Author Archives: Alison

Houston History Association Conference: AHA! Volunteer Opportunity

On May 4, the Houston History Association will be holding its annual conference from 8:30 am – 4:30 pm at the Julia Ideson Building. The theme this year, Rogues, Rascals and Role Models: Famous and Infamous Residents of the Bayou City, promises to be an interesting one.

Archivists of the Houston Area will have a table again this year, and volunteers are needed to man the AHA! table. Those who volunteered last year can attest that it was a Saturday well-spent. Please respond to Lee Pecht, who will handle the scheduling of the volunteers. We hope to see many of you there!

Texas Medical Center Library Women’s History Project Reception

The Texas Medical Center Library invites you to a tea and reception to recognize the first five women who have contributed to the Texas Medical Center Women’s History Project. The reception will be held on Thursday, March 21, from 4:00-6:00 pm at the Texas Medical Center Library, located at 1133 John Freeman Blvd. For more information, please see the flyer below!

TXMedicalCenterWomensHistory

AHA! Announces Its Spring Meeting

The next meeting of the Archivists of the Houston Area will be held on Thursday, March 14 at 6 pm at the new home of the Harris County Archives!

Mr. Larry Mousseau, Planning & Operations Supervisor for the Harris County Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management, will talk about his department’s activities and what archivists need to know regarding access to their repositories following a disaster. Other items on the agenda include an introduction of a disaster preparation contest and a discussion of a proposed outreach/internship program as well as officer and committee reports. Light refreshments will be provided. Please plan to attend.

The Harris County Archives is located at 11525 Todd Street, Suite 300/Houston, TX  77055. Please RSVP by March 8th to Lee Pecht.

We hope to see you all there!

Houston Public Library Special Collections Hiring

The Special Collections Division of the Houston Public Library has the following openings:

 

Archivist III (Assistant Manager and Lead Archivist) http://agency.governmentjobs.com/houston/job_bulletin.cfm?JobID=599113

Gregory School and the Houston Public Library are seeking a customer service oriented Archivist III to:

  • Lead and direct the Gregory School team in researching, acquiring, cataloging, digitizing, and preserving archival materials, negotiate with prospective donors, and coordinate the processing of collections and production of finding aids by staff and volunteers
  • Coordinate Gregory School’s programming efforts by curating exhibits, conducting departmental tours, assisting with programs and outreach efforts, and representing the library and the Gregory School at public events
  • Provide specialized reference services and research assistance to the general public in-person and electronically while assisting the manager with modeling, monitoring and maintaining the high standard of excellence in public service
  • Participate with the manager as a lead person in unit strategic planning to meet changing services and customer needs including the supervision of all archival staff

Librarian III (Assistant Manager and Collection Development) http://agency.governmentjobs.com/houston/job_bulletin.cfm?JobID=599597

Clayton Library and the Houston Public Library are seeking a customer service oriented Librarian III to:

  • Lead and direct Clayton’s efforts in researching, acquiring, digitizing, and preserving the units’ superior genealogical research collection, including, with the manager, setting goals and procedures for collection development and conducting assessments of the collection
  • Provide research and reference assistance to in-person and remote customers, using print, digital, and other special collection sources for family history research while assisting the manager with modeling, monitoring and maintaining the high standard of excellence in public service
  • Coordinate the development and planning of educational and outreach services provided by Clayton Library including regularly preparing and presenting educational programs on genealogical, historical and technical topics
  • Participate with the manager as a lead person in unit strategic planning to meet changing services and customer needs including managing a team of collection development staff.

