Organization Awards $100,000 to 48 Public Libraries Across Texas, surpassing $3 Million donated to Texas Libraries since 1996.
April 6, 2018 Austin - The Texas Book Festival announced the winners of its 2018 Texas Library Grants at the Texas Library Association conference in Dallas today. Forty-eight public libraries across 37 Texas counties received grants totaling $100,131.72.
The TBF’s Texas Library Grants support collection enhancements that allow public libraries to meet the needs of their diverse communities by updating, improving, and expanding the variety of the books offered to their patrons. Out of the 48 public libraries awarded, nine are first-time Texas Book Festival library grant recipients.
How Grant Money Will Be Used
2018 funds target a mix of needs. Several libraries receiving a Texas Book Festival grant will expand their collection of Spanish and bilingual books, including Cockrell Hill Public Library, located in a city where 91% of residents are Latino, but only one eighth of the library's current collection serves the needs of bilingual and Spanish-speaking families and individuals.
Other libraries will expand their audiobook collections, replacing collections currently held on decaying cassette tapes. Bandera County Public Library, for instance, will use its Texas Book Festival grant money to serve special needs students in their community who listen to audiobooks for educational and personal enrichment.
Many library grantees are rural, including Roberta Bourne Memorial Library, the only library in its area within 300 square miles. With its Texas Book Festival grant, this library will replace out-of-date and worn out books and update their collections which serve as an important resource for the local population, 29% of which is below the poverty line.
“The books and resources housed within public libraries across Texas should be celebrated, maintained, and updated,” says Lois Kim, executive director of the Texas Book Festival. “The Texas Book Festival is committed to continuing to listen to what experienced and dedicated librarians across the state tell us they most need to best serve their communities.”
2018 Texas Book Festival Library Grant Recipients:
1. Allen Public Library
2. Alpine Public Library
3. Bandera County Public Library
4. Benbrook Public Library
5. Bonham Public Library
6. Boyce Ditto Public Library
7. Camp Wood Public Library
8. Charlotte Public Library
9. Cleburne Public Library
10. Cockrell Hill Public Library
11. Cooke County Library
12. Cross Plains Public Library
13. Dickens County-Spur Public Library
14. Dickinson Public Library
15. Dripping Springs Community Library
16. Driscoll Public Library
17. Elgin Public Library
18. Fannie Brown Booth Memorial Library
19. Flower Mound Public Library
20. Harrington Library
21. Henderson County Library
22. Hondo Public Library
23. Hutto Public Library
24. Judy B. McDonald Public Library
25. Lake Travis Community Library District
26. Little Elm Public Library
27. Longview Public Library
28. Lubbock Public Library – Mahon
29. Marathon Public Library
30. Mary Lou Reddick Public Library
31. McAllen Public Library
32. McMullen Public Library
33. Mesquite Public Library
34. Mt. Enterprise Library
35. Orange Public Library
36. Palacios Library, Inc.
37. Pasadena Public Libraries
38. Pflugerville Public Libraries
39. Pottsboro Area Library
40. Roberta Bourne Memorial Library
41. Sam Fore Jr. Public Library
42. Smithville Public Library
43. Stewart C. Meyer Harker Heights Public Library
44. T.L.L. Temple Memorial Library
45. Westworth Village Public Library
46. White Rock Hills Library
47. White Settlement Public Library
48. Whitehouse Community Library
Since the Texas Book Festival’s founding in 1995, part of its mission has been to promote Texas libraries and literacy. Each year, proceeds raised at the annual Festival through book sales and individual, corporate, and foundation sponsorships fund the Festival’s Texas Library Grants. Over $3 million has been awarded to more than 800 libraries across Texas.
Applications for the 2018-19 public library grant cycle will be available in December 2018. For more information, visit http://www.texasbookfestival.org/library-grants/.
ABOUT TEXAS BOOK FESTIVAL
With a vision to inspire Texans of all ages to love reading, the Texas Book Festival connects authors and readers through experiences that celebrate the culture of literacy, ideas, and imagination. Founded in 1995 by former First Lady Laura Bush, Mary Margaret Farabee, and a group of volunteers, the nonprofit Texas Book Festival promotes the joys of reading and writing through its annual Festival Weekend, the one-day Texas Teen Book Festival, the Reading Rock Stars program, grants to Texas libraries, Fresh Ink Fiction Contest, and year-round literary programming. The Festival is held on the grounds of the Texas Capitol each fall and features more than 275 renowned authors, panels, book signings, live music, cooking demonstrations, and children’s activities. The 2018 Texas Book Festival Weekend will take place on October 27 and 28. Thanks to generous donors, sponsors, and 1,000 volunteers, the Festival remains free and open to the public. Visit www.texasbookfestival.org for more information, and join the conversation using the hashtag #txbookfest on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram @texasbookfest.
