Biennial Report to the 73rd Texas Legislature: State Library and Archives Commission Page: 4
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Director's Report
during the 1990-92 biennium, the Texas State
Library and Archives Commission continued
to provide Texas citizens and governments
with essential services that promoted libraries and
their use, administered the valuable records of the
state, and aided local governments in the manage-
ment of their records. All Texans should be proud of
the exemplary efforts of Library staff who maintained
and improved the efficiency of Library services.
The Commission's goal of an integrated library
system serving state agency collections was furthered
during the biennium, as computer hardware and
software were acquired to develop and support the
new Texas State Library Integrated Library System
(TSL/ILS). Staff are currently building an on-line
catalog of materials in the Library's collections of
archival and reference materials and state and
federal publications. The system will also be used by
other state agency libraries, and its databases will be
available over a national network.
Other automation efforts improved the efficiency of
the State Records Center and the Program for the
Blind and Physically Handicapped. After a cata-
strophic system failure in the previous biennium, the
PBPH computer system had to be rebuilt step by step.
By the end of the biennium, the program was able to
meet its traditional standard of excellent service.
The Commission also developed and authorized
several reorganizations of Library programs to
further improve service delivery. With the beginning
of the new biennium, the Local Records and Records
Management programs will be merged into the State
and Local Records Management program. SLRM staff
will continue their extensive services to governments
in support of effective records management.
During the 1990-92 biennium, State Records Center
services increased approximately 20 percent, while
the Micrographics Service Bureau was able to cover
its costs and earn revenues for use by Library pro-
grams. Meanwhile, Local Records services increased
dramatically as the mandates of the Local Govern-
ment Records Act took effect. The Commission
approved over 1,200 local records retention schedules,
publicized the requirements of the act to over 8,000
local governments, and more than doubled the num-
ber of instruction hours provided to local officials.
Staff in the Archives program accessioned over5,000 cubic feet of important materials, including
files from Gov. Bill Clements, Gov. Mark White and Lt.
Gov. William P. Hobby; the Attorney General's files
from the Howard Hughes estate case; and nearly a
century's worth of records from the State Purchasing
and General Services Commission. The volume of new
records led to a shift in processing and preservation
activities. With the completion of several intense,
item-specific projects, such as the preservation of the
Confederate pension applications, Archives staff will
concentrate on ongoing maintenance and inventory
of the ever-expanding Archives collections.
Information Services staff devoted much time to
developing the TSL/ILS catalog and increasing auto-
mated access to federal publications. The Texas State
Publications Clearinghouse increased its rate of
acquisitions by 68 percent over the past biennium and
conducted an extensive survey of its depository librar-
ies throughout the state. The Genealogy Collection's
reading room was renovated and dedicated to long-
time Library employee J.B. "Gray" Golden.
The Library Development program distributed more
than $3.5 million in state and federal grant funds,
including more than $2 million in construction grants
and grants to establish library services in Starr and
Dickens counties. This reduces the number of counties
in Texas without library service to 13. Continuing
education staff offered 205 workshops on 66 topics to
6,820 students and provided more than 8,000 consulting
hours. More than 831,000 Texas children participated
in the annual Texas Reading Club.
The following pages will describe more fully the
Commission's efforts to provide high-quality,
economical and efficient services to the citizens
of Texas between September 1, 1990 and August 31,
1992.
William D. Gooch
Director and Librarian4 Texas State Library
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Texas State Library. Public Information Office. Biennial Report to the 73rd Texas Legislature: State Library and Archives Commission, report, January 1993; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth578758/m1/6/: accessed July 17, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting UNT Libraries Government Documents Department.