HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

The TexShare program is a statewide resource-sharing consortium of hundreds of member libraries in
Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...
,
United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
administered by the
Texas State Library and Archives Commission The Texas State Library and Archives Commission (TSLAC) refers to the agency in the state of Texas that assists the people of Texas to effectively use information, archival resources, public records and library materials to improve their lives, th ...
(TSLAC). The TexShare program maximizes the effectiveness of library expenditures by enabling member libraries to share staff expertise, share materials electronic and print formats, pursue joint purchasing agreements on electronic databases, and encourage the cooperative development of Texas libraries statewide. TexShare is made up of Texas academic libraries, public libraries, and libraries of clinical medicine. TexShare is a member driven consortium that exists with the support and cooperation of Texas member libraries.


History

The idea of a statewide resource sharing project in Texas was first proposed by Texas academic library directors in 1988. The original group of TexShare members consisted of 53 publicly supported four year academic and medical libraries, with the
Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) is an agency of the U.S. state of Texas's government that oversees all public post-secondary education in the state. It is headquartered at 1801 North Congress Avenue in Austin. THECB det ...
providing funds starting in fiscal year 1994. The beginning years of TexShare were devoted to planning and starting cooperative resource sharing initiatives such as funding for Internet connectivity and interlibrary loan workstations, creating protocols, leveraging costs for online resources, fostering a statewide library card program, and offering grants. Administrative duties were contracted out to Amigos Library Services and the University of Texas at Austin. Between 1997 and 1999, legislative statute expanded TexShare membership to include independent academic institutions, community colleges, and public libraries. In 1999 the Texas State Library and Archives Commission assumed full administrative responsibility for TexShare, with Amigos and University of Texas at Austin continuing to provide vital logistical and technical support as Strategic Partners. Legislative statute again expanded TexShare membership in 2001 to include libraries of clinical medicine, and in 2005, another legislative statute granted the Texas State Library and Archives Commission authority to negotiate group purchasing agreements on behalf of Texas K-12 public school libraries.


Governance

The TexShare Advisory Board provides administrative guidance, and is composed of representatives from community colleges, private universities, publicly funded academic institutions, public libraries, and two representatives of the general public. TexShare Working Groups provide member input on the policies and operations of each TexShare program. The working groups are composed of librarians chosen to represent the various constituent groups and geographic diversity within TexShare.


Programs

Two of the current programs of TexShare available through Texas libraries are: * TexShare Databases - Registered users of Texas libraries have these online research tools available to them both inside the library and 24-hour-a-day access outside the library in their homes or offices. The TexShare online resources provide full-text articles from journals, newspapers, magazines, and many other sources, on-line books, and topics such as homework help for students, health information, business information, biography and genealogy, as well as literature and archival information. Library users can access these online resources a variety of ways, either through library specific interfaces or through the Library of Texas interface. * TexShare Card – Eligible registered users of Texas libraries obtain this card to check out books and other physical materials from the collections of TexShare member libraries across the State of Texas. Each library creates individual lending policies as guidelines for TexShare Card owners. Greater access to collections statewide is a major benefit to the user. TexShare works closely with other programs offered by the
Texas State Library and Archives Commission The Texas State Library and Archives Commission (TSLAC) refers to the agency in the state of Texas that assists the people of Texas to effectively use information, archival resources, public records and library materials to improve their lives, th ...
, including the TexQuest Program for K-12 public and open enrollment schools, statewide Inter-library Loan program, grants programs (particularly the signature TexTreasures Grant), and the E-Read Texas e-books program. TexShare is a member of the
International Coalition of Library Consortia The International Coalition of Library Consortia (ICOLC) is an informal, self-organized group of library consortia from around the world; it exists for strategic and practical discussion of issues of common interest among the consortia members. The ...
.


References


TexShare official web site
retrieved August 30, 2019

retrieved August 30, 2019

retrieved August 30, 2019
Coalition of Library Consortia member list
retrieved August 30, 2019 1994 establishments in Texas Library consortia in Texas