 

Senior Library Service Specialist http://agency.governmentjobs.com/houston/job_bulletin.cfm?JobID=599365

Clayton Library and the Houston Public Library are seeking a customer service oriented Senior Library Service Specialist to:

  • Provide research and reference assistance to in-person and remote customers, using print, digital, and other special collection sources for family history research
  • Develop and plan the educational and outreach services provided by Clayton Library through the development and presentation of programs on genealogical, historical and technical topics, publicity, and bibliographic and web content development

 

Houston Metropolitan Research Center

Archivist I http://agency.governmentjobs.com/houston/job_bulletin.cfm?JobID=599307

HMRC and the Houston Public Library are seeking a customer service oriented Archivist I to:

  • Lead and direct HMRC’s efforts in researching, acquiring, cataloging, digitizing, and preserving archival materials related to Mexican-American and Latino cultures in Houston. HMRC currently has over 96 archival collections and over 100 oral histories documenting Mexican-American and Latino cultures in Houston.
  • Coordinate HMRC’s community outreach by serving as a community liaison, attending community meetings, and representing the library and HMRC at public events specifically related to Latino art, history, and culture.
  • Provide specialized reference services and research assistance to the general public in-person and electronically.
  • Participate with the manager in unit strategic planning to meet changing services and customer needs including the supervision of support staff, interns, and volunteers assisting with the Latino-related collections at HMRC.

 

Archivist III (Assistant Manager and Lead Archivist) http://agency.governmentjobs.com/houston/job_bulletin.cfm?JobID=599258

HMRC and the Houston Public Library are seeking a customer service oriented Archivist III to:

  • Lead and direct the HMRC team in researching, acquiring, cataloging, digitizing, and preserving archival materials, negotiate with prospective donors, and coordinate the processing of collections and production of finding aids by staff and volunteers
  • Coordinate HMRC’s programming efforts by curating exhibits, conducting departmental tours, assisting with programs and outreach efforts, and representing the library and HMRC at public events
  • Provide specialized reference services and research assistance to the general public in-person and electronically while assisting the manager with modeling, monitoring and maintaining the high standard of excellence in public service
  • Participate with the manager as a lead person in unit strategic planning to meet changing services and customer needs including the supervision of all archival staff

 

Librarian II (Collection Development) http://agency.governmentjobs.com/houston/job_bulletin.cfm?JobID=599184

HMRC and the Houston Public Library are seeking a customer service oriented Librarian II to:

  • Lead and direct the efforts in researching, acquiring, cataloging, digitizing, and preserving HMRC’s Texas and Local History Special Collection, Norma Meldrum Juvenile Special Collections, and the Warren Culbertson Adult Special Collections in addition to archival materials such as oral histories and manuscripts.
  • Coordinate HMRC’s programming efforts by curating exhibits, conducting departmental tours, assisting with programs and outreach efforts, and representing the library and HMRC at public events.
  • Provide specialized reference services and research assistance to the general public in-person and electronically.
  • Participate with the manager in unit strategic planning to meet changing services and customer needs including the supervision of support staff, interns, and volunteers assisting with the Special Collections at HMRC.

Association of Centers for the Study of Congress Award Nominations

The Association of Centers for the Study of Congress (ACSC) sponsors three awards each year. For more information about the following awards, or to download their applications, please visit the ACSC awards website.

The Richard A. Baker Graduate Student Travel Grant is awarded annually to support graduate-level research conducted at member repositories of the Association of Centers for the Study of Congress (ACSC). An award of up to $1000 may be used to underwrite travel, lodging, copying and other research expenses incurred from July 1- June 1 of the award year. Each application will be evaluated on its merits. Primary consideration will be given to projects involving the substantive study of issues related to the study of Congress. Each proposal should be aimed at a discrete end product such as a book, dissertation, thesis, article, documentary, film, exhibit, Web site or social networking site. Budgets may be approved in whole or in part. Each award recipient is required to acknowledge the award in any resulting published work(s) and donate a copy of the work(s) to ACSC and the sponsoring archival repository. The recipient may also be requested to submit a brief article summarizing their findings and research experience for publication by ACSC. The Baker Award honors ACSC founding member and U. S. Senate Historian Emeritus Richard A. Baker. Applications for the Baker Award will be accepted until March 11, 2013, and award notifications are generally made by early April.

The Raymond W. Smock Fellowship is awarded annually in the amount of $1000 to support an individual working in a congressional center to attend the ACSC Annual Meeting in May. The award is open to individuals that have not previously attended an ACSC annual meeting and whose organization is a member of the Association of Centers for the Study of Congress (ACSC). The Smock Fellowship honors ACSC founding member and first president, Raymond W. Smock, director of the Robert C. Byrd Center for Legislative Studies, Shepherd University. Applications for the Smock Fellowship will be accepted until March 11, 2013, and award notifications are generally made by early April.

