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You know how important libraries are to the future of Texas and this nation. They prepare young minds for the challenges of a new century; they contain the stores of knowledge that adults draw on daily; and they preserve and reveal the accumulated wisdom of our human experience. Libraries of all kinds help all citizens navigate our increasingly complex and interdependent world.
Without advocates, libraries cannot hope to make information available and accessible to all Texans.
Libraries need your help now. People like you need to advocate before the Texas Legislature for stronger school, academic, and public libraries. You do not need to be a high-powered lobbyist. You do need to let your representatives and senators know how important it is that they support initiatives to strengthen libraries in Texas. Your voice whether you're a librarian, library supporter or citizen advocate is powerful when it joins with the voices of many others in the Texas library community.
Here are a few of the issues that need Legislative support and your advocacy efforts:
There are many ways to send your message to legislators. One way is to come to Austin for the February 11, 1997 TLA Legislative Day. Library supporters from all over Texas will converge on the State Capitol and tell their representatives and senators what they need to do for Texas libraries. Be part of this grass-roots effort learn about the issues and join us in Austin to talk to your legislators.
You will be working with others from your Texas Senate district who share your concerns about our state's libraries. Helping you connect with your legislators is the job of your delegate leader an experienced advocate who knows about the legislative process and the dynamics of the Legislature. Delegate leaders will help attendees navigate the Capitol Complex and organize the day so you can concentrate on communicating with your legislators. Background information about important library issues will be mailed to you in coming weeks. When you arrive in Austin, you'll receive additional information and training from the Legislative Committee and from your delegate leader.
One of the most important parts of TLA Legislative Day is the early-evening reception following your visits to Senate and House members. This reception will bring together legislators and their aides with TLA's library advocates. It is a social occasion, but it is also a critical opportunity to visit with and further educate those who will be making recommendations and decisions about libraries in Texas. In 1995, the Legislative Day reception featured demonstrations of electronic information networks, displays of children's resources and information about services to special populations. This year's reception will feature even more exhibits and displays.
The 1997 TLA Legislative Day will be dedicated to the memory of Elizabeth Crabb, who was killed in an auto crash August 25, 1996. As a member of TLA's Legislative Committee for the past ten years, Elizabeth worked devotedly for passage of critical legislation to help the library community. A memorial fund has been set up in her name and donations may be made through TLA.
Help libraries now. You don't have to wait until February 11 to be an advocate for libraries. Learn about the pressing issues facing libraries in Texas. Contact the Texas House and Senate candidates running in your area and share your concerns. Ask for their support for Texas libraries before Election day. Write to them after the election, reminding them of your concerns. Remember that your legislators have been elected to represent the interests and needs of all citizens. Provide them with the guidance they need to make good decisions on your behalf.
The TLA Leadership Development Committee has finalized plans for the fourth annual Leadership Development Institute, to be held June 2-6, 1997 at the Harambe Oaks Ranch near Wimberley. Facilitators will be nationally recognized presenters Maureen Sullivan and Jack Siggins, both experienced librarians with long and successful records in leadership development.
The institute aims to foster leadership capabilities among the membership, define standards of leadership development for TLA, and foster cultural diversity in library leadership in Texas. Sullivan and Siggins will teach leadership tools, interpersonal skills and problem-solving techniques.
A total of 24 participants, five alternates, and six mentors will be chosen to attend. Members interested in becoming TALL Texans should complete the nomination form on page 4 of this issue of TLA-Cast. This form can also be obtained through the TLA World Wide Web server at http://www.txla.org. You may nominate yourself or another. Nomination forms should be received at the TLA office in Austin by December 2, 1996. Nominees must either be currently employed library/information practitioners with at least five years in the field, or library laypersons with at least three years of service to the library community. Nominees should be current TLA members.
Nominees will be asked to provide additional information and references on an application to be forwarded after receipt of nominations. These materials will be due at the TLA office in January 1997; those chosen will be notified in April before the Annual Conference.
The Harambe Oaks Ranch provides a rustic and peaceful setting with comfortable environments both indoors and out. Recreational opportunities will be available. The all-inclusive tuition of $375 covers instruction, room and board, and related activities, but not transportation. Many TLA units can make funds available to help defray these costs, as can many employing institutions.
