It’s nearly time for the Texas Library Association conference in San Antonio next month! We’re looking forward to the conference and especially to revealing the recipients of our 2017 Texas Book Festival Library Grants! Promoting literacy and supporting Texas libraries has been a big part of the Texas Book Festival mission since our founding in 1995, and as of 2016, we’ve funded 1,077 grants, totaling more than $2.8 million to 600+ libraries. This year, we’ll be awarding $100,000 in Library Grants to libraries all over the state. This funding, which comes from both generous donations and proceeds from the Texas Book Festival, enables libraries to share the diversity and breadth of literature with their entire communities.
The TLA conference is a month away now, and in the meantime we’re taking a look back at what Texas libraries were able to accomplish with their 2016 Texas Book Festival Library Grants. Here are a few great examples:
“Thanks to the Texas Book Festival Library Grant, we have been able to build significantly our Early and Beginning Reader collections. Patron use has been brisk, and the feedback has been amazing. We now have a quality core around which can continue to expand.”
–Olivia Griggs, W. Walworth Harrison Public Library
“With the generous $2300 grant from the Texas Book Festival, The Cleburne Public Library was able to buy 162 additional books for our Spanish section for children of all ages, including award winners, board books, chapter books, non-fiction, and books by well-known authors. This helped more than double the circulation of the Juvenile Spanish books!”
–Susan Reyna, Cleburne Public Library
“Our 2016 grant allowed us to purchase titles for the newly established young adult section and the creation of a Teen Advisory Group that helped in the selection of the titles and continues to assist in the review and selection of new young adult titles.”
–Eileen F. Bell, Real County Public Library Leakey
“Thank you to the Texas Book Festival 2016 Library Grant for supporting our LTCL Bookmobile Opening Collection! With the TBF funds, we were able to stock our bookmobile with popular children’s and adult books that are rarely available on the shelves at the main library. Patrons at our new bookmobile stops have enjoyed the initial bookmobile collection, which has contributed to the ongoing success of the bookmobile. In its first six months of service, over 200 new library accounts were issued, and over 4500 people checked out over 6000 items.”
–Karen Ballinger, Lake Travis Community Library
We’ll announce the 2017 Texas Book Festival Library Grant recipients on April 21 at the 4:00 p.m. session, and we’d love to see you there.
Can’t make it to the TLA conference? Sign up for our mailing list and be among the first to see the recipients of the 2017 Texas Book Festival Library Grants!
