TLA involvement can add to your career development through a demonstration of willingness to participate in a professional community outside of your library. Whether you are in year 2 or year 20 of your career, TLA involvement can help in your growth as a librarian.  It is never too early or too late to get involved.  So how do you get involved? Where do you start, especially if you don’t have anyone to guide you?

Volunteer at the Annual Convention.  TLA has 11 employees, they cannot run the entire convention.  They count on volunteers like yourself to help.  The sign up <https://txla.org/annual-conference/general-information/volunteer/ > is open now.  You can pick areas that you are interested in or want to know more about.  Each area you can volunteer at is run by volunteers from the Conference Planning Committee.  It is a great way to connect with them and learn more ways to get involved with TLA. Volunteer opportunities include:

AUTHOR’S AREA --> Manage access to authors (e.g. organize people in lines within policies) in the Author's Area of the Exhibit Hall

EXHIBITS --> Register and assist exhibitors & authors, answering questions, providing directions.

HOSPITALITY --> Assist speakers by providing badges, directions, and gifts in the Reg Area.

INFORMATION -->  Support Information Desk in registration by posting messages, answering questions, & managing Lost & Found.

MEETING ROOM ASSISTANCE --> Staff volunteer stations, check room set-ups, count attendees, & resolve problems.

CONVENER  -->  Welcome attendees to a specific meeting room/session, introduce speakers, communicate any issues to the Meeting Room Assistance team, and monitor the clock to ensure the program begins and ends on time.

REGISTRATION --> Greet attendees, help manage flow, and answer questions.

TRANSPORTATION --> Staff transportation information table to assist with Lyft troubleshooting and provide information about destinations and routes. 

VOLUNTEER CHECK-IN --> Assist with checking in conference volunteers.

Attend the TLA convention, in the spring of each year, you can explore the exhibition floor, learn from  phenomenal sessions, and attend reading lists and author panels. Don’t be afraid to write a proposal and present it at the next TLA convention.  Proposals are usually open during May and June.

Are you part of the New Members Round Table?  Join the mixer events at TLA this year.  Meet some new people and create library connections.

Newbies Brewing Connections Hour - Wednesday, April 2 7-8 am D220

Newbie Renaissance Feast: Brown Bag Lunch - Wednesday, April 2 12:30 -1:30 pm D220

Become active in your Round Table! <https://txla.org/tla-groups/tla-round-tables/>  When you join TLA, you also sign up for a round table that meets your interests.  Make sure you receive emails and updates from your round table in ENGAGE.  The YART and Children's Round Table send out a google form every year in August/ September asking for volunteers.  Sign up to volunteer.  This includes reading lists (these are a time commitment) and you serve for 3 years.  I am currently in my 2nd year on the Spirit of Texas Reading List (SPOT). We nominate and read Middle Grade and Young Adult level novels connected to Texas, write programming for books we choose, and create questions and activities for chosen books. With 40 books this year, the reading was the largest time commitment for me. 

Become involved in TASL ,https://txla.org/tla-groups/divisions/texas-association-of-school-librarians/about/> .  They also send out a google form <https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeZY8nJKj4CPCtx5T8iU-G2Rk7a4jMPMXO-IFoSanH4GplwAA/viewform>  for those who would like to volunteer.  This form usually goes out in April.  These committees <https://docs.google.com/document/d/1IH4uOf4OG7fYjuzTdHYQdNGBp017ycLBT6aB2f1cXZI/edit?tab=t.0#heading=h.eb4nf9rxlu44>  are less of a time commitment.  I have been a member of the membership committee.  Members of this committee put out a monthly newsletter where each member is responsible for contributing to one part of the newsletter.   This is like a 15 - 30 minute commitment once a month.   You can also be part of the TASL Talks Committee that puts out this blog.  You are responsible for 2 -3 blog entries per year.  You don’t even have to write them  -- just recruit others to write a blog entry.  Most of these committees are a 2 year commitment. 

