We are thrilled to have Mark Smith, the Director of the Texas State Library and Archives Commission and the State Librarian, as our guest for this podcast. He discusses the biggest challenges facing American libraries, why it's crucial for communities to have access to broadband and why he still believes -- more than ever -- that libraries can save America.

"What Will the New Normal Look Like?" Jill Bellomy, librarian at Highland Park Middle School in Dallas and chair of the Texas Association of School Librarians, is the featured guest for this episode. Jill talks with TLA staffer Michele Chan Santos about what practices from the pandemic are likely to stay, what school book fairs will look like this coming year, why nonfiction is important and what she's looking forward to when school starts.

It’s time to talk about summer reading programs! Jeannette Davies of the San Antonio Public Library (SAPL) interviews Cresencia Huff, Coordinator of Children’s Services at SAPL. Also joining the discussion are Kate Simpson and Leslie Elsasser, chairs of SAPL's Children's Summer Reading Club Committee. They discuss motivating children to read, making summer reading fun and building connections to the library during this turbulent year. Includes a fun musical clip from Latin Grammy winning-duo 123 Andres. 

Aram Kim, author of the new book "Sunday Funday in Koreatown," and the popular "No Kimchi for Me!" and "Let's Go to Taekwondo", all in the Yoomi, friends and family series, discusses what inspires her, why she loves libraries and librarians and more, in an interview with Michele Chan Santos of the Texas Library Association.

Curious about the TLA Reading Lists from the Children's Roundtable? Learn about the lists, what makes each of them unique and the rewards of volunteering on a reading list committee in our April episode. 

Discover hidden gems of the upcoming TLA 2021 Annual Conference! Our guests, Christina Gola, TLA President, and Valerie Prilop and Melanie Scales, co-chairs of the 2021 Program Committee, talk about amazing sessions you don't want to miss.

Are you one of the thousands of fans of the Librarian Problems blog? Then make sure to listen to our conversation with William Ottens. He's the creator of that laugh-out-loud blog and the author of "Librarian Tales: Funny, Strange and Inspiring Dispatches from the Stacks." He talks about why he became a librarian, his current pet peeves and more. 

Rachel Yzaguirre, the Community Outreach Librarian of Plano Public Library, hosts this episode, featuring interviews with Cate Sweeney, Public Services Manager and Gretchen Hardin, Public Services Librarian, both of Bee Cave Public Library. The team from Bee Cave Public Library won the TLA 2019 Branding Iron "Best in Show" Award for their #celebrarian social media campaign. We encourage you to enter the Branding Iron Awards!

Let's hear about how public libraries responded with innovation and diligence to the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. Featured guests are Ramiro Salazar, Director of the San Antonio Public Library (SAPL), in the first part of the podcast; and Haley Holmes and Cheryl Sheehan, Public Service Administrators at SAPL, in the second portion of the podcast. Our hosts today are Jeanette Davies of SAPL and Ted Wanner, Director of Education and Member Engagement at the Texas Library Association.

Curious about the TLA Reading Lists from the Young Adult Round Table? Learn about the lists, what makes each of them unique and the rewards of volunteering on a reading list committee from our November episode.