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SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 251
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WHEREAS, The Senate of the State of Texas is pleased to |
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celebrate Texans Support Libraries Day on February 16, 2011, by |
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recognizing the dedication and contributions made by librarians |
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serving Texans in public, academic, school, and special |
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libraries statewide; and |
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WHEREAS, Texas libraries date back to 1839, when Republic |
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of Texas President Mirabeau B. Lamar established the national |
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library of Texas, and for almost two centuries, the people of |
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Texas have benefited from libraries; and |
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WHEREAS, Libraries help foster critical thinkers--a |
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fundamental element of education--and provide opportunities for |
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Texans to enhance their knowledge, education, careers, and |
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quality of life through literacy, technology, job-search, and |
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other training programs; libraries connect Texans with a wealth |
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of electronic information resources from journals, newspapers, |
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magazines, and books and provide powerful research tools |
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available 24 hours a day via the Internet, resulting in more than |
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116.5 million searches of TexShare online resources and almost 50 |
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million electronic documents retrieved by library users; and |
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WHEREAS, Texans today share 561 public libraries, ranging |
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from Round Top, which serves 84 people, to the Houston and Dallas |
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library systems, which serve millions, and Texans have |
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continuous library services throughout their lives; and |
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WHEREAS, Public libraries are the primary point of online |
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access for people without Internet connections at home, school, |
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or work and the only free source of online access in their |
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communities for 67 percent of Texans; and |
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WHEREAS, 11.9 million Texans have public library cards, |
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and more than 80 million visits were made to Texas public |
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libraries last year; Texas university libraries support 1.4 |
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million students, and community-college libraries support |
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700,000, and Texas school libraries play an integral role in |
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educating 4.73 million schoolchildren; and |
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WHEREAS, Librarians understand how knowledge is organized |
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and how to find and use information; they teach users how to |
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discover, evaluate, and apply information effectively; they |
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encourage Texans to explore, examine, and retrieve information; |
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and they foster a love of reading and learning in children; and |
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WHEREAS, 3.3 million people attend children's programs at |
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Texas public libraries, and the 54-year-old Texas Reading Club |
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keeps more than 500,000 children and teens reading each summer; and |
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WHEREAS, Librarians work with the Texas State Library and |
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Archives Commission, the Texas Library Association, Friends of |
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Libraries and Archives of Texas, and local library groups to |
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improve access to library services, and they are tremendous |
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sources of Texas-based knowledge; and |
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WHEREAS, Today, librarians and library supporters will |
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meet with our state's elected officials to discuss the relevance |
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of Texas library programs and to promote the inclusion of |
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libraries in community, education, research, and business |
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development; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the Senate of the State of Texas, 82nd |
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Legislature, hereby recognize February 16, 2011, as Texans |
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Support Libraries Day and commend those associated with Texas |
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libraries for their valuable service to the Lone Star State; and, |
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be it further |
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RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution be prepared for |
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the Texas State Library and Archives Commission and the Texas |
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Library Association as an expression of high regard from the |
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Texas Senate. |
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Nelson |
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________________________________ |
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President of the Senate |
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I hereby certify that the |
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above Resolution was adopted by |
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the Senate on February 14, 2011. |
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________________________________ |
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Secretary of the Senate |
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________________________________ |
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Member, Texas Senate |