Library Services and Technology Act in Texas

FY1998 - FY2002

Other Links to the State Plan for Library Services and Technology Act in Texas
Preface | State Plan Summary | Statewide Sharing of Resources | Texas Library Systems
Aid to Local Libraries | Services to Texans with Disabilities | Assurances

Texas Library Systems

Administration

As authorized in the Library Services and Technology Act, up to four percent of the federal funds may be expended for administrative costs in connection with programs and activities to carry out the Act. In addition, state funds are appropriated to administer the programs. These funds are used to:

1. manage the projects and activities that fall under the purposes of the Library Services and Technology Act;
2. provide financial and program accountability through the administration of state and federal funds;
3. conduct the regular business of the Library Services and Technology Act Advisory Council, including soliciting input, feedback, suggestions, and inquiries regarding the programs being conducted;
4. evaluate the results and impact of the Library Services and Technology Act program, as well as the current Statewide Library Development program, and the state of library service in Texas;
5. explore needed changes in the Texas State Library and Archives Commission authorization, the Library System Act, and other legislation concerning libraries of all types and the authorization of the Library Services and Technology Act; and
6. collect and publish statistics from Texas public and academic libraries.

The following publications and reports will be produced as a result of the project:

• Library Services and Technology Act State Plan, Amended
• Library Services and Technology Act Evaluation and Report
• Statewide Library Development: Biennial Budget
• Legislative Budget Board Performance and Expenditure Report: Quarterly
• Statewide Library Development: Annual and Biennial Report
• Grant Management Handbook
• Single Audit Guide
• Rules and Regulations for the State Library System
• Guidelines for Regional Systems' Annual Program and Budget
• Guidelines for Application and Reporting of Subgrants
• Texas Public Library Statistics, Directory, and Summary
• Websites for the Library Development Division
• Other special projects and reports as needed

The State Library provides assurance that we will spend no more than four percent of the federal funds on administrative costs. We further assure that we will comply with the federal share and maintenance of effort levels described in §223 of the Library Services and Technology Act.

Texas Library Systems

The Texas State Library and Archives Commission will use LSTA funding, as well as state general revenue funds, to make grants to the Texas Library Systems to improve services for public library users and expand services to the unserved. The Texas Library Systems are ten regional systems, headquartered in ten different regions of Texas. The Texas State Library and Archives Commission, as authorized by the Texas Library Systems Act, administers the systems. The system operation grants are generally the only source of funding for these membership-based organizations. The combination of state and LSTA funds are granted through a formula whereby 25% of the funds are allocated equally and 75% are allocated based on the per capita population in each system. Using these two funding sources for the implementation of the systems program will ensure a more significant impact on the improvement of service in Texas.

The members of the ten systems are public libraries that have met the minimum criteria for system membership, as administered by the Texas State Library and Archives Commission. Some services are also available to non-member libraries, and system staff work to help those libraries achieve minimum standards to become members. While recent legislation has authorized non-public libraries to become system members, to date no system has initiated the process for admitting non-public libraries.

The major objectives of the library systems are:

1. To encourage regional and local cooperative services for meeting common user needs through joint planning, informal cooperation, and contractual arrangements among public libraries; some academic, school, and special libraries may also participate in these activities;
2. To provide technical assistance and consulting upon request to librarians, library staff, trustees, advisory councils, and interested persons;
3. To facilitate, coordinate, and promote library continuing education activities, and to prepare and provide continuing education workshops and materials for interested persons working in and with libraries; and
4. To conduct a wide variety of programs and services to meet the needs of their member libraries. These programs and services include:
   • establishing or enhancing electronic linkages among or between libraries;
   • linking libraries electronically with educational, social or information services; assisting libraries in accessing information through electronic networks;
   • encouraging libraries in different areas, and encouraging different types of libraries to establish consortia and share resources;
   • paying costs for libraries to acquire or share computer systems and telecommunications technologies;
   • targeting library and information services to people of diverse geographic, cultural, and socioeconomic backgrounds, individuals with disabilities, people with limited functional literacy or information skills, persons having difficulty using a library, and underserved urban and rural communities, including children from families with incomes below the poverty line.

