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Austin, TX – Among the millions of items it collects and makes accessible to the public, the J. Erik Jonsson Central Library of the Dallas Public Library prominently displays some of the most treasured on its seventh floor. Two printed items in particular draw sustained interest from visitors. The first is an original copy of the United States Declaration of Independence printed on the night of July 4, 1776—one of only about 25 surviving copies. It’s the only original copy located west of the Mississippi. Nearby is an even older and equally beloved attraction: an original

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Austin, TX – Join the Texas Center for the Book at the Texas State Library and Archives Commission in Austin on Wednesday, Feb. 25, from 12 noon to 1 p.m. for an in-person event, #TXBookChat LIVE with author Sam Haynes. He will discuss his book Unsettled Land: From Revolution to Republic, the Struggle for Texas, an essential narrative about a major turning point in the history of North America.

The Texas Revolution has long been cast as an epic episode in the origins of the American West. As the story goes, larger-than-life figures like Sam Houston, David Crockett and Willi

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Austin, TX – The Texas State Library and Archives Commission (TSLAC) has announced that it is accepting applications for its state fiscal year 2027 Texas Reads competitive grant program.

The Texas Reads grant funds public library programs that promote reading and literacy within local communities. Programs may include—but are not limited to—book talks; English literacy classes; author visits; book clubs or discussion groups; Lone Star Día; Born-to-Read or Every Child Ready to Read programs; One Book, One Community programs; or programs to enhance summer reading club activit

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Austin, TX – The Texas State Library and Archives Commission (TSLAC) is pleased to announce that its popular E-Read Texas e-books program will be moving to CloudLibrary, an application from OCLC. TSLAC anticipates that most libraries will be up and running with CloudLibrary by the end of March.

CloudLibrary will offer participating libraries all the familiar features they expect, such as pausing holds and adding titles to wish lists, and adds new features such as the ability to preview books before checkout, more options to customize the text display of e-books and compatib

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Austin, TX
January 20, 2026

Austin, TX – As the country celebrates 250 years since the signing of the Declaration of Independence in 2026, Texas joins in recognizing this significant occasion with special events and activities statewide. On Jan. 26, the Texas State Library and Archives Commission (TSLAC) will open Texas America250, a new exhibit in the Lorenzo de Zavala Archives and Library Building in Austin, spotlighting areas where Texans’ contributions to our history really shine. The Lone Star State has long been home to creativity, ingenuity and dynamic collaborations

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Austin, TX – Join us on site at the Texas State Library and Archives Commission (TSLAC) in Austin on Saturday, Feb. 14 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. for a user-friendly workshop on tracing your family lineage back to the era of the American Revolution in 1776. Guest speakers from the Texas Society Daughters of the American Revolution will discuss the organization along with resources they offer for genealogy research.

Come learn about the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR), why women join and how DAR resources can help uncover overlooked patriots. You may have one or more

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Austin, TX – The Texas Center for the Book is accepting submissions to its 2025-2026 Letters About Literature Texas writing contest until 6 p.m. on Monday, Jan 26. Texas 4th through 12th graders are invited to participate in this annual competition. Students select a book, book series, essay, play, poem, short story or speech and write a letter to an author—living or dead—explaining how his or her work changed their view of themselves or the world.

There are three categories of competition: grades 4-6, grades 7-8 and grades 9-12. The contest is open to all Texas students, in

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Austin, TX – The Texas Center for the Book and the Texas State Library and Archives Commission (TSLAC) invite Texans of all ages to participate in the statewide Texas America250 Reading Challenge (www.tsl.texas.gov/america250/challenge), which launched Jan. 1 and continues through the end of the year.

From Jan. 1 to Dec. 31, 2026, Texans are invited to log 2,500 minutes (41.6 hours) of reading, state parks visits and/or service activity as part of the national America250 America Gives initiative, in honor of our nation’s 250th anniversary.

A Joint Resolution of the 87th Texa

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Liberty, TX – The SHC Quarterly Book Club will meet January 27 at the Sam Houston Regional Library and Research Center (SHC) in Liberty to discuss the novel The Briar Club by Kate Quinn.

Quinn’s work of historical fiction centers around a boarding house in 1950s Washington, D.C., and the various women renting rooms from the home’s owner. Join the group for this fun, free and informal gathering of readers from 6–7 p.m. No membership or registration is required.

Featuring fictional works with a connection to the world of museums, archives and libraries, the SHC book club is op

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Austin, TX – The Texas State Library and Archives Commission (TSLAC) has announced new and revised finding aids recently made available online, along with fresh uploads to the Texas Digital Archive, its repository of electronic items.

The State Archives preserves and documents the heritage and culture of Texas by identifying, collecting and making available for research the permanently valuable official records of Texas government, as well as other significant historical resources. Finding aids are written guides to archival records, including descriptive information and a