Shirley Igo Award

This award honors the memory of Shirley Igo of Plainview, a past president of the Texas and National PTA and a longtime champion of libraries, education, and literacy.

The Igo Award, which is sponsored jointly by the Texas PTA and the Texas Library Association, recognizes outstanding collaboration between a PTA organization and the school library media center. Projects and efforts at both the local campus and district levels are eligible.

To Enter

To apply for the Shirley Igo Award, complete and submit the 2025-2026 Shirley Igo nomination, Deadline is December 5, 2025.

Completed nominations must include:

• • A description, in 500 words or less, of the purpose and objectives of the collaborative activity (Be VERY clear about the collaboration between the PTA and the school library), a program description, and results of the activity. This is usually written by the librarian but can be written by a parent or someone in the PTA. Identify the campus and/or district in the descriptive narrative.
  • A letter from the principal, superintendent, or another administrator about the collaboration between the PTA and the school library on this project.
  • A letter from the PTA explaining parental involvement in the project.

Examples of eligible projects (any project or service that improves the educational experience and literacy achievements of Texas students):

• Raising the awareness of the school library
• Providing funding for materials and programs for the library
• A multi-generational family literacy program (such as Dia de los Ninos/Dia de los Libros);
• Volunteers in the library
• Innovative programming for students (e.g., one book/one school program)
• Programs for getting parents involved in reading with their children
• Collaborative advocacy initiative
• Public relations and media coverage of library events and services
• Continuing education stipends and scholarships for library staff
• Staffing the library while librarians attend continuing education events and conferences
• Promoting reading incentive programs such as the Texas Bluebonnet Award program
• Engaging local businesses and organizations in school library activities
• Empowering the school administration to allocate resources for the library to achieve the statewide school library standards
• Empowering the school administration to make the library accessible to students on a flexible schedule
• Partnering with a local public or college/university library on a program or project
• Sponsoring the participation of a school librarian in TLA’s TALL Texans Leadership Development Institute
• Advocacy efforts for at least one certified librarian on each campus within a school district
• The library and PTA jointly drafting literacy goals for the school year and publishing them for parents

Judging

The entries will be judged by a panel of elementary, middle, high school, and district-level librarians from the Texas Association of School Librarians (TASL), a division of the Texas Library Association. The decision will be reached approximately one month prior to the annual TLA conference, and all applicants will be notified by email of the decision reached.

Criteria

• Purpose/Objectives. Shows a sense of purpose and objectives for collaborative efforts.
• Descriptions of program/service. Presents a well-defined description of one or more collaborative programs.
• Results of programs/service. Describes the quality of the results of the collaborative programs and/or services.
• Extent of collaboration. Provides evidence that the collaborative efforts met the needs of the targeted participants.
• Extent of improvement to education and/or advance literacy. Proves collaborative activities improved education and/or advanced literacy.

Award Presentation

The librarian representing the winning campus and/or district will be recognized and given a certificate at the TASL Awards Reception, during the TLA 2025 Annual Conference in Dallas, TX. The winning PTA will be awarded a plaque at the Texas PTA’s Summer LAUNCH conference. An announcement will also be made in the publications of the TASL and Texas PTA organizations. (There is no monetary award.)

Past Winners