The purpose of this document is to orient new system staff and advisory council members to their roles and responsibilities in the Texas Library System. It contains information on the history, governance, funding, services, and administration of the systems. Chapter 1 contains a discussion of the history of library systems in Texas and some key concepts of public library development and systems. Chapter 2 examines the governance of the system at the regional level and the role of the state library and archives commission in system governance. Chapter 3 presents the system funding formula and trends in system services. Chapter 4 covers basic aspects of the administration of systems, including financial management, performance management, planning, and other administrative areas. Finally, Chapter 5 identifies other documents essential for system management. An outline/summary of the roles and responsibilities of advisory council members prepared by Alice Ihrig is appended. (JLB)