Texas Libraries to Receive $80,000 for Humanities Grants

The Texas Council for the Humanities and the Texas Library Association have partnered to make $80,000 in grants available to support humanities programs for adults in Texas libraries.

The Texas Council for the Humanities (TCH) is a non-profit organization established to promote lifelong learning in the humanities. The Texas Library Association applied for and received a grant from TCH that will be re-granted to Texas libraries to support a variety of programs including lectures and discussions by recognized humanities scholars, literary programs, film series, and issues forums. Libraries may also use the funds to sponsor a series of workshops led by scholars that involve audiences in oral history, writing projects, or photographic histories. The program is extremely flexible, with a sole requirement that activities include a humanities scholar. The definition of a humanities scholar is anyone with a Masters degree or Ph.D. in a humanities discipline. Libraries are encouraged to provide TCH with the names of prospective scholars.

The goal of the TLA/TCH Humanities Grants will be to offer these events to diverse age levels, all ethnic, racial and cultural groups, and in all of the 10 geographical regions of Texas.

The TLA Executive Board has appointed an ad hoc advisory committee—chaired by Julie Todaro, librarian at the Rio Grande Campus of the Austin Community College, to coordinate the grant process. Other members of the Advisory Committee are: Herbert G. Canales, Corpus Christi Public Libraries; Nancy Cunningham, St. Mary’s University; John W. Deats, Midland College; Vicki G. Decker, Collings-worth Public Library; Estella V. Gonzalez, Cathedral High School, El Paso; Anthony S. Guardado, Angelo State University; Ivonne R. Jimenez, El Paso Public Library; Meller T. Langford, Houston Area Library System; RoseAleta Laurell, Lockhart Public Library; Nancy L. Milnor, Rosenberg Library, Galves-ton; Patricia P. Mulkey, Plano ISD; Sue Sappington, University of Texas—Pan American; Sheila Y. Scullock, Dallas Public Library; Mark Smith, TLA; Patricia Smith, TLA; Elizabeth Snapp, Texas Woman’s University; Mary Kay Snell, Amarillo Public Library; Chris M. Tetzlaff-Belhasen, Del Mar College; Jane Gamez Vargas, McLennan Community College; Adam M. Wright, Houston Public Library; and Craig Zapatos, San Antonio Public Library.

The committee will issue guidelines for the first round of grants in spring of 1998 with an application deadline of June 1, 1998. Applications for a second round of grants will be due November 1, 1998. Standard grant awards will $1,000; however, more funds may be available in certain cases and TLA will work with the Texas Council for the Humanities to fund as many proj-ects as possible. Also, libraries will be encouraged to apply for other TCH funding to continue to expand humanities programming.

Southwestern Bell Awards $100,000 to TLA for Grants

The Southwestern Bell Foundation has awarded $100,000 to the Texas Library Association for an innovative one-year education program called Operation KidsLearn.

The funds have been granted to TLA to assist public libraries in acquiring telecommunications and other high-tech learning tools that provide enhanced access to information for children in disadvantaged, urban environments. The funds will be granted to Texas public libraries through a competitive grant program. Libraries and branches in Southwestern Bell service area that serve populations of 100,000 or more persons and whose populations include significant numbers of economically, educationally, or linguistically disadvantaged persons are eligible to apply. Maximum grant awards will be $30,000.

Application forms were mailed to eligible libraries January 21. Applications were due at the TLA office by March 13 and grant award winners will be announced at the closing luncheon at the TLA Annual Conference in San Antonio, April 4.

"Southwestern Bell’s successful and growing partnership with the Texas Library Association has been a pioneering effort," said Patricia H. Smith, TLA executive director. "This is an exciting opportunity for public and private interests to take the lead in demonstrating how the Internet and technology can be used to enhance library services and effectively combat illiteracy in our communities," said Ms. Smith.

"Southwestern Bell has pledged to serve and support every community in which it operates by increasing opportunities in education, literacy, and technology," said David Cole, president for Southwestern Bell—Texas. "Operation KidsLearn is another example of our commitment to providing education for children in Texas," said Mr. Cole.

TLA President Barbara Immroth appointed a committee of TLA members from non-eligible institutions to evaluate and rank grant applications. The highest scoring proposals will earn funding. Criteria used to evaluate the grants will include:

• Encouraging children to read and explore the library through the use of technology

• Providing children with links to learning resources that would not be available otherwise

• Creating innovative projects that can be used by other libraries

• Addressing specific information needs of underserved children

• Being sustainable beyond the period of the grant

The Southwestern Bell Foundation addresses community needs in the areas of education, community economic development, health and human services and culture and the arts. Since its formation in 1984, the Southwestern Bell Foundation has distributed nearly $187 million in grants, United Way support and employee outreach programs focused primarily in Texas, Missouri, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Kansas.

TLA will apply for continued funding for this project for 1999, perhaps to target libraries serving under 100,000 persons.

Hobby Foundation Pledges $21.4 Million Gift to Fondren Library

The Hobby Foundation of Houston has announced its intention to donate $21.4 million to the Fondren Library at Rice University. The gift—one of the largest ever made to a library anywhere—marks the first financial contribution toward implementing the university’s strategic plan, "Rice: The Next Century." The Hobby gift may be used for programmatic or capital purposes.

The gift was announced by Rice President Malcolm Gillis on December 11 following a meeting of the university’s Board of Governors. "It is especially gratifying that the first major gift toward our goal of creating a library for the next century should come from a distinguished and widely respected Texas family with deep and long-standing ties to Rice," said Mr. Gillis.

The Hobby family has historic and long-standing ties to Texas, Houston, and Rice University. Former Texas Governor William P. Hobby, Sr., was editor of the Houston Post until his death in 1964. His wife, Oveta Culp Hobby, the first secretary of the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, was editor and president of the Houston Post from 1955 to 1965, then chairman of the board from 1965 until the paper was sold in 1983. Their son, William P. Hobby, who served as Lieutenant Governor of Texas from 1973 to 1991, graduated from Rice in 1953, served on the Board of Governors from 1989 to 1993, and has been the Rado-slav A. Tsanoff Professor of Public Affairs since 1991.

Details of the Hobby gift were reported in Flyleaf, newsletter of the Friends of the Fondren Library.