The Border Regional Library Association (B.R.L.A.) promotes

libraries A library is a collection of Document, materials, books or media that are accessible for use and not just for display purposes. A library provides physical (hard copies) or electronic media, digital access (soft copies) materials, and may be a ...

and librarianship in the tri-border region of

West Texas West Texas is a loosely defined region in the U.S. state of Texas, generally encompassing the arid and semiarid lands west of a line drawn between the cities of Wichita Falls, Abilene, and Del Rio. No consensus exists on the boundary betwee ...

, Southern

New Mexico ) , population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano) , seat = Santa Fe , LargestCity = Albuquerque , LargestMetro = Tiguex , OfficialLang = None , Languages = English, Spanish ( New Mexican), Navajo, Ke ...

and Northern Chihuahua, Mexico. The

non-profit organization A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

was founded in 1966 and, as of 2009, has over 100 members including libraries, librarians, trustees, and library paraprofessionals. B.R.L.A. events and awards include an annual continuing education workshop and banquet, Librarian and Staff Member of the Year awards and annual scholarship awards. The organization is best known for its annual Southwest Book Awards for noteworthy books about the

Southwest The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A compass rose is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west—each sepa ...

published in any genre and geared toward any audience. Past winners include James Carlos Blake, Charles Bowden, Dennis DeConcini,

Tomie dePaola Thomas Anthony "Tomie" dePaola (; September 15, 1934 – March 30, 2020) was an American writer and illustrator who created more than 260 children's books, such as ''Strega Nona''. He received the Children's Literature Legacy Award for his lifetim ...

, Arturo Islas, Neil Miller,

Pat Mora Pat Mora (born January 19, 1942 in El Paso, Texas) is an American poet and author of books for adults, teens and children. Her grandparents came to El Paso from northern Mexico. A graduate of the University of Texas at El Paso, she received Honor ...

, Benjamin Alire Sáenz,

Rubén Salazar Ruben Salazar (March 3, 1928 – August 29, 1970) was a civil rights activist and a reporter for the ''Los Angeles Times,'' the first Mexican Americans, Mexican-American journalist from mainstream media to cover the Chicano community. Salazar wa ...

Sergio Troncoso Sergio Troncoso (born 1961) is an American author of short stories, essays and novels. He often writes about the United States-Mexico border, working-class immigrants, families and fatherhood, philosophy in literature, and crossing cultural, psyc ...

, and Luis Alberto Urrea.''BRLA Home Page''. Border Regional Library Association. 2 March 2009. Web. 26 July 2009.

References

External links

* {{Authority control Library associations in the United States American literary awards Organizations based in Texas