President's Perspective
Barbara Immroth

TLA members have participated in successfully launching TexShare, the Texas Library Connection, TENET and the Texas State Electronic Library. We are experiencing a new and growing level of resource sharing for print and electronic materials. Under the able guidance of the Texas State Library and the Texas Education Agency we look forward to these systems flourishing and to increased benefit for users around the state.

Librarians are beyond the point of asking if libraries will be connected to the Internet. The questions now are when and how? A whole new set of pressures and questions confronts us. One of the big pressures is to build facilities that can handle the increasingly sophisticated technology. Another is to provide educated staff capable of making decisions and assisting users in the new cyberlibraries. One of my big concerns is, when will all of the children in Texas have access to creative library service where they will learn and develop technology skills as well as being motivated to read enthusiastically? Texas children need educated, technologically savvy librarians in public and school libraries to learn and develop technology skills in addition to their reading skills.

A few years ago, I conducted a survey in which I found that approximately 10 percent of Texas public libraries employ degreed children’s librarians. In public libraries throughout the state, it is the exception rather than the rule to have a degreed children’s librarian on staff to plan meaningful programming and collection development. According to the TEA Public Education Information Management System (PEIMS) data, 1,000 schools in Texas do not have libraries. Even in schools with libraries, a teacher-librarian may be available in the library an hour a day or a campus may have to share a librarian with several other campuses, or a library clerk may be ‘supervised’ by a certified librarian on another campus. Texas children are being deprived of quality library service because there is inadequate staff and the available staff is spread too thin to be able to offer real programs. Where will children learn to become informed citizens of the 21st century? Where will colleges and universities find qualified students for the entering class? Where will businesses find an educated workforce? Where will public libraries find advocates and donors?

The Texas university library and information science programs are exploring distance education and new delivery formats to provide graduate education across the state. UT has been using interactive teleconferencing to El Paso and San Antonio since 1991, graduating 138 distance education students. UNT has gone to Lubbock and Houston; TWU to Canyon, Dallas and Fort Worth. As one example of innovation, I have been involved in developing electronic information resources for children and young adults. The enthusiasm of students for exploring this medium is incredible. When students who have taken similar courses graduate and proceed into practice they bring their new knowledge, skill, and enthusiasm to their young users. I foresee a major role for TLA Legislative Committee and every active member to provide adequate facilities and staff in order that Texas children have the opportunity to gain the necessary technological information literacy to be successful students, educated productive workers, library users and advocates, and informed citizens of the new century.