CET Writes

Originally published September 09, 2025 Library Developments Blog   |   Library Development and Networking Division Texas State Library and Archives Commission As we turn our attention to National Voter Registration Act (NVRA) compliance, consider the following scenario in which a well-intentioned effort to help patrons engage civically revealed how the absence of an implementation plan can lead to inconsistent practices, legal risk, and unintended harm to public trust. The Gotham Public Library—a fictional, small, rural library in Texas—hosted a well-attended community resource fair in partnership with the Madame Selina Kyle Foundation and Gotham City Hall. As part of the event, library staff helped visitors apply for library cards, sign up for public computers, and learn about available social services. With the much anticipated mayoral race between Oswald Cobblepot and Bella Reál coming up, the table that included information about voting was doing brisk business in s...

Originally published January 12 , 2025 Library Developments Blog   |   Library Development and Networking Division Texas State Library and Archives Commission Community Partnerships as Leadership in Action: Three Texas Library Stories Expanding Capacity Through Strategic Collaboration  |  Unger Memorial Library (Plainview, TX) Community partnerships aren’t just a programming strategy—they’re a core management and leadership practice that allows libraries to extend their capacity when space, staffing, or funding are limited. Unger Memorial Library ’s collaboration with PBS Kids Lubbock (KTTZ) shows how intentional leadership can turn constraints into opportunities. By leveraging their relationship with PBS Kids  educator Reagan Doyal and utilizing the city-owned Fair Theatre , library leaders have delivered large-scale, high-impact family programs for more than a year and a half. These Saturday events—featuring storytimes, educational cartoons, free books, ...

Originally published December  17 , 2025 Library Developments Blog   |   Library Development and Networking Division Texas State Library and Archives Commission As we shift our attention to information security and privacy policies, consider the following scenario where a well-intentioned community event exposed how easily gaps in data-handling practices can put patrons at risk. The Gotham Public Library—a fictional, small, rural library in Texas—partnered yet again with the Madame Selina Kyle Foundation; this time to host a free digital literacy workshop and asked participants to provide their name, home address, phone number, email address, and library card number using a shared Google Form created by a volunteer. In the days following the event, several attendees began receiving unsolicited emails from LexCorp and phone calls promoting Harvey Dent’s election campaign. One patron filed a complaint, stating the only place they had shared that information was with t...

Originally published December 10 , 2025 Library Developments Blog   |   Library Development and Networking Division Texas State Library and Archives Commission As we turn an eye to technology use policies, let us return to the land of imagination and visit the Gotham Public Library, a small rural Texas library that recently upgraded its computer area with new public workstations, expanded Wi-Fi access, and a makerspace laptop cart funded through a community grant from the Madame Selina Kyle Foundation. Because the library had never adopted a formal technology use policy, Director Barbara Gordon, staffer Richard Grayson, and the library’s volunteers relied on informal practices and individual judgment to guide patron behavior. One afternoon, a patron began streaming loud video tutorials for making Smylex on a public computer and refused to use headphones, insisting there was no rule against it; later, another patron downloaded unlicensed batarang-making software onto a mak...

    Originally published October 24, 2025 Library Developments Blog   |   Library Development and Networking Division Texas State Library and Archives Commission   Palacios Library  |  Palacios , TX At Palacios Library , leadership starts with listening. “Our success has been our availability for whatever is needed to keep our library afloat and be willing to help out our small town in any way we can,” says Head Librarian Vikijane Mosier. That spirit of responsiveness has guided the library’s work for decades whether meeting immediate needs or planning for the future. When local families faced language barriers that made homework time difficult, the library paired bilingual honor students with elementary kids who needed extra help in its after-school program. The program has been a win-win—supporting children and giving teens their first jobs. Furthermore, its impact has come full circle: one former student helper is now a library staff member an...

  Originally published September 09 , 2025 Library Developments Blog   |   Library Development and Networking Division Texas State Library and Archives Commission Imagine that the Gotham Public Library, a small rural library in Texas, has recently received a request for help from its group of local homeschool families—the Arkham Angels—that is looking for appropriate young adult graphic novels for this year’s book club. In the past, the library had a brief, outdated collection development policy that didn’t explicitly outline how materials were selected. So, the staff often relied on ad hoc decisions which risked appearing inconsistent or even biased. But, Director Gordon recognizes that a collection development policy is more than just a set of rules about what books, media, and digital resources the library purchases. It’s a practical expression of the library’s mission that shows how the library’s values and goals are translated into day-to-day decisions about wha...

Originally published August 25 , 2025 Library Developments Blog   |   Library Development and Networking Division Texas State Library and Archives Commission What started out as a sizeable donation of custom-built video games from the county’s STEM club was quickly joined by the late Mr. Nguyen’s golden age Superman comics and his daughter's childhood collection of rare Shojo manga—only to then be expanded by Ms. Gordon’s crafting overstock that was curated by the library’s teen advisory board with an eye toward establishing a cosplay makerspace. And now, having grown into something you’ve dubbed “The Fandom Zone,” these items have definitely imprisoned the community’s interest. After reading your thank you posts on social media, the local historical customers have begun reserving the meeting room nearest the collection where they can surreptitiously observe each new arrival as they plan their next event. And now that school has begun, Miss Harvey’s third grade class—who ...