Texas ischool alumna Christine McNew passed away on Jan. 27, 2017.
Ms. McNew, of Austin, was the youth services coordinator for the Texas State Library and Archives Commission’s Library Development and Networking Division. A widely respected statewide expert on the topic of library services to children, Ms. McNew was responsible for the commission’s popular Family Place program that has been adopted by 60 public libraries across the state.
“Christine will be long remembered for her substantial contributions over her entire career to excellence in library services to children,” said Mark Smith, the TSLAC director and librarian. “For decades to come, many thousands of children in Texas will benefit from Christine’s work.”
Director Smith described Ms. McNew as a tireless advocate of the power of summer reading programs. She had recently added important groundbreaking work encouraging summer nutrition programs at libraries.
Ms. McNew received a bachelor’s degree in psychology from The University of Texas at Austin in 1076. She earned her Master of Library & Science degree from UT Austin in 1989.