The CPR Pre-Conference Scholarship is an annual award of $500 to provide financial assistance to an individual or individuals, attending the annual CPR pre-conference meeting at the Society of American Archivists Annual Meeting. The award was created by the Association of Centers for the Study of Congress in 2011 to acknowledge the Congressional Papers Roundtable‘s role in promoting the preservation and use of congressional collections. Applications for the CPR Pre-Conference Scholarship will be accepted until May 1, 2013, and award notification will be made by early June.

Position Available: 2013 Summer Archives Assistant, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston

The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston (MFAH) is seeking a Summer Archives Assistant to aid in the daily operation of the museum’s archives. Half of the assistant’s hours will be devoted to the processing of MFAH exhibition records.   Work will be conducted in accordance with standard conventions. In conjunction with the processing of these records, the assistant will assist with the creation of an EAD finding aid and MARC catalog record.  Remaining responsibilities will include providing reference services and assisting with other duties necessary to the operation of the Archives Department. The Summer Archives Assistant is invited to attend behind-the-scene tours and lectures hosted by the Education Department.

Requirements:  Current enrollment in accredited Masters in Library Science or Archives Studies program. Completion of basic archives course at graduate level or prior work experience in archival or special collection setting. Knowledge of MARC, DACS, LCSH and AACR2 strongly preferred. Experience using OCLC beneficial. Art history background preferred. Word processing and database skills. Ability to lift twenty-five pound boxes and climb ladders.

Application:  Please submit a letter of application, current resume, an official college transcript, a sample of writing or work, and a letter of reference to:

Lorraine A. Stuart
Archives
Museum of Fine Arts, Houston
P.O. Box 6826
Houston, TX  77265-6826

Work schedule:  Ten-week position, May 28 through August 6, 2013. (Some flexibility in starting and ending dates.) Hours are 9am – 5pm, M-F.

Salary:  Total salary for ten weeks is $3500.

Deadline for application: April 8, 2013

Interviews with final candidates residing out-of-state will be conducted by phone.

For additional information write to lstuart@mfah.org

International Conference of Indigenous Archives, Libraries & Museums Preliminary Program Now Available

The preliminary program for the 2013 International Conference of Indigenous Archives, Libraries, and Museums is now available at www.atalm.org.  The program features 12 pre-conference workshops and tours, four evening events, over 80 concurrent sessions, 18 hands-on labs, and keynote presentations by notable people.

LaDonna Harris, founder and president of Americans for Indian Opportunity is the honorary chair and will provide the opening keynote.

Dates:  Scheduled from June 10 through June 13, the conference takes place at the Hyatt Regency Tamaya Resort & Spa, Santa Ana Pueblo, New Mexico. Pre-conference workshops take place on Monday, June 10 and conference sessions are from Tuesday, June 11 through Thursday, June 13.

Registration:  Before May 1, 2013, registration is $250.  After May 1, registration increases to $300.  Registration includes a welcome reception, two breakfasts, and three luncheons.  Registration information is available at www.atalm.org

Hotel:  The conferencehotel is the Santa Ana-owned Hyatt Regency Tamaya Resort and Spa situated halfway between Albuquerque and Santa Fe.  Subject to availability, the discounted rate for conference attendees is $119 a night for a king or two queen beds from June 7-14, 2013. Booking information is available at www.atalm.org. Deadline for booking rooms at the Conference Rate is May 20, 2013

Scholarships:  March 1 is the deadline for applying for scholarships.  To view the criteria and apply, please visit http://www.atalm.org/node/91

Airport: The closest airport is the Albuquerque International Airport (ABQ), located less than 30 miles from the resort. Discounted shuttle service is available. Please refer to the Hotel and Travel information on ATALM’s website.

Facebook:  We frequently post updates to the Association of Tribal Archives, Libraries, and Museums Facebook page.  If you have not done so already, please consider “liking” us!  You may also use the page to promote your own activities, as long as they are non-commercial and non-personal.

Questions?  Phone 405-522-3515 or email atalminfo@gmail.com