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Volunteer

You’re a member, now what? Use TLA to help improve your leadership skills by volunteering! Opportunities to get involved with TLA are available for any interest you may have. From the district level to being involved with advocacy, TLA has a place for you. Commitments range from one event to throughout the year, allowing everyone to get involved in some way. How can you get involved? Volunteer!

TLA Committees

With 23 standing committees, there is sure to be an area that interests you! Serving on a TLA committee is a great way to grow your professional network, gain leadership experience, and meet some really fun people. Committee charges are outlined in the TLA Standing Rules. The TLA President appoints all members of the committees.

Volunteer for the TLA 2023 Annual Conference in Austin

Are you available to help the 2023 TLA Conference Planning Committee April 19-22nd?

Volunteers should be willing to volunteer for a minimum of 2 consecutive hours. While librarians must be registered for the conference, paraprofessionals and support staff who are not registered for the conference will receive a complimentary exhibits-only pass with four hours of volunteer service.

Volunteer for conference

TLA Units – Districts, Divisions, Round Tables

TLA has 10 districts representing the geographic areas of the state; four divisions representing the four types of libraries; and 24 round tables organized around professional interests, reflecting the diverse interests of TLA members. There are countless ways to be involved! Share your talents and gain new skills and experience.

Unit Officer and Committee Volunteer Interest Form

Complete this form if you are interested in serving the Texas Library Association is a leadership role as a unit officer or serving on a TLA standing committee.

TLA Basic Information

TLA Member Number

All TLA Officers must be a current TLA member.

Name

First Middle Last

As listed on your TLA Membership profile.

TLA preferred email address

Phone

Best phone to contact you directly.

Institution

TLA Division

TLA District

TLA Round Table

Currently serving on a TLA Standing Committee

Yes

Currently serving as a unit officer or councilor

Yes

Unit Officer or Standing Committee

Are you interested in serving as an officer for a unit?

Yes

Maybe

Are you interested in serving on a TLA standing committee?

Yes

Maybe

TLA Unit Officer Positions

Each Division, District and Round Table (Units) are governed by volunteer elected officers.

Unit Chair (Chair-Elect, Chair, Past Chair)

Interested

Not Interested

Maybe

Unit Chair is a three-year commitment (Chair-Elect, Chair and Past Chair) Chair Responsibilities include but are not limited to: scheduling and leading unit meetings (at least two a year, usually virtual), provide TLA with any unit updates (officer changes, stipend deadlines, conference program proposals), prepare and submit annual budget, maintaining unit webpage, conduct unit elections and encourage TLA membership recruitment. Required attendance at Annual Assembly and Annual Conference. Must serve one year as chair-elect first to shadow, and one year after as past-chair to mentor.

Unit Councilor

Interested

Not Interested

Maybe

Councilor position is a three-year commitment. Responsibilities include: attending all unit meetings and representing unit at all Council meetings (2 at Annual Assembly, 2 at Annual Conference). Required attendance at Annual Assembly and Annual Conference (where Council meetings will take place in person).

Unit Councilor-Alternate

Interested

Not Interested

Maybe

Councilor-Alt position is a three-year commitment. Responsibilities include: acting as back up for the Unit Councilor, attending all unit meetings and representing unit at all Council meetings if Unit Councilor is unable to attend (2 at Annual Assembly, 2 at Annual Conference). Required attendance at Annual Assembly and Annual Conference (where Council meetings will take place in person).

Unit Secretary or Treasurer

Interested

Not Interested

Maybe

Record minutes of all official unit meetings. Report and maintain records and correspondence as deemed necessary by the Chair or TLA. Review financial records maintained by TLA office and report any questions or discrepancies to TLA office. Ensure Unit’s Google Drive is maintained and managed in an obvious file structure. Encouraged attendance at Annual Assembly and Annual Conference.

Web Administrator

Interested

Not Interested

Maybe

Work with the Unit Chair to update and maintain all current information on the unit’s webpage. Website is edited through WordPress and training is provided by TLA Staff. Encouraged attendance at Annual Assembly and Annual Conference.

I am unsure about serving.

Interested, but position not listed.

Interested, but unsure which position is best for me.

Not interested in serving as an officer anymore.

TLA Standing Committee Member or Chair

Awards Committee

Interested in serving as a member

Interested in serving as the chair, co-chair, or vice chair

Interested in serving as either

Not interested in serving on this committee

Select recipients for TLA Awards. Review and revise award criteria, rubric and application. At least four virtual meetings a year and encouraged attendance at TLA Annual Conference for award presentations. Appointment term commitment is 3 years.

