Texas Border Business
Edinburg, TX — The Texas State Library and Archives Commission (TSLAC) recently awarded funding to the Dustin Michael Sekula Memorial Library under its Texas Reads Grant program. The program awarded, Storytelling & Story Reading 101 will provide a series of professional development workshops, for staff working with children and young adults by a professional storyteller. Attendees will learn and develop storytelling techniques using their voice, props, puppets, etc. The objective is to create and inspire future generations to love to read, thus creating a more literate community.
This project is just one of 43 made possible this year by a grant from the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services to the Texas State Library and Archives Commission under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act. “Communities in every corner of Texas will benefit from the resources that have been made available through this list of forward‐thinking grant proposals,” said TSLAC Director and Librarian Gloria Meraz.
For the 2022 fiscal year, which runs from September 1, 2021, to August 31, 2022, TSLAC has awarded approximately $1.18 million in competitive grants. “The ideas formed in these grants align directly with our agency’s mission to ensure that citizens have access to the information they need to lead informed, productive, and fulfilled lives,” comments Meraz. The agency’s Texas Reads Grant program supports projects that promote reading and literacy within local communities. TSLAC is funding 15 Texas Reads Grants this year, with awards ranging from $3,000 to $10,000.
“Reading is key to educational success and one way to connect with children and teens is to tell them stories in a way that engages them, then the key is to lead them to additional stories that will capture their attention and encourage them to read on their own. By empowering our children’s and teen staff with storytelling skills, we hope to open a new and exciting way to encourage reading,” said Letty Leija, Library & Cultural Arts Director.
THE TEXAS STATE LIBRARY AND ARCHIVES COMMISSION formed in 1909, TSLAC is committed to giving Texans access to information and programs to improve their lives and communities. TSLAC provides historical and genealogical search assistance, federal, and state government documents, electronic research, and library services to all Texans, including those who are unable to read standard print material because of physical or reading disabilities. For more information, visit www.tsl.texas.gov
