Additional Information Provided by the GED Unit at Texas Education Agency

The Texas Education Agency (TEA) no longer provides direct GED services such as locating testing centers, providing test scores, or mailing copies of GED certificates. TEA is no longer accepting telephone calls or written communication about GED from individual test takers, employers, institutions of higher education, or the general public. All direct customer service is now provided by the local GED testing centers.

To Locate a GED Testing Center

To find a local GED testing center near you, please consult the online testing center locator or call 1-800-626-9433 (1-800-62-MYGED) to find your local testing center.

For additional assistance, please use the following resources:

• To Learn About the GED For general information about the GED, please visit the American Council on Education’s GED Testing Service website.
• To Obtain, Verify, or Validate GED Certificates and Scores All test takers, employers/potential employers, and postsecondary institutions may print a PDF containing a GED certificate and accompanying test scores. To print a certificate, the user needs to have either the test taker’s date of birth and name, or date of birth and Social Security Number. A credit card or electronic transfer from a checking account is required to pay the $5.00 charge. If you encounter technical difficulties downloading the certificate, call the TexGov help desk at 1-800-399-2969.
• To Resolve Problems with Accessing Certificates and Scores To report and resolve problems, including problems with certificates and test scores, do NOT contact TEA – instead contact your local testing center.

source: GED Unit Texas Education Agency

Texas cities rank poorly in literacy ratings

North Texas cities ranked poorly in an annual study of literacy rates.

The Fort Worth Star-Telegram cites an annual study of literacy resources done by Central Connecticut State University, which looks at key indicators of literacy. The study rates 75 cities, and only one Texas city (Austin) scored in the top third. Plano came in at 46, Dallas at 51, and Fort Worth at 54. Three other Texas cities were among the bottom 10.

TEA GED Press Release

News from Texas Education Agency's GED Unit:

The Texas Education Agency (TEA) is pleased to announce the launch of its new automated system for ordering General Education Development (GED) certificates. GED test takers and certificate holders can now immediately download and print their official GED certificates - complete with test scores - by visiting http://www.texged.com. GED certificates can only be obtained through this website. Both the old style certificate and the new Certificate of High School Equivalency are to be recognized, however, TEA will only be issuing the new certificate for examinees.

Additionally, in order to increase the level of customer service provided to GED customers, the agency is implementing an improved, decentralized process. While TEA will continue to serve as the state administrator for GED, the local GED testing centers across the state will now be providing direct customer service, responding to, and supporting GED customers. Local GED testing centers will serve as the primary information resource for all GED inquiries.

To learn more about obtaining a GED, locating a local GED testing center, or any other GED-related information, and to order GED certificates online, go to http://www.texged.com. Please note that orders for GED certificates can only be placed online at this website.

For GED customers who do not have access to a computer, please direct them to call 1-800-62-MYGED (1-800-626-9433) to find their local GED testing center. Please note that TEA staff will no longer receive or respond to telephone inquiries regarding GED.

Print books still strong

A recent report from the Pew Research Center announced that the number of Americans owning a tablet computer or an ebook reader jumped from 18% in December to 29% in January.

While this is indeed a striking number, I'd like to point out the converse - prior to January, 82% of Americans did not own one of these devices, and as of January, 71% still do not. It might be too early to start moving a large percentage of your collection to the virtual shelves.

This week an article at paidcontent.org cites a Bowker study on book sales, reporting that the growth in ebook sales in 2011 was well below what had been predicted, and a relatively small number of "power buyers" are driving a large percentage of sales -- more so than in the print book marketplace. According to this study, 74% of book buyers have never bought an ebook, including 14% of those buyers who actually own an ereader or tablet but do not choose to read it for reading ebooks.

It is interesting to watch the adoption of new technology, but the old technology has a lot of staying power. What do these statistics look like in your library's community?

Public Library Annual Reports - Just Do It!

TSLAC just released the Public Library Annual Report Form for fiscal year 2011. Completing the annual report is important for maintaining your library's accreditation.

With the recent budget changes, we have heard some librarians questioning the value of completing the report. NTLP encourages all Texas Public Libraries to complete the annual report, both for the sake of staying accredited and in order to add to the growing body of statistics that relate public library usage to community economic trends.

