Volume 16, Number 2
April 1997
In this issue:
The Legislature at Mid-Session: An Assessment
As the 75th Legislature approaches the midpoint of the 140-day session, the Texas Library Association can evaluate the status of its legislative agenda.
As for all other groups, library appropriations are on hold pending the outcome of attempts to provide local property tax relief. Until these matters are resolved, we will not know the outcome of the following budget requests:
Texas State Library and Archives Commission
The Legislative Budget Board recommended significant cuts in the legislative
appropriations request of the Texas State Library. While the House Committee
on Appropriations put three items (school library consultants, archives appraisal
positions, and repairs to the Sam Houston building in Liberty) on a wish
list pending approval, many other proposals may be off the table, including
security at the Lorenzo de Zavala building, digital records and preservation
consultants, and staff to carry out such Library Development programs as
statewide reference back-up and a reciprocal borrowing card.
Texas Education Agency
The good news is that the LBB recommended continued funding for the Texas
Library Connection, but school librarians will be on the edge of their seats
pending the passage of a rider by
Rep. Henry
Cuellar (Laredo) that would appropriate one dollar per student per year
of the biennium (about $7.4 million) for school library materials. Another
rider, by Cuellar and
Sherri
Greenberg (Austin) would appropriate $70 million in competitive grants
for resources to support Gov. Bush’s Reading Initiative.
Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board
TexShare, the academic library resource sharing project, is funded in the
THECB at the current level of
approximately half a million dollars per year.
Resource Sharing
HB 2721 by Hunter, would move
TexShare to the State Library, and
Rep. Robert
Junell has directed the State
Library to seek increased TexShare funding from the
Telecommunications Infrastructure
Fund.
HB 997, also by Hunter, would give the State Library statutory authority
to conduct a study of library resource sharing projects and coordinate the
purchase of shared databases for all publicly funded libraries.
TIF
A high point of this legislative session was the announcement by
Sen.
David Sibley (Waco) and
Rep. Sylvester
Turner (Houston) urging the Telecommunications Infrastructure Fund (TIF)
to issue a grant program to fund Internet connections for all Texas public
libraries. The TIF Board obliged by resolving to make public library connections
the focus of the third TIF RFP. Also, Rep. Cuellar has attached a rider to
the TIF budget to require TIF to spend no less than five percent of its funds
in providing connections for school libraries, to ensure that they are included
in school connections.
Two bills that would restore the TIF to levels established in the original legislation, SB 249 by Sibley and HB 98 by Turner, seem to be headed for passage. Finally, HB 1139 by Maxey would put two public librarians on the TIF Board.
Other legislation. TLA is watching several other bills
in this legislative session, including:
To search for the text, history, etc. of any bill, click here.
The Leadership Development Committee of TLA has announced the following list of participants for this year’s TALL Texans Leadership Development Institute:
Cynthia Cooper, Carrollton P. L.
Nancy Cunningham, St. Mary’s Univ.
Vicki Decker, Collingsworth P. L. (Wellington)
Beth Dupuis, UT Austin
James Filyaw, DeSoto
Cherry Fuller, ESC XI
Anthony Guardado, Angelo State Univ.
Genie Hammel, Plano P. L.
Gretchen Hoffmann, Univ. of Houston
Sandra Hood, Palo Alto College
Ann Loggins, Bedford P. L.
Mark McCallon, Abilene Christian Univ.
Kathi Mehan, Nicholson Mem. Lib. System
Leila Parrish, Houston P. L.
Edith Reiss, Richardson P. L.
Rachel Robbins, UT Arlington
Victor Schill, Harris County P. L.
Karen Stanley, Rosenberg Library
Hellena Stokes, Houston P. L.
Jack Strawn, Sunset H. S., San Antonio
Margaret Terrell, Lee H. S., Tyler
Theresa Trost, Texas Tech
Terese Varga, Victoria Public Library
Donna Wert, Palo Alto Middle School, Killeen
The 1997 TALL Texans Leadership Institute will be held June 2-6 at Harambe Oaks Ranch near Wimberly, Texas. Featured presenters at this year’s institute will be Maureen Sullivan, an organizational development consultant, and Jack Siggins, university librarian at George Washington University.
TALL Texans is designed for mid-career librarians with at least five years experience, and library laypersons with at least three years of service to the library community.
SAPL Wins John Cotton Dana
Award
Second Consecutive Year
San Antonio Public Library has won the John Cotton Dana Public Relations Award for “Hot Jazz in a Cool Place,” a month-long celebration of Black history. It is the second consecutive year that the San Antonio Public Library has won the award.