After the Institute is completed, the 1997 TALL Texans will continue leadership development activities with and through TLA. The association's Leadership Development Committee will coordinate these activities and work to provide further opportunities for emerging leaders in the organization.
November 20 has been set as the release date for the 1997-98 Texas Bluebonnet Award master reading list. The list will be available through the librarians' newsgroup on TENET and will be printed in the next issue of the TLA-Cast. Copies can also be requested from Carolyn Reynolds in the TLA office.
In other Bluebonnet news, John Sigwald, librarian at Unger Memorial Library in Plainview, and Debbie Whitbeck, learning resource specialist with the Round Rock ISD, have been named to the Texas Bluebonnet Award Committee. This committee of school and public librarians administers the program, which encourages reading among 3rd - 6th graders in more than 2,000 schools statewide. Sigwald and Whitbeck will both serve through 1999.
With the continued development of the Association's presence on the Internet, TLA staff members now can be reached via e-mail to the "txla.org" domain. New addresses are as follows:
It's not too late to register for Sailing into Leadership 2000: Perfecting Personal Skills, a TLA workshop featuring noted leadership authority Sarah Weddington. The workshop will be taught July 11-14, 1997 on the Carnival Cruise Lines Super Liner Ecstacy as she sails from Miami to Nassau and through the Bahamas. While the discount rate of $797 per person, for Texas residents, for the trip cost of the workshop (airfare, cruise and all meals, transfers and port charges, etc.) has only been guaranteed until November 1, later registrants should still be able to take advantage of this premium rate.
Sailing into Leadership 2000: Perfecting Personal Skills will offer attendees expert advice on how to lead the library community as it enters the 21st century. It will be an opportunity to laugh, share "a-ha!" moments, and learn together.
Themes to be explored during the workshop include:
Texan Sarah Weddington is a well-known spokesperson on leadership and public issues with a 25-year career as attorney, professor, speaker and writer. The first woman to represent Austin in the Texas House of Representatives, Weddington served three terms in the Legislature before becoming a special assistant to President Jimmy Carter. In 1973, she successfully argued the landmark Roe v. Wade case before the U.S. Supreme Court. Today, Weddington speaks extensively on the development of leadership skills and teaches courses on leadership at both The University of Texas at Austin and Texas Woman's University. Her honors include recognition as one of the ten "Outstanding Women in America," and as "Woman of the Future," as well as honorary doctorates from several universities. She is currently writing a book on leadership, tentatively entitled "The Power of One."
Take advantage of this fantastic opportunity to develop your skills while enjoying a once-in-a-lifetime trip with your family, friends and colleagues. All registration for the cruise and workshop is being handled by Travel Technology Group at 1-800-631-9088. Contact TTG or the TLA office for more information.
More than 1OO Texas libraries have requested TLA's: "Get The Facts. Ask a Librarian." promotional slide to place with their local television stations. The slide, part of the public relations campaign begun in 1991, is available from the TLA Public Relations Committe at no charge. The committee believes that most TV stations, if asked, will be pleased to use the slide, which can be customized to fit your specific needs, throughout their broadcast day.
You can promote libraries through television, too! Request the slide from the TLA office by letter, phone, fax or E-mail, and it will be forwarded to you at no cost.
Many thanks to all who have contributed to the LEAF campaign. Contributions may be sent to the TLA office at any time throughout the year.
More than 150 members of the Texas library community are expected to attend "Defending the Right to Know: Libraries, Political Action and Intellectual Freedom," a leadership development institute being held December 13 and 14 in Austin.
Experts from Texas and the nation will share their information and insights about the modern-day fight for intellectual freedom in America. Attendees will learn how to respond quickly, effectively and with political savvy when the censors target their libraries and communities.