Bylaws Committee

Interested in serving as a member

Interested in serving as the chair, co-chair, or vice chair

Interested in serving as either

Not interested in serving on this committee

Review and study the Bylaws and Standing Rules and recommend amendments and changes to Council. Can exercise a deep understanding of TLA practices and suggest association best practices. At least four virtual meetings a year and encouraged attendance at all Council meetings. Appointment term commitment is 3 years.

Disaster Relief Committee

Interested in serving as a member

Interested in serving as the chair, co-chair, or vice chair

Interested in serving as either

Not interested in serving on this committee

Coordinates TLA’s response to all types of disasters that severely affect libraries in Texas, updates Disaster Relief grant application and rubric as needed; reviews and determines grant awards. Required two virtual meetings, with the understanding that in case of an emergency disaster, more meetings may be required. Encouraged attendance at TLA Annual Conference to help with the raffle for the Disaster Relief Endowment. Appointment term commitment is 3 years.

Equity, Diversity & Inclusion Committee

Interested in serving as a member

Interested in serving as the chair, co-chair, or vice chair

Interested in serving as either

Not interested in serving on this committee

Create, guide, and recommend structures and policies to help meet the TLA Strategic Plan for diversity and inclusiveness. The committee will be responsible for the continuous monitoring, evaluation, assessment, improvement and updating of the TLA Diversity Action Plan.

Intellectual Freedom Committee

Interested in serving as a member

Interested in serving as the chair, co-chair, or vice chair

Interested in serving as either

Not interested in serving on this committee

Work with the Legislative Committee to watch proposed legislation which would restrict or interfere with the selection and acquisition of materials and other professional activities of libraries. Required two virtual business meetings a year and encouraged year-round advocacy for the protection of intellectual freedom in libraries. Appointment term commitment is 3 years.

Lariat Reading List Committee

Interested in serving as a member

Interested in serving as the chair, co-chair, or vice chair

Interested in serving as either

Not interested in serving on this committee

The Lariat Adult Fiction Reading List is compiled for use by the general reader and librarians who work with adult readers. Its purpose is to call attention to outstanding fiction published during the year that merits special attention from readers. List published in January. Committee begins work in February to publish the list by the following January. Required at least four virtual meetings a year. Appointment term commitment is 3 years.

Legislative Committee

Interested in serving as a member

Interested in serving as the chair, co-chair, or vice chair

Interested in serving as either

Not interested in serving on this committee

Establish and maintain an effective network for contacting legislative representatives and keep the association informed on state and federal legislation affecting libraries. Work closely with Director of Communication and Advocacy to promote legislative support for library legislation. Required four virtual meetings, with the understanding that more meetings may be required depending on the Texas State Legislative session. Appointment term is 4 years.

Public Relations & Marketing Committee

Interested in serving as a member

Interested in serving as the chair, co-chair, or vice chair

Interested in serving as either

Not interested in serving on this committee

Promote libraries and the maximum use of libraries and expansion of library services throughout Texas by encouraging strong community involvement, cooperative relationships among libraries of various types on non-library partners. Coordinate with TLA staff to develop a regular podcast and manage the TLA Branding Iron Award program. Required four virtual meetings. Appointment term is 3 years.

Scholarship & Grants Committee

Interested in serving as a member

Interested in serving as the chair, co-chair, or vice chair

Interested in serving as either

Not interested in serving on this committee

Review and approve rubrics and applications. Publicizes the availability of scholarships, and other such awards in the Fall. Encourage nominations and applications during the winter. Determine recipients in the early Spring prior to conference. Required four virtual meetings, with the possibility of more depending on the committee scope of work. Encouraged attendance at TLA Annual Conference. Appointment term is 3 years.

TALL Texans Selection Committee

Interested in serving as a member

Interested in serving as the chair, co-chair, or vice chair

Interested in serving as either

Not interested in serving on this committee

Review TALL Texans rubrics and application. Review and select TALL Texans students from pool of applicants. Required at least two virtual meetings, with an understanding that outside work will be required to review and grade applications. Appointment term is 3 years.

Tejas Star Reading List Committee

Interested in serving as a member

Interested in serving as the chair, co-chair, or vice chair

Interested in serving as either

Not interested in serving on this committee

The Tejas Star Reading List is a recommended reading list intended for recreational reading and to encourage children ages 5-12 to explore multicultural books and discover the cognitive and economic benefits of bilingualism and multilingualism. Committee members must be able to speak, read and write in Spanish. List published in January. Committee begins work in February to publish the list by the following January. Required at least four virtual meetings a year. Appointment term commitment is 3 years.

