HELP!

So I am in charge of this big honking statewide electronic resources program: TexQuest, and I need some help letting folks know about it.

The Texas State Library and Gale have issued press releases that have gone out nationwide, we have posted it on Facebook and Twitter, I have sent out several email blasts through our own Texas Library Association listserv, and we are even hosing a Google Hangout tomorrow afternoon!

What do I do to reach out to people who need to know this awesome program is available (school librarians, administrators, parents, teachers, etc.), but who are not connected to these channels? Should I rent a plane and fly banners all over the state? Should I go on a driving adventure tour to our 1,200 school districts and knock on doors like a vacuum cleaner salesman? Should I send out carrier pigeons? Smoke signals?

I am looking for ideas people! Help me out!

Oh, as of today, I have 182 districts signed up, which is not a bad start...

Need a Crash Course on Implementing Project-Based Learning? Look No Further.

Check out my presentation last week with EasyBib!



Need a Crash Course on Implementing Project-Based Learning? Look No Further.



Please get in the conversation!



#edchat #pblchat #tlchat #txlchat

School Library Newsletter Preview

Coming on Monday...

Happy Summer!

Ah, June. Time to reflect upon all of the great work school librarians have done over the last year. I hope that 2013-2014 has been an amazing year for everyone, and that you all get plenty of rest during the summer months.
Things will be busy here at the State Library as I adjust to my first year without a summer break after 15 years of serving in schools. TSLAC and Region 20 will be working hard this summer, promoting the TexQuest program all over the state, developing training for librarians, teachers, students, parents, and administrators, and making sure TexQuest gets off to an amazing start.
Speaking of amazing starts, Friday the 13th is no longer unlucky! Join us in a Google Hangout on Friday, June 13 at 2 PM as we celebrate the launch of the TexQuest program with a virtual Ribbon Cutting Ceremony. Our director and State Librarian Mark Smith will join me, incoming TASLA President Nora Galvan, Susanna Garza from Region 20 ESC, and our own Commissioner Sharon Carr to celebrate the beginning of TexQuest.

More About TexQuest!

Districts and open enrollment charter schools across Texas are invited to sign up for TexQuest! The program is free for the 2014-2015 school year, and districts will be asked to pay a small annual participation fee of 22 cents per student beginning in 2015-2016. Because of budget cycles, districts who have signed up for TexQuest will be invoiced for the 2015-2016 school year in January 2015, so please plan some space in your budgets to continue your district's participation in this program in 2015-2016!
More information (Including the signup form and FAQs) can be found on the TexQuest Website.

Resources for Teachers and Librarians

Teachers and librarians will love this resource - DocsTeach from the National Archives and Records Administration’s (NARA) education outreach, which uses primary source photographs and documents in several ready to use educational tools. More information here.

Future paleontologists and scientists will find the University of Michigan's online repository of fossils in 3D fascinating. It is an ongoing program that lets users experience holding a fossil in their hands. This amazing interface allows students to rotate, zoom, and measure aspects of fossils in their 3D collection. There are many exciting possibilities for this online resource!

If your district participates in Google Apps for education, you might be interested to hear about Google Classroom, a solution that integrates Docs, Drive, and Gmail into a more cohesive online class experience. Teachers and librarians can sign up for a preview now!

Science NetLinks is a premier K-12 science education resource produced by the American Association for the Advancement of Science. At Science NetLinks, you'll find teaching tools, interactives, podcasts, and hands-on activities, and all of it is free!

YALSA has a great contest for your local teens! Teens aged 12 -18 can sign up now through August 1, 2014 for a chance to guest blog for YALSA’s young adult literature blog, The Hub. Winning teens will blog about a wide range of topics related to YA literature while also further developing their writing and blogging skills.
Questions about the contest or about Teen Read Week?  Contact Anna Lam at alam@ala.org.

Is your library collaborating with your local workforce or economic development groups? TLA and TSLAC are surveying workforce/library partnerships across the state. Please take a few minutes to complete the WORKFORCE SURVEY that has just been released. We will use this information to help develop training, identify best practices, and support new and enhanced partnerships in these sectors. You can preview the survey in full by using the Workforce Survey PDF.
Information about TLA’s workforce initiative “WIN at the library” is available on the WIN webpage.

Continuing Education Opportunities

Michael Cart will present an update on Infopeople: What's New in Young Adult Literature on June 11 at 1 PM

• Do you know the latest trends in Young Adult literature are?
• Looking for emerging authors?
• Need a list of the latest “hot” YA books?
• Want recommendations for the best adult books for YAs?

Be Fearless: Public Speaking for Librarians June 18, 1 PM

Do you quake at the thought of public speaking? Are you also faced with the need to communicate to audiences, small or large, the importance of your work in libraries? You really can overcome your anxieties and master the art of public speaking. Join us for this webinar to learn some basic skills for preparing and delivering speeches, plus tips to manage your nervousness and make your library presentations more memorable.

