We’re excited to announce the Texas State Library & Archives Commission (TSLAC) recently awarded funding to the North Richland Hills Library for the Mid-Cities Teen Book Fest under its Texas Reads grant program. To ensure a safe environment for all of our authors and readers, MCTBF will be entirely virtual this year. Additionally, to make it easier for our local educators, the Festival will now be held during regular school hours, on Friday, October 16.
This program is one of 44 projects made possible this year by a grant from the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services to the Texas State Library and Archives Commission under the Library Services and Technology Act’s provisions. "Communities in every corner of Texas will benefit from the resources that have been made available through this list of forward-thinking grant proposals," said TSLAC Director and Librarian Mark Smith.
At the Mid-Cities Teen Book Fest, teens have the opportunity to meet Young Adult authors and illustrators and hear them speak about their books and a variety of topics. The MCTBF is an excellent opportunity for teens to build connections with other teens and authors while learning about the writing process and increasing cultural awareness.
“The fact that we received it this year, in 2020, the year where nothing is normal, shows that TSLAC believes in the power of libraries and librarians being advocates for authors and teen readers. I am so thankful to be able to provide our Mid-Cities Teen Book Fest as a virtual format this year with great authors who know that nothing can stop the power of the written word, not even a pandemic,” says Youth Services Librarian, Monica.
We’ll miss seeing all of your smiling faces throughout the day, but we hope this new format means many more of you can attend one of the many engaging discussions and workshops from home.
Stay tuned for more announcements coming soon!
This program is funded (in part) by a grant from the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services and Texas State Library and Archives Commission (LS-246193-OLS-20). (2020)