Get involved in your District Meetings <https://txla.org/tla-groups/tla-districts/ >.  TLA has 10 districts across the state.  Each district holds a district meeting twice a year that a group of officers plans. 

Don’t be afraid to apply for TALL Texans or LAUNCH.  Both will give you the opportunity to grow professionally.  You are given a mentor and you meet people across the state who are involved in the library world.  You get to make those connections with librarians outside of school librarians. I was a member of the Tall Texans Class 2022.  Tall Texans was an amazing experience where I made friends in the library world that I would not have had otherwise.  The bonds you make with your class will last for years to come.  It helped me grow as a leader,  learn advocacy skills, and gave me ammunition for teaching our community about the impact libraries provide for our communities.  

TLA Leadership Opportunities: LAUNCH and TALL Texans - Wednesday, April 2 11:30 -12:30 pm D170-172

TLA also has 20 Standing Committees.  The members of these committees are appointed by the President of TLA.  To find out more or fill out an interest form <https://txla.org/get-involved/volunteer-info/ > for one of these committees.

I hope this article encourages you to join a committee and  gives you the first steps to becoming more involved in TLA and TASL.  

When I think about libraries, I of course think about books but I also think about access and equitability.  As a librarian we have such an important role of ensuring that our patrons of all backgrounds and needs have access and equitability to the resources that we might have to offer. 

Before becoming a librarian I was a Special Education LIFE (learning in a functional environment) teacher for 13 years.  While I was a LIFE teacher we were always welcome in the library, but I know that sometimes there might have been some uncertainty on what a lesson might look like.  

When headed into the library land world the advice that is always given is- connect with what you know and then go from there.  With that in mind I headed to the English and reading teachers, but I also made sure to start that collaboration with the LIFE teachers.

Before I get much farther, I would like to add a disclaimer.  If you are working with your special education classrooms and LIFE classrooms and you are just reading books- that is great! However, hopefully this blog will give you some ideas on how to add more.  

Where to start:

1. Email or hop into a PLC to connect.  How are you collaborating with other teachers and content areas? What are other content areas working on and how are you supporting them?

2. Remember that all students deserve the opportunity to have access to resources.

3. See what the class is working on and get working.start planning.  How are you planning for other content areas?

Working with various populations also means that modifications and supports will help a lesson go more smoothly.  I am also always so thankful for anytime that I have a chance to collaborate with any content area.

Modifications that you might use

-Break down the lesson into steps and use pictures when possible

-Offer choices as needed

-Print items

-Have highlighters and pencils available

-Depending on the wanted outcome- Transcribing as needed

-What does the teacher recommend

Surprise- these are great resources/modifications for all types of learners

Sample Lesson

Disclaimer- some of my lessons flop- but that happens with ALL my classes not just LIFE.  

When planning any lesson, I think about what the end product is going to be.  

Weather Senses Poem

This lesson was done with our 9-12 LIFE students that have various abilities and needs

TEKS-

(10) Composition: listening, speaking, reading, writing, and thinking using multiple texts--genres. The student uses genre characteristics and craft to compose multiple texts that are meaningful. The student is expected to: (A) compose literary texts such as fiction and poetry using genre characteristics and craft

Needs from the teacher:

-Review of weather

-Introduction to poetry

Materials needed for the lesson

-Devices

-Adobe Express

-pencils

-Senses poem

-extra paper

Lesson

For this lesson I put everything into a Nearpod as our students are used to logging in and using this resource.

-Students logged into Nearpod and watched a Discovery Education video about Poetry.

-The class reviewed that poems are art and don’t always rhyme

-The class then watched a video about weather that Nearpod had

-The class completed a matching game about different weather inside Nearpod

*Modification-teacher reads the words to match to the picture

-The class then talked about different senses and words that we could use to describe weather

-Students were given a blank senses poem-pencil- Students can also use our premium resources to help look for words that help describe their weather

*Modification- give word choices for students to choose or transcribe for students

-Instruct students to open Adobe Express

-Instruct students to type in their poem into Generate Image

*Modification- teacher type for the student

-Instruct students to highlight all the words and copy (control c)- this does not have to be done- but does save a step later on- and then push generate

-Students then choose the best picture that goes with their poem and add a text box to add their poem.