The award, which honors outstanding achievement in library public relations, is sponsored by the H.W. Wilson Company in Bronx, N.Y., and the Library Administration and Management Association, a division of the American Library Association.
The Texas-Mexico Exchange Program
Have you considered any international opportunities in librarianship? The Texas Mexico Relations Committee (TMR) of TLA is interested in fostering the exchange of professional librarians between the U.S. and Mexico.
TMR has been awarded a grant by the Fideicomiso Para La Cultura Mexico-USA (Fund for Culture Mexico-USA) for the purpose of exchanging Mexican and Texas librarians to enhance communication, understanding, and the sharing of knowledge and expertise.
Exchanges will typically last two weeks and will foster stronger ties between our countries and facilitate the continued exchange of information resources in the future. Funds available will vary depending on individual circumstances and need. Activities and scheduling will also vary with the participant’s expertise.
The program is designed for mid-career librarians with at least five years of professional experience. Texas candidates must be TLA members. All candidates must be able to communicate in the language of the host country and demonstrate how this experience will benefit their library and its patrons.
If you can’t go south, perhaps you and your library could host an exchange librarian. Either way, for more information or to request an application, contact Bill Johnson, Texas Tech University Libraries, Box 40002 Lubbock, TX 79409, 806-742-2236, wtjohnson@ttu.edu.
The Top 10 Conference Complaints
Everyone knows that the TLA Annual Conference is one of the best in the country. But every year, TLA staff and conference planners seem to hear the same complaints. This year we thought we’d go ahead and provide some tongue-in-cheek answers in advance.
10. “The rooms are too cold.” (Just pretend the conference is in Anchorage this year).
9. “Two dollars for bottled water?” (Actually, the water’s free--it’s two bucks for the bottle).
8. “Why can’t we have the conference in my home town?” (Because TLA is bigger than most home towns).
7. “Why do we get chicken at every meal function?” (Are you volunteering to cook?)
6. “Why was that speaker so boring?” (We actually don’t audition every speaker).
5. “I couldn’t get the hotel I wanted.” (Yeah, we saw Leona Helmsly sleeping on a park bench).
4. “I waited 6 hours for the shuttle today.” (Yes, but it doesn’t stop at Joe’s Bar and Grill).
3. “Why doesn’t the equipment or Internet ever work at the presentations.” (Don’t try this at home--we are trained professionals).
2. “Why do you schedule all the good programs at the same time?” (Because there are no bad programs).
1. “The rooms are too crowded.” (We know, but just be glad we all like each other).
All kidding aside, we welcome any suggestions that will make our conference better, but some problems are beyond our control. Here’s our point-by-point response:
10. Cold rooms. Even when we can find the thermostat, it takes two hours to change temperature.
9. Food costs are set by the concessionaire, not TLA.
8. Home town. TLA has outgrown all but three sites in Texas--Houston, Dallas, and San Antonio.
7. Chicken is less costly and generally popular.
6. Boring speakers. Unfortunately, conference planners can’t audition all the speakers.
5. Hotel rooms. The conference is huge and competition for rooms is intense.
4. Shuttles. We aim for a 15-minute turnaround, but delays occur because of traffic and construction.
3. Equipment problems are usually a matter of incompatibility and not all rooms are wired for Internet.
2. Conflicts. Each TLA unit schedules programs independently.
1. Small rooms. Convention centers have few large rooms leaving us to take what we can.
TLA Jobline Is Online
Available on TLA Web Page
TLA’s listings of library jobs in Texas are now available online! The jobline can be reached via the TLA web page at http://www.txla.org. Select “Services, Benefits and Membership,” then click on “Jobline and Placement Services.” Listings will continue to be accessible on a telephone recording updated weekly; the number for that service is 512/328-0651. The online listings will be updated weekly but may be advertised for longer periods than the recorded ones.
For more information about the Jobline—or to list a position—contact Haven Whatley Toothman by mail at the Texas Library Association, 3355 Bee Cave Road, Suite 401, Austin, TX 78746-6763; by phone at 800/580-2TLA; or by e-mail at havenwt@txla.org.
Correction . . .
The presentation to be offered by Kelowna Software, Ltd. at the Library Technology Showcase at the TLA Conference Wednesday, April 9, will be for Windows as well as Macintosh users, rather than just for users as listed in the preliminary conference program.
Names in the News
Appointments/Changes:
Death:
