Dianna Landes, Director of the Lakehills Area Library, is our guest host for this podcast. She interviews Cindy Fisher, Senior Program Coordinator, Texas Broadband Development Office, and the former Digital Inclusion Coordinator of TSLAC. They talk about the Texas Digital Navigators grant program, run through TSLAC, which awarded grants to help libraries close the digital divide in their area in a measurable way. Digital Navigators are individuals who address the whole digital inclusion process — home connectivity, devices, and digital skills — with community members through repeated interactions. Dianna discusses the Digital Navigator program at her library and they talk about the ways libraries can help people connect.

In this special podcast series about the TALL Texans Leadership Institute, Brandi Dawson, chair of the TALL Texans Round Table, examines a different aspect of TALL Texans each week. In this episode, Brandi talks with TALL Texan alumni Judy Boone (Director of Digital and Learning Resources at Irving ISD) and Chamong Siong (Senior Librarian, Fort Worth Public Library) about their experiences at TALL Texans and what to expect from the content there. They discuss how TALL Texans can help librarians at various stages in their careers and how they keep the lessons from TALL fresh after the program ends.

What are the "Hidden Gems" that you don't want to miss at the upcoming TLA Annual Conference - the education sessions that are worth your time, but might otherwise get overlooked? Here to share their wisdom is Mary Woodard, our TLA President, recently retired from Mesquite ISD; Jo Giudice, co-chair of the Conference Program Committee and the Director of the Dallas Public Library; and Emma McDonald co-chair of the Conference Program Committee and Director of Library Services at Mesquite ISD. See what sessions they recommend that might otherwise go overlooked. #txla23

Brandi Dawson, chair of the TALL Texans Round Table, interviews Donna Kearley, chair of the TALL Texans Selection Committee, about common mistakes to avoid when applying for the TALL Texans Leadership Institute and why it's worth applying again even if you applied unsuccessfully before.

Alexandra Cornejo, chair of the TLA PR & Marketing Committee, and Library Media Specialist at the Harlingen School of Health Professions, interviews Karina Quilantan-Garza, TLA's Librarian of the Year. Karina is the Library Media Specialist at Jaime Escalante Middle School in Pharr-San Juan- Alamo ISD. They discuss advocating for their students in the Rio Grande Valley, setting up a gaming club to teach creativity and connectivity through tabletop games, card games and esports, and why sharing their students' stories is so important.

Brandi Dawson, chair of the TALL Texans Round Table, talks about the new application for the TALL Texans Leadership Institute and goes over logistics of this renowned leadership program. Part 1 of a mini-series about TALL Texans, hosted by Brandi.

This episode is hosted by Jessica Silva, librarian at El Paso High School, El Paso ISD and our topic today is “How to set up high school students for success in college and beyond.”

Our featured guests are Lorely Ambriz, El Paso Community College; Jackie Chetzron, Dallas ISD; David Baca, Texas A&M University -Galveston; Jennifer Ottinger, Texas Woman's University; and Bryant Moore, Texas A&M - San Antonio. Guests discuss how best to prepare high school students for the rigor of college coursework and how to help them utilize library resources while in college.

In this 12-minute episode, two Texas Library Association staff members, Membership Coordinator Christy Reynolds and Meeting and Events Manager Michelle Cruz, share their top three reasons you should renew your TLA membership (or join if you are new to our organization) and register for the annual conference.