Why the "Easy Button" for Compliance Is Your Biggest Risk

Marcy Sparks • January 12, 2026

The Legislative Crunch

Senate Bill 13 was signed into law in June 2025 for a September implementation. This rapid turnaround explains why many districts are scrambling for easy solutions. However, library compliance shouldn't be a fear-based "check off" task. At Curated Consulting, we help you take your district's foundation and develop a personalized strategy to fortify your libraries for long term student success.


The Software Trap

Many districts are currently leaning on two "quick fixes" that create a false sense of security:

  1. Vendor Indicators: Tools that check against your current collection to claim it is "safe" based on your existing library catalog.
  2. AI Collection Review: Software that flags "controversial" titles based on data from other states or districts to preemptively remove them.


While these tools seem efficient, they bypass your district's adopted EFB policies. They are "easy" only because they ignore three critical pillars: 

  1. Legal Liability: They cannot align with your specific "local community values," which is the legal standard in Texas.
  2. Human Expertise: Software can't train administrators to value the library, equip librarians to defend their collections, or guide a Board through a contentious reconsideration hearing.
  3. Proactive Strategy: These tools are reactive. They document the past but fail to anticipate future challenges or build robust, internal professional processes.


The Curated Consulting Difference: Precision Compliance

Compliance isn't a box to check; it is a vital sign of your district's instructional health. We don't just provide tools; we provide precision compliance. We help you build a "Fortress Library" that is legally sound, community-aligned, and operationally elite. We move your team from reacting to mandates to mastering them.


The stakes are too high to settle for "good enough."

2026 Resolutions

By Kara Baker • January 12, 2026
2025 was hard for a lot of reasons. Among those was the changes the Texas government made to the laws governing public education as a whole and public school library collections in specific. To say that SB13 has dominated my time and mind for this school year is an understatement. Using a dedicated time/task tracker has proven beyond doubt with concrete data just how much my library program has changed. For instance, by the mid-year mark I normally would have met with two classes a week on average doing various lessons, projects, and research topics. Last semester I saw one class about every two weeks. This change is upsetting because it feels so unnecessary. Students on my campus are actively being denied access to library time in their classes so I can dedicate large swaths of my time to ensuring that my campus is not the reason my school district is out of compliance with the law. Unnecessary because we do have strong collection development policies that we hold to and we are all trained education professionals who know our communities and have built solid collections that serve and maintain both. So, the resolutions. What can I do to be more positive and proactive this year within the confines of these new laws? Here are the three things I have decided on: Be informed and aware of the laws and potential changes on the horizon. Take an active role in helping others understand these laws and how to comply and serve stakeholders. To advocate on behalf of libraries and librarians to show all the awesome ways we serve all of our patrons. Curated Consulting is here to help you make resolutions about your own libraries. Please reach out to us to schedule consultations or trainings. Here’s to a happy and productive 2026!

Thankful

By Kara Baker • November 25, 2025
Things to be Thankful for