CET Writes

Originally published October 21, 2022 Library Developments Blog | Library Development and Networking Division Texas State Library and Archives Commission ***** On Saturday, September 24, 2022, Helen Hall Library in League City, Texas, hosted the Grand Opening of its Family Place Library program during the library’s Fine-Free Fiesta —a community celebration of National Hispanic Heritage Month. The event featured a ribbon cutting ceremony for the Family Place Library program; promotion of Helen Hall’s status as a fine-free library; as well as food trucks, coloring pages, paper flower making, and live performances by Ballet Folklorico Herencia Mexicana de Houston and Texas City High School’s Sting Band, Mariachi Raya. Among those in attendance to show their support were the Texas State Library and Archive Commission’s Youth Services Consultant Christina Taylor, City Librarian Teresa Potter, Assistant City Librarians Meredith Layton and Darla Rance, and Children’s Services Librarian Kate...

As a freshly-minted librarian, I was hired to serve at THE high school bearing my district’s name alongside an amazingly zany, veteran librarian who knew the current collection inside and out as she’d been the one to revitalize it with bond money just prior to my arrival. To say that I was intimidated about what I could possibly have to contribute is more than an understatement. So when the moment of truth arrived and I was handed a “small” purchase order to get my feet wet, I. Was. Stymied! Her fingerprints were all throughout that collection, and what she didn’t read our assistant did . How would I ever fit into this team?! What could I possibly contribute?! To be honest, I was just beginning to read YA lit regularly. Luckily, near the end of grad school, I’d discovered comics and graphic novels. My then-language-arts-teacher heart fell in love with graphic storytelling, the ways that it attracts readers, and its potential to support literacy efforts. Unluckily, I didn’t know much ab...

Originally published May 16, 2022 Library Developments Blog | Library Development and Networking Division Texas State Library and Archives Commission ***** As you review the administrative tools your library uses to manage services and programming, consider leveraging online resources to maximize your efforts. In the following interview, fellow library worker Kate Guynn explains why Beanstack was the best fit for her library. *** Question 1: What online tool are you promoting? Name: Beanstack Purpose: In March 2021, we signed a three-year contract to track all of our reading challenges. Price: $1,800 per year Question 2: How did you find out about this tool? We were drawn to Beanstack because of my prior experience with it when I worked at a different library, the price, the customer support, and the high scores on reviews. In comparison, neither ReadSquared nor ReadingZone had comparable ratings. In addition, because ReadingZone’s pricing is based on the number of readers, purchas...

Originally published May 9, 2022 Library Developments Blog | Library Development and Networking Division Texas State Library and Archives Commission ***** As you review the administrative tools your library uses to manage services and programming, consider leveraging online resources to maximize your efforts. In the following interview, fellow library worker Crystal Swimmer explains how a reading tracker did so much more for her community than merely log activity. *** Question 1: What online tool are you promoting? Name: Beanstack Purpose: We originally purchased it as an online tool to host our summer reading program in 2020 when our library was only open for lobby service; now, we use it to host all of our reading challenges. Price: Approximately $8000 Question 2: How did you find out about this tool? Some of our employees had used Beanstack at other library systems for their previous jobs. Others had heard about it through co-workers or from participating in reading challenges host...

Originally published May 2, 2022 Library Developments Blog | Library Development and Networking Division Texas State Library and Archives Commission ***** As you review the administrative tools your library uses to manage services and programming, consider leveraging online resources to maximize your efforts. In the following interview, fellow library worker Rebecca Ivey explains how what began as a seasonal offering quickly became a staple in the library’s suite of services. *** Question 1:  What online tool are you promoting? Name:  ReadSquared Purpose: We selected this platform in 2018, based on its ability to log patron reading records. Price: Approximately $3600 Question 2:  How did you find out about this tool? We were looking for an online reading program tool, and this is the one that other libraries in our area were using. After researching the platform, we realized it would work for our library system as well. Question 3:  As a youth services library work...

  Originally published April 4, 2022 Library Developments  Blog |   Library Development and Networking Division Texas State Library and Archives Commission ***** This summer, consider focusing on teen mental health by incorporating the following recommendations and resources outlined by Patrick Lloyd , TSLAC’s Community Resilience Consultant. *** Even before the covid-19 pandemic, many teenagers were struggling. Sadly, data collected well before the covid -19 pandemic indicates that most of us experience childhood trauma. For many, these traumas stay with us for long period of time. They correlate to a number of nasty outcomes including emotional dysregulation (some folks become numb and detached; others may be impulsive or quick to anger), cognitive challenges (sometimes called brain fog), substance abuse, and medical problems, among others. The events of the past two years have exacerbated matters. In October 2021, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American ...

Originally published March 2, 2022 Library Developments  Blog |   Library Development and Networking Division Texas State Library and Archives Commission ***** Well-defined, time-limited efforts like your Summer Library Program often serve as a rich environment for testing new services. This summer, consider expanding your support of patrons in your community with visual, physical, and reading disabilities by using the following strategies and resources outlined by Jaclyn Owusu, Public Awareness Coordinator for the  Talking Book Program . *** Libraries are all about people. It does not matter if your library is small or large, system or stand-alone, rural or urban, libraries try to be as accommodating as they can in serving everyone who enters their doors. Prioritizing special populations takes a little work and research, but remember people with disabilities are just people who have individual abilities, interests, and needs. “People with disabilities are just peopl...

Originally published February 25, 2022 Library Developments  Blog |  Library Development and Networking Division Texas State Library and Archives Commission ***** Although the recurring spates of cold weather make it difficult to remember, this year’s Summer Library Program is swiftly approaching, and now is the time to reflect upon the successes and opportunities for change brought by the previous season. Bearing that in mind, I am extremely grateful for the insights libraries provided me via the 2021 feedback survey and wanted to share some of this information to help inform your approach to this coming year. Overall, 76.1% reported an increase in program attendance compared to the previous year. And, in terms of the provided resources, 78.7% reported having been satisfied with the  Collaborative Summer Library Program   (CSLP) materials, with 74.7% agreeing that applying the resources in the manual helped improve their library’s services to the community. In ligh...