Currently scheduled speakers include Judith Krug, director of the American Library Association's Office for Intellectual Freedom; Robert S. Peck, vice-president of the Freedom to Read Foundation; Bruce Ennis, the Washington attorney who led the successful legal challenge to the Communications Decency Act; Cecile Richards of the Texas Freedom Network; and many others. Specific topics to be covered include the legal framework of First Amendment challenges; the role of faith and religion in intellectual freedom debates; policies and procedures for libraries to follow to help them manage censorship challenges; and political strategies and leadership skills to help attendees become powerful advocates for the right to know in their communities and throughout Texas. The institute aims to prepare attendees to serve as resources and mentors for other libraries in their TLA districts.
"Defending the Right To Know" has proven to be a very popular and eagerly anticipated workshop, and space is extremely limited. If you might wish to attend, contact the TLA office to find out if any remaining spaces are available.
Want to find free, inexpensive and/or copyright-free government reference resources on the Internet? Plan now to attend Lassoing Government Resources on the 'Net: Federal, Texas and Local, a 1997 TLA Pre-Conference being held Tuesday, April 8, 10 am-3 pm in Denton.
Cosponsored by the Government Documents Round Table (GODORT) and the Reference Round Table, the workshop will highlight electronic sources useful to reference librarians, particularly public and school librarians with an introductory level of computer skills. Featured speakers are Melody Kelly and Cathy Hartman of the University of North Texas.
The program, to be conducted at the UNT lecture hall and computer lab, will allow participants hands-on access to sources as well as instruction from the speakers. A $45 fee will cover both the workshop and round-trip bus transportation from the TLA Annual Conference site in Fort Worth to the UNT campus in Denton. Watch for further information in your TLA Annual Conference Pre-Registration Packet.
Are you tired of singing into a hairbrush before the bathroom mirror? Wish you could dance the night away at the Annual Conference instead of sitting in your hotel reading the bylaws? Well, look no further than your TLA membership renewal form and check off the Doo-Wop Interest Group!
This funfilled interest group has been formed to restore the good times to TLA. Beginning with the upcoming Annual Conference in Fort Worth, the Doo-Wop Interest Group will hold its first annual Mid-Conference. (That's as opposed to the Pre- and Post-Conferences other TLA units offer ... .) Dancing and singing will be the order of the night Thursday, April 10 from 9 pm until ... . Be sure to pre-register for this Mid-Conference at the preferred rate! The Doo-Wop Sock Hop Mid-Conference will be a fundraiser for the Elizabeth Crabb Fund. And remember, the Doo-Wop Interest Group may be coming soon to a honky-tonk near you.
The first Hotho & Company Literacy Award, in recognition of a library in Texas that has worked to encourage and support the joy and benefits of reading, will be presented at the TLA 1997 Annual Conference in Fort Worth.
The purpose of this annual award is to encourage and promote reading programs in Texas libraries. Libraries of any size and type are eligible for the $1000 award, which will be presented by Hotho and Company.
Application forms are available from Anne Womack, TLA Literacy Committee, Gladys Harrington Public Library, 1501 18th Street, Plano 75074. Deadline for receiving applications will be March 1, 1997.
Nominations are now being accepted for the prestigious Siddie Joe Johnson Award. The award, presented annually at the TLA Annual Conference, recognizes an outstanding Texas librarian and TLA Children's Round Table member who works with children from pre-school through 8th grade and who has been active within the past 12 months.
Nominees are evaluated on the basis of outstanding or innovative programs, a sustained level of performance, leadership ability, involvement in professional organizations, community involvement, and cooperation with parents and other libraries, especially outside their own system. Information requested for nominations is usually quite thorough, with letters of recommendation received from other colleagues and employers as well as supporting data (examples of work, news articles, etc.) to establish the merit of the candidate.
The 1997 award recipient will be honored at the Children's Round Table breakfast Friday, April 11. Last year's recipient was Kathy Toon, manager of the Children's Center of the Dallas Public Library.
The award is named in honor of Siddie Joe Johnson, who served as children's librarian and coordinator of children's services for the Dallas Public Library for 27 years. Miss Johnson, a published poet and author, was also the recipient of awards from the Poetry Society of Texas and the Texas Institute of Letters, as well as from the American Library Association for her work in children's library service.
See page 10 of this issue of the TLA-Cast for a nomination form for the Siddie Joe Johnson Award. Nominations should be mailed by February 1, 1997.
