Traveler Advisory Committee

The Traveler Advisory Committee advises and makes recommendations to the State Librarian and Arkansas State Library Board regarding resource selection for the Traveler program’s collection.

The State Librarian appoints members to the committee that represent all types of libraries: public, school, academic, and special institutions. Other factors for member selection include distributed geographic representation, inclusion of diverse patron populations and service for individuals with disabilities.

Subscription Periods

Traveler resources have a three year subscription contract, with annual subscription periods running from August 1 to July 31. The Selection Committee may opt to renew a collection for a second, three year term.

This schedule provides Arkansas libraries an opportunity to purchase additional products for their local clientele that are not offered in the Traveler package.

Resource Selection

Request for Proposals (RFP) are solicited from major content publishers every three to six years, depending on whether the Selection Committee opts to renew a collection for a second, three year term. Vendors provide a formal proposal and may also provide online demonstrations of their products.

The next RFP process will begin in the fall of 2026. If the current collection is renewed for a second term, the next RFP cycle will begin in the fall of 2029.

Publishers may request to be notified for inclusion in the RFP process by contacting the program administrator, Katie Walton.

Educators and librarians with resource suggestions or comments concerning the current offerings can contact the Traveler Advisory Committee member currently representing their library type.

The Traveler Advisory Committee meets in January to evaluate the vendor proposals. When evaluating the proposals, committee members inform their decisions by gathering input from colleagues, assessing current offerings, evaluating usage statistics, and considering the availability of funding. Recommendations are given to the Arkansas State Library Board at the February board meeting. The Arkansas State Library Board retains final approval for Traveler resource contracts.

Committee Terms & Current Appointments

Selection committee terms last three years, from January 1 to December 31. New term appointments are staggered to allow committee members an opportunity to assess the current subscriptions, participate in the three-year RFP process, select new digital resources, and evaluate the new resources after implementation.

Current committee members serve from January 1, 2023 to December 31, 2025. A new commitee will be appointed in the fall of 2025.

The Arkansas State Library’s program administrator for the Traveler program serves as chair on the committee.

For more information, please contact:

The Traveler program is made possible by a grant from the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services to the Arkansas State Library under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act.