At ntxlibpartners.org we have two new articles explaining why your annual report matters. Paul Waak's article Why Do We Have Annual Library Statistics? explains how the data is being used to create statistical proof that good libraries lead to better economic conditions in their communities. Carolyn Brewer's article Is Accreditation Really Important for Public Libraries? discusses the purposes of accreditation and how it is seen by your city, county, and state funders.

At NTLP we would like to see TSLAC, TLA and other interested stakeholders revisit the Texas library standards and update them to meet the current challenges and opportunities with technology and trends. Public library accreditation remains meaningful, even when not tied to state funding.

Libraries and ebooks discussed in Washington Post

A Washington Post article on January 13, 2012 described problems libraries have stocking their virtual shelves with digital content, including the restrictions placed by publishers on library access to many ebook titles.

Going to the library used to be like going to "Wal-Mart: Everything you need and want is there," but with ebooks everything has changed, the article noted.

Of course, this isn't news to librarians, but in the past many of the library-going public hasn't been aware of the barriers a library faces in offering ebooks to its patrons. Maybe the word is finally getting out. This makes (at least) the third mainstream media article on the subject in less than a month. In late December 2011 Wired.com published a good article on how to check out ebooks from the library, with details on the complicated landscape of licensing restrictions, formats, and DRM. On December 24, 2011, just as many consumers were about to receive new ereaders for Christmas, the New York Times documented the ebook tug of war between publishers and libraries.

Earning Social Currency

Kim Young is a savvy entrepreneur who has spent over a quarter of a century helping craft connections and grow partnerships among businesses, nonprofit organizations, government agencies, communities and their customers, supporters and residents. One of my goals is to have her provide training for NTLP library personnel and supporters.

In this article she not only explains the meaning and value of social currency but also demonstrates her typical style of packing lots of relevant information into a really small amount of the reader's - or listener's - time.

So read the article and then ask yourself ... just how much social currency does your library or supporters group have?

DUOLINGO - translating the web..........

Luis von Ahn is very entertaining and informative - you will enjoy this talk!

After re-purposing CAPTCHA so each human-typed response helps digitize books, Luis von Ahn wondered how else to use small contributions by many on the Internet for greater good. At TEDxCMU, he shares how his ambitious new project, Duolingo, will help millions learn a new language while translating the Web quickly and accurately -- all for free.

Luis von Ahn: Massive-scale online collaboration | Video on TED.com

Worth mentioning – January 11, 2012

Articles that have caught my eye recently -

An eBook is not a Book by Nate Hill on the PLA Blog

“mapping the basic constraints of physical media onto digital media is no wiser an enterprise than making gold from graphite”

Getting serious about SOPA – what librarians need to do by Jessamyn West on Librarian.net.

“we need to do a few things: understand how this bill is supposed to work, be clear in our opposition to it as a profession, work with other people to inform and educate others so that people can make their own informed choices”

Publishers vs. Libraries: An E-Book Tug of War from the New York Times on 12/24/2011.

“Worried that people will click to borrow an e-book from a library rather than click to buy it, almost all major publishers in the United States now block libraries’ access to the e-book form of either all of their titles or their most recently published ones.”

New Year's Update from NTLP

As the calendar turns over to 2012, NTLP is already several months into our fiscal year 2012, a transition year for us. After 40 years of being funded by the Texas State Library as a regional library system, now NTLP is continuing to support library development as a member-supported nonprofit corporation.

In November and December 2011, NTLP Executive Director Carolyn Brewer and the NTLP staff conducted more than a dozen local meetings of library directors across North Texas to discuss the changing state of regional library support in Texas. We collected a lot of creative ideas for services libraries would like to see from a regional support organization like ours, and you will see some of them implemented in the near future.

January sees NTLP returning to the Continuing Education scene by sponsoring group viewing opportunities for webinars provided by Grantstation, Amigos and others. By attending the group sessions, librarians can participate in the online training classes at a reduced rate and also have an opportunity for face-fo-face networking with peers. These group sessions are discounted or free for staff from NTLP partner libraries. See http://ntxlibpartners.org/upcoming-ce for upcoming events.