While each system has a service program that is customized to the needs of that region, all systems provide at least some of the above services.

Annually, systems submit plans of service according to application guidelines prepared by the Texas State Library and Archives Commission staff and approved by the Commission.

The plans of service in each of the systems are the product of planning by the major resource center directors, system staff, system advisory councils, system member librarians, the board of directors in regional library systems, and lay representatives selected by the member libraries' local governing authorities.

Systems must complete and submit:

1. quarterly expenditure reports and a final expenditure report of grant disbursements and/or encumbrances;
2. monthly Uniform Statistical Reports that list the performance targets to be reached by each system;
3. a Final Audit of grant funds due twelve months following the termination of the contract; and
4. quarterly reports of key performance targets that combine some of the information in the Uniform Statistical Reports into three targets: number of materials provided to area libraries; number of persons provided system services; and number of library staff trained and assisted.

Texas State Library and Archives Commission staff will review audits; audit exceptions will be resolved.

Each of the systems' projects and services are identified below:

Alamo Area Library System (AALS)

Regional Library: San Antonio Public Library

Grant Funding (SFY99): $776,301

Population (SFY98): 1,837,273

Number of Counties: 21

Number of square miles: 26,682

The Alamo Area Library System has 42 member and 0 non-member libraries that serve an ethnically diverse population with many living in a single large urban area and the rest in a primarily rurally isolated area.

The following projects have been planned by AALS:

• Administration
• Automation
• Collection Development to purchase library materials
• Consulting Services, including a newsletter
• Continuing Education including training opportunities throughout the region
• Networked Resources, including Internet connectivity and electronic databases
• Publicity including the promotion of libraries, library materials, and library activities
• Satellite Training and Teleconferencing providing satellite equipment and downlinking programs
• Technological Support project to help libraries purchase equipment

Big Country Library System (BCLS)

Regional Library: Abilene Public Library

Grant Funding (SFY99): $346,372

Population (SFY98): 466,639

Number of Counties: 32

Number of square miles: 34,054

The Big Country Library System has 33 member and 8 non-member libraries serving areas that are primarily very rural and poor with few trained staff.

The following projects have been planned by BCLS:

• Administration
• Automation
• Collection Development
• Consulting Services, including a newsletter
• Continuing Education
• Networked Resources project that helps libraries pay for Internet connectivity and email accounts

Central Texas Library System (CTLS)

Regional Library: Austin Public Library

Grant Funding (SFY99): $836,029

Population (SFY98): 2,027,688

Number of Counties: 30

Number of square miles: 25,696

The Central Texas Library System has 61 member and 2 non-member libraries, some that serve largely rural areas and others that serve urban residents; both have a sizable number of disadvantaged persons.

The following projects have been planned by CTLS:

• Administration
• Audiovisual
• Automation
• Collection Development
• Consulting Services, including a newsletter
• Continuing Education
• Networked Resources project providing online databases, a CTLS web page with system information
• Youth Services project to help library staff plan and provide services to youth

Houston Area Library System (HALS)

Regional Library: Houston Public Library

Grant Funding (SFY99): $1,813,568

Population (SFY98): 5,144,129

Number of Counties: 28

Number of square miles: 24,468

The Houston Area Library System has 65 member and 2 non-member libraries, some that serve largely rural areas and others that serve ethnically diverse, urban residents; both have a sizable number of disadvantaged persons.

