Author Archives: Houston Archivist

“Engaged Scholarship and Knowledge Communities in the Age of the Web”

Engaged Scholarship and Knowledge Communities in the Age of the Web

Jon Voss
Thursday, November 5, 2015
4:00pm in Sewall Hall 309, Rice University
(A reception will follow; no need to RSVP)
See attached flyer for parking information, a campus map, and more information on the event.

“The World Wide Web has changed how we work together in the world, and our social
institutions are still in the early days of transition. Through a project like Historypin and several
others, we explore what the future may hold for memory institutions in the Age of the Web.”

Jon Voss is a leader in the Linked Open Data in Libraries, Archives, and Museums (LODLAM) community and is Strategic Partnerships Director at ShiftDesign, where he helps lead Historypin (a nifty platform for locating historical images on an interactive map). On top of that, he’s an engaging, animated speaker, and he’ll be speaking on a topic directly relevant to libraries / archives.

ALSO! In addition to the talk, you’re also invited to attend a hands-on workshop on Historypin on Friday, 11/6 from 12-1:30ish in the Fondren Library Collaboration Space, at Rice University.

Please let Dr. Lisa Spiro know if you plan to come to the workshop by emailing her at lspiro@rice.edu.

Archival Volunteer Opportunity: Rothko Chapel

Position Description: The Rothko Chapel seeks a trained archivist or librarian to volunteer in the Rothko Chapel archives. The Rothko Chapel Archives currently amount to over 400,000 items stored in archival quality boxes and filing cabinets documenting the Chapel’s 44-year history. We are in need of support in the ongoing efforts to archive the currently daily activities of the Chapel, ensure that all past materials are stored properly and accessible, and assist with research requests.

Qualifications

  • Trained Librarian or Archivist
  • Flexible schedule and the ability to volunteer during workweek (Monday through Friday, between 9am and 5pm)
  • Reliable transportation
  • The ability to work independently with little to no supervision

About the Rothko Chapel: The Rothko Chapel, founded by Houston philanthropists John and Dominique de Menil, was dedicated in 1971 as an intimate sanctuary available to people of every belief. A tranquil meditative environment inspired by the mural canvases of Russian born American painter Mark Rothko (1903-1970), the Chapel welcomes over 70,000 visitors each year, people of every faith and from all parts of the world. On the plaza, Barnett Newman’s majestic sculpture, Broken Obelisk, stands in memory of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The Rothko Chapel is an independent institution, a sacred place open to all people, every day, whose mission is to inspire action through art and contemplation, nurture reverence for the highest aspirations of humanity, and provide a forum to address global issues of worldwide concern. www.rothkochapel.org

Responsibilities may include:

  • Assist contracted archivist in the organization of the archives
  • Assist in the preparation of a finding aid by inputting all contents into Filemaker Pro software
  • Process incoming and backlogged collections by accessioning them into the main collection
  • Organizing archival materials
  • Re-housing documents in acid-free folders and containers
  • Assist on-site researchers at the Rothko Chapel Archive by explaining archival policy:
    • Identifying and retrieving research materials
    • Photocopying documents
    • Monitoring the researcher
  • Correspond with researchers, search for the materials, and produce required reproductions
  • Digitizing the collection (some can be done in-house, others will have to be sent out)
  • Lift boxes of no more than 50 lbs

For more information or to submit your interest, please contact Ashley Clemmer Hoffman at Ashley@rothkochapel.org

Software Preservation Project Survey

This is an invitation to participate in a study entitled “Software Preservation for Cultural Heritage.” Our research is part of an IMLS-funded project to establish a Software Preservation Network. With this study, we want to better understand cultural heritage practices/experiences surrounding long-term preservation and access to digital primary resources stored in proprietary file formats.

While the cultural heritage community has developed tools and workflows for bitstream preservation, the community lacks empirical data regarding the experiences and efforts of cultural heritage repositories to access material stored in proprietary file formats during appraisal, accessioning, description, and reference activities.

As part of this survey, you will also be invited to opt-in for a follow-up semi-structured interview regarding proprietary software challenges. Anonymized data from the study will be made available to the profession and software rights holders, along with analysis of current trends and possibilities for future research.

Take the survey (roughly 20 minutes): https://utexas.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_eJr7lm1aCaC4McJ

Questions? Contact:

Jessica Meyerson
j.meyerson@austin.utexas.edu
Digital Archivist
Briscoe Center for American History, University of Texas at Austin

Zach Vowell
zvowell@calpoly.edu
Digital Archivist
Robert E. Kennedy Library
California Polytechnic State University

Regional Archival Associations Consortium Report, SAA 2015

The report from the Regional Archival Associations Consortium (RAAC) meeting held at SAA this past August in Cleveland is now available.

The report contains plans from the subcommittee for the next few years on areas such as Disaster Planning, Advocacy, Awareness, Education, Grants, etc.

Many of these areas affect the work which we are doing locally through AHA! and regionally.  Please contact AHA! representative Emily Vinson with any questions you may have.