-Instruct students to share the product with the teacher by using the share option

Depending on the various abilities of the students- they could also change what the text looks like and could change some of their descriptions.

Things I loved about this lesson

The way that students saw their writing come to life through an image.  It was easy to modify for all levels and it gave them a chance to use our premium resources and a chance for students to be successful and independent. 

These lessons might look different and sound different. Every student might not complete the lesson or even interact, but by being the space they are receiving the same opportunities. As librarians we have such an important task of creating a space for all.  By collaborating with our LIFE and special education teachers we are ensuring that every student has the same opportunities for access not only books, but also digital resources. 

The Storm Hits 

On Saturday, December 28, 2024, a tornado touched down near Alvin, TX where I work at an upper elementary school campus. My first thoughts when I found out it hit our campus were my hopes that no one was in the building and that our families that live near the campus were alright. It was a blessing that we were out of school for Winter Break. Thankfully, no one was in the building, and we did not have any reports of any of our school family being hurt. One person from a neighboring town did sadly lose their life.

The next thoughts were on how much damage the school sustained. Our campus was built in 1979, and the past year has not been a friendly one to us. In April of 2024, a derecho hit the Houston area, a storm that was very uncommon for our area of the United States. This storm had very high winds that caused some damage to our building that resulted in some parts being flooded. Then, in July 2024, Hurricane Beryl hit our area and again the building sustained damage that caused walls to collapse in some of the pods.

Through that damage, our teachers were resilient in restoring their classrooms and getting ready to welcome students back to class. The library did not take on any damage for those events, so my role was to help our teachers and staff to get things back in order and ready for school to resume or to begin.

Then the tornado came. And this time the library was not spared.

How Bad is the Damage?

As the videos and photographs came to me of the damage to the school from the tornado, I went into a kind of shock. I could not believe what I was seeing. I think I must have said, “This is crazy!” 200 times in the first few days after it happened.

At first, we saw the damage from the outside and could only imagine what the damage was to the inside if the outside looked so bad. There were whole outside walls that had collapsed or had been blown away and whole classrooms were exposed to the outdoors. Some images showed one wall of a classroom seemingly untouched by the storm while the other three walls were just gone.

Pictures from the inside of the building started to surface on social media and I knew the damage was going to be extensive. When pictures of the library finally came out, I was so sad. There was a skylight above the library that had been torn out by the tornado and an even bigger hole in the roof was made. You could see the sky from the library floor. Everything looked wet and tousled. You could see how soaked the carpeting was and how things had been blown around, things that I had worked so hard to bring to the library to create a fun and welcoming space.

One of the most amazing things was how nearly all the books had stayed on the shelf. Now that is some good shelving!

Finding a New Home 

Due to the severity of the damage to our building, we were not allowed into the building. Many of us were so anxious to go in to start the clean up and get back to school as normal because that is what we had done before. Fix it, clean it and continue as normal. This would not be the case this time. The building was beyond repairs.

 Our district acted quickly and decided to move us to an empty campus about 3 miles away. This new campus had not been in use for almost 2 years. The district had nine days to ready the new campus for students to return to school on time after the winter break, and guess what? They did it.

A restoration company came in to collect what they could of the contents of the building and boxed them up for the teachers and staff. I ended up with over 100 boxes of things from in the library. Those boxes did not include the books they were able to bring over. That is  just the number of things I had collected and had in use in the library for our students and staff.