NTLP is currently in the process of reviewing bids for library materials contracts. Once finalized, the new contracts and other negotiated vendor discounts will be available to NTLP partner libraries. Watch for announcements on the NTLP website, http://ntxlibpartners.org

For information about becoming an NTLP partner library, see http://ntxlibpartners.org/partnership2012

Public Information Act Change

As the Public Information Act consultant at NTLP, I attend annually the Open Government Conference provided by the Office of the Texas Attorney General. One of the points made at last month's conference is, in my opinion, very important for many Texas libraries.

The 82nd Legislature amended Texas Government Code 552.117 to indicate that each (current and former) employee or official of a governmental body may choose whether to allow public access to his/her own home address, home telephone number, emergency contact information, or Social Security number or information which reveals whether the person has family members provided he/she states, to the governmental body, that choice in writing by certain deadlines. (See 552.117 for deadlines relative to former employees and officials.)

Because we were told that, for current employees and current elected officials, the confidentiality would take effect as soon as the person submitted the request, I'm encouraging all library directors to see that staff and Board Members know right away that the option exists. To help in that effort, I've designed two forms for collecting (updating?) that information and getting signatures from those who wish to have their information treated as confidential.

One form collects information from Board members, and the other collects information from employees. Both are designed to be printed, double-sided, on the library's letterhead, and both were produced with in large print in order to comply with the 16 pt. accessibility standard. (OK, I have to admit that I cheated somewhat in order to assure that all of the information would appear on a single sheet of paper. Let me know if you need it produced in full compliance, and I'll create a legal-sized document for you.)

The Board Member form also collects information which may help maintain a balanced board. The section just above that gathers information needed for the webpage and, often just by the staff or other Board members (such as the birthdates). The voter registration number is on there for the benefit of Boards whose bylaws require that all Board members be registered voters and/or live within the library's community.

Please note that 552.117 covers only employees of government bodies and officials of those bodies. To use either form with anyone who doesn't fall into one of those categories would be misleading since the code generally does not apply beyond the public sector.

Homebound workshops in August - new content added!

Registration is open for two face-to-face NTLP workshops in August:

Books and More To Their Door!  Making Your Library More Inclusive
Date: Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Time: 9:30-4:00
Location: Haltom City Public Library

Date: Thursday, August 18, 2011
Time: 9:30-4:00
Location: Denton Public Library, South Branch

These workshops will feature a panel discussion from the directors and outreach staff from the three pilot homebound libraries, best practices for developing homebound outreach programs, and strategies for forming effective community partnerships, and much more.  

I am also very pleased to announce that Kathleen Walls from the Texas Talking Books program will be presenting with us as well.  Kathleen will share how libraries can promote this free service to eligible members of their communities, including how to become a demonstration site.  

So, whether you are thinking about developing a homebound delivery service, want to learn more about the Texas Talking Books program, or just have a passion for outreach to underserved individuals in your community, we hope to see you there!  

NTLP's "Collection Analysis" workshop rescheduled for 08/26

Summer is winding down and the kids are going back to school soon.  Why not treat yourself to a face-to-face workshop on a great topic?


The NTLP face-to-face workshop "I Have These Statistics - Now What? Getting Started on the Path to Collection Analysis" has been rescheduled for Friday, August 26th from 1:00-4:00 p.m. at the Mansfield Public Library.  

Kathryn King, Senior Librarian and Adult Materials Selector for Fort Worth Public Library, will share the kind of collection analysis you need (customer oriented, not core list oriented) and why you need it (to optimize funding, staffing, and shelving and truly meet patron demand) as well as how to do it.  Don't miss this chance to see an encore presentation of the program Kathryn presented at PLA in Portland, Oregon!  

Registration is open on the NTLP CE Portal.

Viva la Plinkit!

TSLAC reports that the Plinkit program, which makes it easy for a library to create a website at no cost, will continue to be supported for the foreseeable future.

This is good news at NTLP, where we currently support 25 Plinkit sites for North Texas libraries. (See the list at http://www.ntrls.org/plinkit/ ) These websites are hosted at the Texas State Library, with administrative and tech support shared between TSLAC and NTLP. Each library has control over its own site's content and appearance.

