CET Writes

Originally published August 1, 2024 Library Developments Blog | Library Development and Networking Division Texas State Library and Archives Commission   As I watch the sun set from the train’s window seat and the gently rolling hills of the Texas Hill Country are replaced by the flatter terrain of the Prairie and Lakes Region, I mentally inventory my utility belt in preparation for the adventure ahead—serving as a moderator for the Get Graphic track at the 2024 North Texas Teen Book Festival (NTTBF). NTTBF was founded in 2012, and after more than two years of preparation, the inaugural event was hosted in the spring of 2015. Free to the public, the two-day festival is comprised of a day of professional development for educators and a teen book festival with dedicated programming for middle grade readers. Not only does this feat of derring-do connect its reading community by adding dimension to their reading experience, but it’s also a model of collaboration across the librove...

  Originally published May 20, 2024 Library Developments Blog | Library Development and Networking Division Texas State Library and Archives Commission ***** Round Rock, the “Sports Capital of Texas,” is located just fifteen miles north of Austin. In addition to a full line-up of exceptional sports facilities, the city champions specialty retail shopping, delicious restaurants, outdoor adventures, and the Round Rock Public Library System (RRPL). Established in 1962, RRPL is a gateway to the community that knocks it out of the park with a variety of award-winning programs and services including a certified Family Place Library program. RRPL, in its new home field in downtown Round Rock, hosted the 2024 Texas Family Place Libraries™ Project Training Institute, sponsored by the Texas State Library and Archives Commission (TSLAC) and Family Place Libraries ™ . Thirty-one library workers from across the state took the field for spring training to learn the signals, see what’s on dec...

  Originally published February 6, 2023 Library Developments Blog |  Library Development and Networking Division Texas State Library and Archives Commission ***** As the new year has sprung right into action, the Texas State Library and Archives Commission (TSLAC) is here to give you a boost by connecting you to our youth services. Here are the tools that can help you stay one step ahead! Collaborative Summer Library Program (CSLP) Newsletter In this monthly newsletter, CSLP offers the latest news and information about the current program. Family Place Library Listserv Family Place Libraries ™ uses this private list to provide updates about the national program.  Texas Family Place Library Project  grantees should be able to update their contact information via their library’s member login. Please contact us if you need help connecting with the national organizers. Texas Summer Library Program Newsletter TSLAC uses the  Texas Summer Library Newsletter...

  Originally published April 5, 2023 Library Developments Blog |  Library Development and Networking Division Texas State Library and Archives Commission ***** 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… after teaching a core, tested subject for fifteen years, I was just beginning to read young adult literature regularly...

  Originally published April 12, 2023 Library Developments Blog |  Library Development and Networking Division Texas State Library and Archives Commission ***** Fifteen years ago, I started a new adventure—one which granted me the sacred title of “Aunt,” one which made me privy to my brother’s anxiety about being a new father. In one particular late night conversation, I remember trying to assuage his various and sundry concerns the only way I knew how. I reminded him that our family used to always say that “children don’t come with instruction manuals” and assured him that he’d do the best he knew how when the challenges arose—even if neither of us had the slightest idea of what that would entail. While children  don’t , in fact, come with instructions, as key institutions in their communities, libraries  do  offer a wealth of resources—useful appendices to that non-existent handbook—that may come in unexpected forms. There’s more to the story of your lib...

  Originally published June 9, 2023 Library Developments Blog |  Library Development and Networking Division Texas State Library and Archives Commission ***** Buda, on the edge of the Hill Country, just south of Austin, is one of the United States’ fastest-growing small cities, with a 2020 population of 15,643, but for four days last month—May 15-18, 2023—the population numbered at least 15,6 78 . While strolling through downtown, you can expect to see unique local restaurants and boutiques as well as a number of cultural attractions in the historic buildings lining Main Street. Not among the usual attractions, however, is a dozens-strong cadre of children’s librarians heading toward the city complex. Nonetheless, the Texas State Library and Archives Commission (TSLAC) partnered with Middle Country Public Library (MCPL) and  Buda Public Library  (BPL) to make that sight possible by hosting the inaugural  Family Place Libraries™ Project  Trai...