The following projects have been planned by HALS:

• Administration
• Audiovisual/Media Services
• Automation
• Collection Development
• Consulting Services, including a newsletter
• Continuing Education
• Networked Resources providing aid to libraries for Internet access
• Reference Backup program

Northeast Texas Library System (NETLS)

Regional Library: Nicholson Memorial Library (Garland)

Grant Funding (SFY99): $1,391,624

Population (SFY98): 3,798,949

Number of Counties: 33

Number of square miles: 23,882

The Northeast Texas Library System has 94 member and 10 non-member libraries, some that serve largely rural areas and others that serve ethnically diverse urban residents; both have a sizable number of disadvantaged persons.

The following projects have been planned by NETLS:

• Administration
• Audiovisual Services
• Automation
• Collection Development
• Consulting Services, including a newsletter
• Continuing Education
• English as a Second Language
• Literacy
• Networked Resources
• Older Adults
• Publicity
• Technological Support

North Texas Regional Library System (NTRLS)

Regional Library: Non-profit organization based in Fort Worth

Grant Funding (SFY99): $888,295

Population (SFY98): 2,194,313

Number of Counties: 20

Number of square miles: 16,416

The North Texas Regional Library System is, at this time, the only system organized as a non-profit organization. There are 66 member and 2 non-member libraries, some that serve largely rural areas and others that serve ethnically diverse urban residents, all having a sizable number of disadvantaged persons.

The following projects have been planned by NTRLS:

• Administration
• Audiovisual
• Consulting Services, including a newsletter
• Continuing Education
• Collection Development
• Literacy
• Publicity
• Technological Support
• Youth Services

South Texas Library System (STLS)

Regional Library: Corpus Christi Public Library

Grant Funding (SFY99): $764,781

Population (SFY98): 1,801,952

Number of Counties: 26

Number of square miles: 27,403

The South Texas Library System has 47 member and 3 non-member libraries that serve an ethnically diverse population with many living in poverty and rural isolation.

The following projects have been planned by STLS:

• Administration
• Automation
• Cataloging Assistance project of copy cataloging workstations to help area libraries
• Collection Development that includes on-demand book purchases
• Consulting Services, including an award winning newsletter
• Continuing Education
• Adult Literacy project that provides funds for libraries to help in tutor training
• Networked Resources project to provide a WAN and Internet access for entire system
• Publicity
• Reference Backup Service that provides the referral of information requests for member libraries
• Technological Support program

Texas Panhandle Library System (TPLS)

Regional Library: Amarillo Public Library

Grant Funding (SFY99): $323,336

Population (SFY98): 393,200

Number of Counties: 26

Number of square miles: 25,712

The Texas Panhandle Library System has 28 member and 4 non-member libraries that are primarily rurally isolated with few professional staff.

The following projects have been planned by TPLS:

• Administration
• Automation
• Collection Development
• Consulting Services, including a newsletter
• Continuing Education
• Publicity including visible presence at farm and ranch shows in the system
• Resource Sharing that assists area libraries to join a regional consortium of public, academic, and school libraries

Texas Trans-Pecos Library System (TTPLS)

Regional Library: El Paso Public Library

Grant Funding (SFY99): $433,009

Population (SFY98): 742,842

Number of Counties: 9

Number of square miles: 31,439

The Texas Trans-Pecos Library System has 14 member and 0 non-member libraries that with the exception of a single large urban area are primarily very rurally isolated with few professional staff.

The following projects have been planned by TTPLS:

• Administration
• Automation project to begin helping provide retrospective conversion for member libraries
• Collection Development
• Consulting Services, including a newsletter
• Continuing Education
• Publicity

West Texas Library System (WTLS)

Regional Library: Lubbock City-County Library

Grant Funding (SFY99): $426,685

Population (SFY98): 721,276

Number of Counties: 29

Number of square miles: 27,267

The West Texas Library System has 33 member and 2 non-member libraries that are primarily very rurally isolated with few professional staff.

The following projects have been planned by WTLS:

• Administration
• Audiovisual Services
• Automation
• Collection Development
• Consulting Services, including a newsletter
• Continuing Education
• Literacy project that provides funding for area libraries that house and help with local Literacy and English as a Second Language programs
• Publicity
• Networked Resources project

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