If you have been thinking about a Plinkit website for your library, now is the time! Contact NTLP for more information.

Congrats to the Librarian In Black

Congratulations to Sarah Houghton-Jan, whose Librarian in Black  was awarded the Salem Press Library Blog Award for best general interest blog!


If you haven't heard, Sarah will be in North Texas presenting at the upcoming TechNet  Annual Conference on August 3rd.  Registration is open but filling up fast!  Don't miss this chance to hear Sarah and the rest of the awesome lineup of presenters at TechNet.

Ideas for Promoting YA literature

Here's a list of ways to promote YA literature using technology, from the edtech VISION blog. I especially like the creative use of a digital frames as a low-cost version of an electronic sign.

Thanks for sharing the blog, Carolyn Brewer!

TechNet Registration is Open!!!

TechNet 2011 

The 4th annual NTLP Conference for Library Technology 

Quick Response to Technology 

Wednesday August 3, 2011 

8:30-9 a.m. Sign-In  

9 a.m.-4 p.m. Conference 

Decatur Civic Center 

2010 West US Hwy 380; Decatur 76234 

Training Sessions ~ Exhibitor Demonstrations ~ Technology Petting Zoo 

Dedicated Time to Visit the Exhibit Hall ~ Refreshments ~ Up to 7 CE/CPE hours 

Time for Networking with Peers ~ Lunch ~ New This Year: Networking Café 

Intended for all library personnel  whose responsibilities involve the use of technology, 

whether at the most basic or the most expert level. 

Registration Fee: $25 through June 30;  $30 beginning July 1 

Lunch will be provided for all registered participants. 

Register now at http://www.ntrls.org/ce/.  

Note that seating is very limited and - with Sarah Houghton-Jan, 

Michael Porter, Jessamyn West and Rachel Vacek among our speakers for this

very reasonably priced conference - we expect to reach maximum capacity right away!

Additional information: http://www.librarytechnetwork.com/ 

A resource for job seekers and those who support them

Most of you are probably familiar with TWDL (Texas Workskills Developments in Libraries), a cooperative effort between NTLP and several other system offices designed to help libraries meet the needs of job seekers in their communities.


Here's another online job-related resource, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration to share with your staff, volunteers, and library users:


"Workforce³ One is an e-learning, knowledge sharing webspace that offers workforce professionals, employers, economic development, and education professionals a dynamic network featuring innovative workforce solutions. Online learning events, resource information, and tools help organizations learn how to develop strategies that enable individuals and businesses to be successful in the 21st century economy."


There are free podcasts, webinars, newsletters, and 11 different virtual communities, ranging from topics such as Youth Connections, Older Workers, and of particular interest to public libraries, the Partnerships Community of Practice group.  The Partnerships CoP focuses on community organizations and non-profits which are committed to helping Americans succeed in the labor market.


There is a wealth of information and resources on the website and I hope you enjoy checking it out.

2011 NTLP Award Winners Announced!

NTLP is proud to announce the award winners for FY2011.  We are honoring the award winners on our website instead of holding an awards ceremony this year. Thanks to the the Awards Committee for reviewing the award nominations and making the difficult choice in selecting winners.  The winners are:

Margaret Irby Nichols Award

Denton Public Library with Library Larry 

 Co-Winner of the Library Project/Program Award
for Libraries Serving Populations between 6,001 & 50,000

Decatur Public Library and Furry Friends Fundraising

Co-Winner of the Library Project/Program Award
for Libraries Serving Populations between 6,001 & 50,000

Saginaw Public Library Literacy Program

Check out the NTLP homepage for a detailed description of these programs and video links for the winning submissions. Congratulations to the winners.  Great job!

One Book, One Twitter?

For all you Twitter fans out there - here's a creative use of social networking to create an online book discussion:

What if Everyone on Twitter Read the Same Book?

"Jeff Howe, the author and journalism professor who coined the term “crowdsourcing,” wants to take [social networking book clubs] a step further and use Twitter to create the world’s largest virtual book-reading club. Howe is partnering with The Atlanticmagazine on a project called 1book140 that starts on June 1 and will Twitter-fy one book a month as selected by users."

It starts today, June 1, and the first book up is The Blind Assassin, by Margaret Atwood.