Are you bilingual?(Required)

Yes

Able to speak, read, and write in Spanish

Texas Bluebonnet Award Program Committee

Interested in serving as a member

Interested in serving as the chair, co-chair, or vice chair

Interested in serving as either

Not interested in serving on this committee

The Texas Bluebonnet Award Program Committee coordinates the activities with the Texas Bluebonnet Award Program (TBA). This committee administers a reading award program designed for Texas children in grades 3-6, who vote for a favorite book from a selected reading list prepared by the TBA Committee. Required four virtual meetings a year and required attendance at the TLA Annual Conference. Appointment term commitment is 3 years.

Texas Bluebonnet Award Selection Committee

Interested in serving as a member

Interested in serving as the chair, co-chair, or vice chair

Interested in serving as either

Not interested in serving on this committee

The Texas Bluebonnet Award Selection Committee will participate in guiding and directing the educational focus of the TBA Program in conjunction with the TBA Program Committee. Prepares a selected reading list for the TBA Program, based on extensive reading and outside suggestions submitted to the Committee. Required four virtual meetings, and consistent work throughout the year. Encourage attendance at the TLA Annual Conference. Appointment term commitment is 3 years.

Texas Book Festival Committee

Interested in serving as a member

Interested in serving as the chair, co-chair, or vice chair

Interested in serving as either

Not interested in serving on this committee

Promote and provide assistance to the Texas Book Festival, as needed, including publicizing the Texas Book Festival to the library community and helping to broaden the participation through the state in festival activities. Participate in scoring Texas Book Festival Grants. Required two virtual meetings and attendance at the Texas Book Festival. Appointment term is 3 years.

Texas Topaz Nonfiction Reading List Committee

Interested in serving as a member

Interested in serving as the chair, co-chair, or vice chair

Interested in serving as either

Not interested in serving on this committee

The Texas Topaz Nonfiction Reading List is a recommended reading list for children and adults with recommended nonfiction titles and stimulate reading for pleasure and personal learning. List published in January. Committee begins work in February to publish the list by the following January. Required at least four virtual meetings a year. Appointment term commitment is 3 years.

Texas Youth Creator Awards Committee

Interested in serving as a member

Interested in serving as the chair, co-chair, or vice chair

Interested in serving as either

Not interested in serving on this committee

The Texas Youth Creator Award Committee will administer the annual competition and monitor the production and distribution of all publicity and promotional materials associated with the program. Coordinate arrangements for the Awards ceremony at Annual Conference. Required four virtual meetings a year and encouraged attendance at the TLA Annual Conference. Appointment term is 3 years.

Conference Planning Committee

Interested in serving as a member

Interested in serving as the chair, co-chair, or vice chair

Interested in serving as either

Not interested in serving on this committee

The Conference Planning Committee works to plan the TLA Annual Conference. Members will meet virtually and in-person throughout the year to determine the programs and local arrangements at the annual conference. Required attendance at Annual Assembly and Annual Conference with monthly virtual meetings throughout the year. Member will be responsible for all travel on their own. Appointment term is 1.5 years.

Unsure

Interested in serving on a different committee (ie: Unit Sub-committee)

Not interested in serving on a committee any longer

Need more information before making a decision.

Reading Lists for All Ages!

Fiction, nonfiction, graphic novels, bilingual, multicultural, picture books for your reading pleasure.

TLA Reading Lists

Become a TLA Member!

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Join TLA!

Latest News

View all News

2023 Lariat Adult Fiction Reading List Released

January 11, 2023

TLA News, TLA Reading Lists

The 2023 Lariat Adult Fiction Reading List is here! Since 2009, the goal of the Lariat Adult Fiction Reading List is to highlight outstanding fiction that is “simply a pleasure to read.” To […]

2023 Texas Topaz Reading List Announced

January 10, 2023

TLA News, TLA Reading Lists

The Texas Library Association is thrilled to announce the new Texas Topaz Nonfiction Reading List! The purpose of the Texas Topaz Reading List is to provide children, teens, and adults […]

Acquisitions & Collection Development Round Table
Black Caucus Round Table
Cataloging & Metadata Round Table
Children’s Round Table
Copyright Access Round Table
Digital Libraries Round Table
Government Documents Round Table
Innovation and Technology Round Table
Interlibrary Loan Resource Sharing Round Table
Latino Caucus Round Table
Library Friends Trustees Advocates Round Table
Library Instruction Round Table
Library Support Staff Round Table
New Members Round Table
Programming for Adults Round Table
Queers and Allies Round Table
Reference Information Services Round Table
Retired Librarians Round Table
Small Community Libraries Round Table
Storytelling Round Table
Supervision Management Administration Round Table
TALL Texans Round Table
Texas Authors and Illustrators Round Table
Young Adult Round Table
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