Unfortunately, many of the boxes were filled with damaged or useless items due to water or ceiling debris. Things were waterlogged, dirty, or both.   I was thankful to be able to go through those items and see for myself that they were beyond redemption and needed to be tossed. It was a hard thing to do. I have some very loving librarian friends that came to my rescue when I couldn’t focus on anything anymore. Someone mentioned that I had decision fatigue. Until then, I didn’t know what that meant, but I do now.

My librarian friends went through every box for me. They unboxed and organized my office. They threw away things that I was having a hard time letting go of. They made the hard decisions for me because I was not able to. I am so grateful for their help and friendship. I would still be going through those boxes today if it had not been for them. And I mean that.

Our nonfiction section took a big hit from the wind and water damage. We lost almost 40% of our collection with the majority being from the 500s in the Dewey system. The students are bummed that there are not many science books to check out, but they are excited for when the new ones will come in.

Rebuilding a Library 

There was, and still is, an overwhelming amount of support for our school from our community and communities that surround us. There were school supplies donated so parents didn’t have to scramble to get new supplies for their student, teacher supplies donated, and food donated. Teachers that had left the classroom or who had retired were donating their teacher hoards (you know what I mean!) from their storage units or their garages, just waiting for the right time to be able to help someone in need.

I have had representatives from many book distributors and from many school districts around us ask how they can help me and our school. Several churches, several retired librarians, countless friends and old co-workers have also reached out to see what they can do to help.

The amount of love I feel from all these people is phenomenal. People that just want to help. People that just want to give. People that just want what I want: to help create a welcoming, fun place for students and staff to be able to explore and ignite their interests! 

Ever since I became a librarian over a decade ago, I have looked forward to the TLA annual conference. This conference brings together librarians from across the state of Texas and provides the opportunity to collaborate, reconnect with peers, discover the latest tools and strategies, and bring back innovative ideas to our school libraries. Now imagine sharing that amazing opportunity with your best teacher partner! 

Get Ready for Teacher Day@TLA 2025: A Dynamic Duo Experience!

Since its inception in 2017, Teacher Day@TLA has celebrated the important partnership between teachers and librarians. Together, we champion literacy, creativity, and student success. This year’s event, on Thursday, April 3, promises to be unforgettable. 

Attendees will kick off their day with a delicious breakfast and enjoy engaging table talk and activities that promote collaboration and innovation. You will then hear inspiring messages from our two keynote speakers, Grace Lin and Kate Messner. 

One of the best parts of Teacher Day@TLA is that teachers gain access to the entire TLA Annual Conference. For just $155, participants can:

• Explore the Exhibit Hall – Discover the latest tools, resources, and books for schools and classrooms.

• Attend Conference Sessions – Learn from expert presenters and gain new strategies to inspire students.

• Immerse Themselves in the Library Community – Connect with librarians and educators from across Texas.

In addition to the conference experience, the $155 registration fee includes:

• A Full-Year Membership to TLA – Enjoy access to exclusive benefits like webinars, professional development opportunities, and more throughout the year.

This is a great opportunity for teachers to experience the creativity and expertise librarians bring to education—and to leave with fresh ideas to take back to their schools!

Why Teacher Day @ TLA 2025 Matters

Libraries and educators face more challenges than ever, but Teacher Day@TLA brings teachers and librarians together to stand strong and support each other. By working as a team, we can protect students’ access to books and information and keep our programs thriving.

This event also gives teachers a chance to learn about school librarianship. We partner with Texas universities to share resources for those thinking about becoming librarians. Whether exploring the profession or just gaining a better understanding of what we do, Teacher Day@TLA helps build respect and stronger connections between teachers and librarians.

Don’t Miss Out! 

The Teacher Day committee has been working tirelessly to make this year’s event exceptional. Mark your calendar for Thursday, April 3rd. Registration ends March 18, so grab your best teaching partner and secure your spots. For more information and instructions on how to register, visit txla.org/teacher-day. 

Join us as we celebrate dynamic duos, shared success, and the power of teamwork. Let’s make 2025 the best Teacher Day@TLA yet!

All info here: Teacher Day