The Library Services to the Spanish Speaking (LSSS) Round Table is the new name of what was formerly the REFORMA interest group of TLA. The name was adopted by the members at a meeting held during the TLA Annual Assembly in July.
At this meeting, proposed bylaws for the LSSS Round Table were circulated and approved, incorporating suggested changes. These corrected bylaws will be submitted to the TLA Bylaws Committee for approval at the Annual Conference. Also, members Jose Aguinaga and Selene Hinojosa are working on a LSSS homepage, following guidelines distributed by TLA to units at Annual Assembly.
The LSSS Round Table has developed an interesting program for the upcoming 1997 Annual Conference in Fort Worth. The theme will be "Multicultural Collection Development." A highlight of the program will be our major speaker, Dr. Peter Skerry, a graduate of Harvard University and currently a fellow at The Brookings Institution in Washington, D.C. Dr. Skerry's topic will be "Defining Hispanic Groups: E Pluribus Hispanic?" Other participants in the program will be Melva Ramirez and Cheri Kendrick, who will present their research on multicultural collection development in public and academic libraries, respectively.
The LSSS Round Table would also like to thank Connie Kallenberg, Diana Morales, Jose Aguinaga, and Selene Hinojosa for their help in staffing the LSSS section of the TLA booth at the National REFORMA Conference in Austin last August.
Scholarships
Deadline for Scholarships: Completed applications, transcripts and letters of reference must be postmarked no later than January 31, 1997.
DEMCO/TLA Research Grant
Deadline for Research Grants: Completed applications must be postmarked no later than January 31, 1997.
Conference Stipend
Deadline for Stipends: Completed applications must be postmarked no later than December 31, 1996.
Application forms for the above scholarships, grants and stipends are available from:
Daniel H. Jones, Chair, TLA Scholarship and Research Committee
Briscoe Library
University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio
7703 Floyd Curl Drive
San Antonio, Texas 78284-7940
210-567-2400
210-567-2490 FAX
jones@uthscsa.edu
PLD stipend
The Public Libraries Division of the Texas Library Association will make available four stipends of $375 each to help defray the costs of attending the TLA Annual Conference in Fort Worth, April 8-12, 1997. The stipends are available to public library employees without a masters' degree in library science or its equivalent who have never before attended a TLA Annual Conference. The purpose of these stipends is to encourage membership and participation in TLA and PLD. Recipients will gain insight into the Public Libraries Division's mission and organization by volunteering during the conference.
Requirements: The following are the basic requirements of a person applying for a PLD stipend:
Deadline for stipend applications: Applications for conference stipends must be submitted by December 15, 1996. Applications forms are available from Kate Lyon, PLD Scholarship Committee Chair, Arlington Public Library, 101 East Abram, Arlington 76010. 817-459-6914; 817-459-6902 FAX.
ATRT Conference Stipends
The Automation and Technology Round Table is offering two stipends of $400 each for library employees who are involved in automation and technology services to attend the 1997 TLA Conference in Fort Worth. The purpose of these stipends is to encourage membership and participation in TLA and ATRT. Both professional and support staff are encouraged to apply. All applicants must meet the following requirements:
The application deadline is December 15, 1996. If you have any questions or need an application form, contact Martha Knott at 210-207-2609 or Shelley Leader at 713-338-4864.
NMRT/Quality Books Inc. Professional Development Grant
The New Members Round Table (NMRT)/Quality Books Inc. Professional Development Grant is available to all TLA members in the first five years of professional life. The grant provides financial assistance to attend the TLA Annual Conference, covering conference registration, travel expenses, lodging and a $50 per diem, up to $1,000 in total expenses.
Last year's recipient was Candace Jensen, library/media specialist at Colin L. Powell Elementary School in The Woodlands. This is a great opportunity for a new librarian to attend the TLA Annual Conference in Fort Worth, April 8-12, 1997.
Applications must be postmarked by December 13, 1996. For more information, contact Diane Warner by e-mail at LILDW@ttacs.ttu.edu or by phone at 806-742-2240.
TLA membership materials are on their way to your mailbox. Send in your renewal or your new membership soon!
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Last Modified: 12/15/1996
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