Round Rock ISD library staff on Sept. 18 walked trustees through changes to the district’s library acquisition process required by Senate Bill 13 and explained parent-access features in the new Insignia library system.

Stephanie Anzana, director of library services, told trustees: "Senate Bill 13 has a number of requirements but the ones that pertain most to our families are these first two: the first requirement is that parents have the right to access their students' library checkouts. And the second is that parents have the ability to restrict titles that they do not want their children to access." Anzana said the district’s Insignia system creates parent accounts automatically using the email on file, and parents can restrict titles without drawing attention to a student at checkout.

Why it matters: under the law, donated or purchased items to be added to campus library collections must be publicly posted for at least 30 days and the board must approve or reject the posted list at the first open meeting on or after the 30th day. Anzana said there are statutory exceptions (replacing a damaged book with the same ISBN, buying additional copies of an already‑approved ISBN, or purchasing copies of a book already on an approved list).

Selection process and safeguards: Anzana described collection-development guidelines aligned with board policy EFB Local and state law. Librarians rely on professional reviews (peer-reviewed journal reviews by degreed librarians or literacy professionals) when possible. If no published professional review exists, a minimum of three certified librarians evaluate the title. The district keeps classics and some adult‑market instructional titles where appropriate for campus needs. Anzana said the district will check ISBNs against existing catalogs, de-duplicate lists, and present a cleaned approval list to the board and to the public for comment. Insignia’s recent enhancement allows automated ISBN checks to support that process.

Implementation plan: library services will submit proposed approval lists to the board monthly (staff recommendation) to keep review batches short and speed student access to newly published titles. During the 30-day public posting window the community may comment through the district’s Let’s Talk tool; comments will be provided to trustees before the board vote. If a parent or community member believes a title contains material prohibited by law, the district’s long-standing reconsideration process (librarian review, principal meeting, formal reconsideration) remains available, Anzana said.

Trustee questions: trustees asked whether Senate Bill 13 covers classroom libraries (it does not) and how gift/donation programs (birthday book programs) will work (librarians will pre-purchase and place approved titles in program pools). Trustees also asked for estimates of how many titles will require board approval; Anzana said the first compiled list contains about 2,500 copies in total but that a typical month thereafter might involve roughly 500 copies or far fewer distinct new ISBNs; staff said next year’s reporting will give clearer counts.

Ending: trustees thanked library staff and acknowledged librarians’ heavy workload; staff said no lists had yet been posted and the district planned an initial approval submission for the Nov. 20 board meeting.