TexQuest is ready for districts to sign up!

Dear Texas K-12 school districts and librarians,

It is time to sign up for TexQuest, the statewide online resources for Texas public school districts and open enrollment charter schools! Please visit the TexQuest website at http://texquest.net to begin the signup process.

As you sign up, please keep these points in mind:

·         TexQuest registration will be done at the district level, not the campus level. Campus librarians: please ensure this message reaches the proper personnel within your district; those staff members with district purchasing authority.

·         Please read the guides and instructions posted on the TexQuest website carefully; they will be a great aid during the sign up process. If you have questions or need help during the process, please contact the Region 20 Support Center at texquest@esc20.info

·         Participation in TexQuest is free for the first year of the program (June 2014-June 2015), but districts will be invoiced in January 2015 to participate in the program for the second year that begins June 2015. The participation fee is 22 cents per student based on October 2013 enrollment, so please take steps to plan your budget accordingly.

The Texas State Library and Archives Commission is pleased to offer these resources for school libraries across the state. In partnership with Region 20 Education Service Center, we are here to support Texas school libraries in their implementation of this program, and we welcome every opportunity to assist school libraries. Please feel free to contact us at K12@tsl.texas.gov or (512) 463-5852 with your questions or comments. Please forward this information to anyone in your professional circles or associations who may have missed this announcement.

Wow!

This week, I got to experience the Texas Library Association from yet another perspective, that of a vendor. So far I've gone to this conference as a presenter (twice), a conference attendee (also twice), and now as a vendor. I have enjoyed each experience in different ways. This year, I was not able to attend as many sessions as usual because of meetings and manning the booth on the exhibit floor. This was actually OK, because it allowed me to work on rolling out the K-12 database program for Texas, and to meet and begin interacting with many of the folks I'll be working closely with for the next several months to make this program successful! I also got to speak with hundreds of school librarians and hear their thoughts on the new program as well.

I'll have my work cut out for me next week as I dive headlong into the details of this project, but I am still as enthusiastic about it as I was when I started!

If you are interested in learning more, TSLAC has the FAQs posted here:
https://www.tsl.texas.gov/k12/e-resources

And Gale has an excellent support site all set up for Texas school librarians, with links to their products:
http://galesupport.com/texas/

More to come soon, including how to sign up with Region 20 Education Service Center!

TLA Next Week

I am excited to join my fellow school librarians at TLA next week! I was just checking out the Tech Camp information on the TASL page of the TLA site, and I am kicking myself for not signing up when I registered. Like many "techie" people, I sometimes feel as though there is not much for me to learn at tech camps; I stay abreast of innovations in educational technology, and I feel that I am pretty savvy. After reading the session descriptions, however, I am reminded that no one knows everything, and that participating in tech camps and technical sessions at TLA, SXSW, TCEA, and other conferences should be a priority if I am to keep up with everything that is going on.

Tech is not only about innovations and gadgets. At the end of the day, tech is about how people use those innovations and gadgets. That is where librarians of all types can swoop in and help!

See you @ TLA!

Settling In

I am finally starting to settle in as the new School Program Coordinator at the Texas State Library and Archives Commission!

My first major project, aside from getting ready for the Texas Library Association Conference next week, is rolling out the K-12 School Database Program! I am including the FAQs we published on the TSLAC Website as well as the link. Wish us luck!

https://www.tsl.texas.gov/k12/e-resources

State Funded Resources for Texas K12 Public Schools - Update and FAQ
March 2014 Update

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New digital resources coming soon!

The Legislature provided funds to the Texas State Library and Archives Commission to re-establish statewide digital resources for K12 public school libraries. The bid process is complete and the digital resources selected will be announced in April. Schools will have access to new content starting in June 2014.

How can school districts participate?

School districts will receive forms starting in late April asking them to sign up for the program.

Is there a charge for these resources?

There is not a charge the first year of the program (June 2014-June 2015). The Legislature requires a participation fee from school districts starting in FY2015.

How much is the charge to school districts in FY2015?

The K12 school library program advisory group recommended $0.22 (22 cents) per pupil. This is a flat rate for each district which will be assessed based on the FY2014 data submitted to the Texas Education  Agency.

When will a school district receive an invoice for the FY2015 participation fee?

The Texas State Library and Archives Commission expects to invoice school districts starting in January 2015. The FY2015 contracts begin June15, 2015.

What if a school district does not pay the participation fee?

School districts that do not pay the participation fee starting in FY2015 will not have access to any of the online resources.

How does my district set up the Texas State Library and Archives Commission as a vendor in its system?

If your district has forms that must submitted please send them as soon as possible to: Texas State Library and Archives Commission, PO Box 12516, Austin, TX 78711 or emailed to ar@tsl.texas.gov.

Questions?

Please contact ld@tsl.texas.gov or contact Deborah Littrell, dlittrell@tsl.texas.gov, 512-463-5456.