May 31. The inaugural winner will be announced in September 2000 when Gale and School Library Journal host a celebration in the winner's hometown.
New NEH Grants Available
The National Endowment for the Humanities is pleased to announce a special initiative to strengthen the role of the humanities in communities across America. "Extending the Reach" is a new program to provide resources for humanities programming, education, and preservation efforts in institutions including libraries, archives, and historical organizations in parts of the country that have not participated as fully as others in the Endowment's grant programs. "Extending the Reach" funds will also enhance work in the humanities at historically black, Hispanic-serving, and tribal colleges and universities. Grant awards up to $25,000 are available. For more information, see http://www.neh.gov.
Texas Bluebonnet Award Coordinator's Position Available
The position of Texas Bluebonnet Award (TBA) Coordinator is available in April, 2001, when the term of the current coordinator Annette Nall expires. Applications for this position are now being sought.
The TBA Coordinator is appointed to a three-year term by the TLA Executive Board. He/she will be selected from a list submitted jointly by the executive boards of TASL and CRT. For the period of April 2000 to April 2001, the new appointee will serve as an ex officio non-voting member of the TBA committee in an "Intern Coordinator" capacity. The TBA Coordinator must be a current member of TASL or CRT; have experience in TLA; have written approval of his/her immediate supervisor; and cannot be under contract or employed by a publishing company in any capacity that might interfere with the integrity of the committee's work.
Responsibilities of the coordinator include the following:
Candidates interested in applying for this position should contact the TLA office for an application packet. Applications must be submitted to the TLA executive director by March 31, 2000. Interviews will be conducted at the 2000 TLA annual conference in Houston. The coordinator receives a $4,000 annual stipend.
- Avi. Perloo the Bold. Scholastic, 1998.
- Blackwood, Gary L. The Shakespeare Stealer. Dutton, 1998.
- Flake, Sharon G. The Skin I'm In. Hyperion, 1998.
- Fletcher, Susan. Shadow Spinner. Atheneum, 1998.
- Gantos, Jack. Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key. Farrar Straus Giroux, 1998.
- Haddix, Margaret Peterson. Among the Hidden. Simon & Schuster, 1998.
- Hesser, Terry Spencer. Kissing Doorknobs. Delacorte Press, 1998.
- Hobbs, Will. The Maze. Morrow Junior, 1998.
- Ingold, Jeanette. Pictures, 1918. Harcourt Brace, 1998.
- Lawrence, Iain. The Wreckers. Delacorte Press, 1998.
- Myers, Walter Dean. At Her Majesty's Request: An African Princess in Victorian England. Scholastic, 1999. (Listed in BIP as African Princess; The Life of Sarah Bonetta Forbes.)
- Rowling, J. K. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. Arthur A. Levine Books, 1998.
- Shusterman, Neal. Downsiders: A Novel. Simon & Schuster, 1999.
- Springer, Nancy. I Am Mordred: A Tale from Camelot. Philomel Books 1998.
- Sykes, Shelley. For Mike. Delacorte Press, 1998.
- Vande Velde, Vivian. Never Trust A Dead Man. Harcourt Brace, 1999.
- Wilbur, Frances. The Dog With Golden Eyes. Milkweed Editions, 1998.
- Williams, Carol Lynch. My Angelica. Delacorte Press, 1999.
- Woodson, Jacqueline. If You Come Softly. Putnam Pub. Group Juv., 1998.
- Yolen, Jane and Bruce Coville. Armageddon Summer. Harcourt Brace, 1998. \
If you joined TLA or renewed your membership for the year 2000 by February 1, you are being given an opportunity to vote for four members of the TLA Executive Board and for a change in the TLA Bylaws to permit full TLA membership to individuals living outside of Texas who have an interest in Texas libraries and pay full membership dues. Eligible members will receive the ballot and election brochure detailing information about each candidate along with this issue of the newsletter.
TLA Executive Board Candidates are:
President-Elect:
Judie Lutz
Herman L. TottenALA Councilor:
Jeanne Franco Martinez
Deinna Mims-JohnsonRepresentative-at-Large (Academic):
Dolores G. Owens
Jill ZimmermanRepresentative-at-Large (Public):
Meller Langford Allen
Catherine H. ThreadgillThe elected candidates will serve three-year terms, filling the vacancies left by retiring Board members JoAnne Moore, June Berry, Eva Poole, and Martha Holguin. This slate was presented by the following members of the nominating committee: Chair Kay Schlueter, Mary McAfee, Lucile Dade, Caesar Caballero, and Cindy Walters Buchanan.
Bylaws Issue
For the past couple of years, the TLA Executive Board and the TLA Council have been considering changes to the TLA Bylaws that would permit a person living outside of Texas to hold office in TLA. In accordance with TLA Bylaws and Standing Rules, two TLA members have been asked to provide statements for and against this proposed change. Nancy Cunningham of the Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi and Steve Brown of the North Richland Hills Public Library present the competing positions.
Statements regarding the complete removal of all Texas residency requirements in the bylaws regarding participation in the Texas Library Association at the level
of officer, council member, or any other committee, roundtable, or special interest group position.
PRO: Nancy Cunningham
TLA is a vibrant, strong, and internationally recognized state library organization. In order to grow and fulfill its objectives, it must work to be more inclusive and eliminate restrictions that exclude members from fully participating in the association's activities.
Residency requirements discriminate, create a two-tiered system of membership, and discourage potentially valuable contributions from members who do not live or work within the state borders. In addition, there is the added burden of policing a requirement that is currently unclear. Does the location of your library or where you live determine residency? In the past, elected officers and chairs have had to step down because their new job required them to move to a border state. This has created a hardship on the committees who suffer the loss of potential leaders and have to work to replace them.
While the residency requirement might have served TLA in the past, it now serves as an arbitrary obstacle that prevents enthusiastic and hard working members who may live in Louisiana, New Mexico or even Mexico, from fully participating as chairs or council members. If a member shows the energy and commitment to Texas libraries by willingness to serve as a chair or council member, can TLA afford to deny that member and their future contributions?
Elimination of the residency requirement does not change the objectives of the organization, but only further empowers all its members to realize them.
CON: Steve Brown
TLA is already in many ways a regional library association, but it is first and foremost the library association for Texas. In removing all resident requirements for service, this proposal goes too far.
The potential for having our state association represented by a president who accepts new employment and moves away concerns me. I don't mean someone working in a Texas library and living across the border in Texarkana or Nuevo Laredo. I support changes that would permit someone who either lives or works in the state to hold any office.
The situation changes if an officer moves across the country. Is this a real possibility? It happened in 1972 before the current bylaw restriction was put in place, when Ed Holley left the state while President. And in recent years a majority of our elected Presidents have changed jobs between their election and the conclusion of their term as president by my count 6 of the last ten.
Consider what might happen when a newly nonresident President is called on to represent TLA before the Legislature or the press, an encounter that could expose our association to ridicule.
Nonresident Executive Board members would impose additional costs on the association for travel and communications. They would be unavailable when needed for a quick visit to Austin. Most importantly they would be out of touch with other members of the Association they represent.
Though I could happily support a less sweeping change, I must oppose this proposed bylaws amendment. Vote NO.
Deaths
TLA recently received word of the death of long-time member Louie Reifel of Houston.
TLA
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