Meeting minutes: Regional Archival Associations Consortium report 10-2015

 

A Women’s History Symposium at the University of Houston, 10/14/15

“Collaboration: Women Re-Making American Political Culture” October 14, 2015

11:30 AM — The Body Politic: How It Matters When Women Make Policy
University of Houston Libraries, Rockwell Pavilion
$10 general public

2:00 PM — Race, Ethnicity and Activism, Academic Panel Discussion
University of Houston Libraries, Rockwell Pavilion
Free

3:30 PM — Confronting Power Structures, Academic Panel Discussion
University of Houston Libraries, Rockwell Pavilion
Free

7:00 PM — Keynote with National Public Radio White House Correspondent Tamara Keith
University of Houston Student Center Theater in conjunction with the UH Libraries Carey C. Stuart Women’s Archive and Research Collection
Tickets $20 for the general public; free entry for students and faculty

Reservations: http://houstonpublicmedia.org/uhwomen

For more information:
Email wgss@uh.edu or call (713) 743-3214

Parking for all events is available at the Welcome Center Garage. Entrance 1 off Calhoun Blvd.

keith_digitalpostcard

October is Archives Month 2015!

The Archivists of the Houston Area! line up for October 2015, National Archives Month is here! Tours have been confirmed for the following days and locations:

The poster and more details can be found at Archives Month 2015. Please send RSVPs for all events to Andrew Gustafson, andrew@thebryanmuseum.com.

Correction made 10/13, updated time for the 1940s Air Terminal Museum from 10:00 AM to 10:30 AM.

Louisiana Archives and Manuscripts Association Annual Meeting

Mark your calendars!  LAMA’s annual meeting is scheduled for Friday, November 6, 2015 at the Catholic Life Center, located at 1800 South Acadian Thruway, Baton Rouge. Registration is from 8:30-9:00.  We have a great lineup of speakers and topics.

Leslie Bourgeois of Louisiana Public Broadcasting will present on “The Louisiana Digital Media Archive: Preserving Louisiana’s Media History Through Collaboration”.  In our second session, “Reaching Out with Outreach: How to promote your collections with limited staff and no budget”, Cyndy Robertson will discuss ways to reach patrons and get them connected with the best resources.  The final presentation of the day will be given by Annie Peterson of Tulane University, Chris Harter of the Amistad Research Center, Trish Nugent of Loyola University, and Lee Leumas of the Archdiocese of New Orleans in a session on “Strategic Planning for Collaborative Preservation”.

Following the presentations, we will hold our annual business meeting.  The day will conclude with a tour of the Baton Rouge Room at the Main Library of the East Baton Rouge Parish Library system.

If there is interest, a dinner will be planned on Thursday night for early arrivers.

Attached you will find the Louisiana Archives and Manuscripts Association Annual Meeting 2015 registration form with information about hotels, the full meeting schedule and a separate Restaurant Guide for lunch.

The deadline for registration is Friday, October 23, 2015.

In the meantime, if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me at:koubre@diobr.org or 225-242-0217.

I look forward to seeing you on November 6th.

Katie Oubre, Vice-President of LAMA

 

Reminder – 2015 TCDL Call for Proposals

Help to build the program for the 2015 Texas Conference on Digital Libraries!

The 2015 Texas Conference on Digital Libraries will be held April 27-28 at the AT&T Executive Education and Conference Center in Austin. The Texas Conference on Digital Libraries is the premiere gathering of digital library and information professionals across Texas and beyond. This is your opportunity to be part of the program.

Submit a Proposal for 2015!

TCDL addresses a wide range of topics including creation, promotion, preservation and management of digital projects and assets, as well as the software and applications that drive the digital library world.  Through a blend of interactive presentations, engaging speakers and informative workshops, TCDL 2015 will be a great place to network and experience the latest in all things digital.

What kind of broad areas would we hope to see covered at TCDL 2015? Here are some ideas!

  • Unexpected finds:  present new ways to use existing technology or demonstrate a new piece of software that’s really made an impact on your workflow.  Show off a new digital collection or project or present novel uses of your institution’s collection material.
  • Unexplained gaps: present ways the larger digital library community can work together to solve problems; initiate dialogues to answer to difficult questions that have faced your institution and to suggest solutions you’d like to see offered at a state or national level.
  • Unexplored collaborations: discover ways to partner together to address an unmet collecting need, novel partnerships that produced interesting results or ideas for greater exposure for collaborative collections.

Whatever you choose to submit, topics explored can include project management, intellectual property issues, deep explorations of software applications … the sky’s the limit! Need more inspiration? Check out last year’s successful programs to get your creative juices flowing.

How can you make your mark on TCDL 2015? Simple: submit a session proposal today. Sessions can take a number of forms, including:

  • Presentations: General presentations on practical work, theoretical or speculative issues, or ongoing or completed research.
  • Panels:  Panel sessions should address a single topic from multiple perspectives and should engage the audience for a full 80-minute session.
  • 24×7 Presentations (24 slides in 7 minutes): 7-minute presentations comprising no more than 24 slides.
  • Posters: Posters will be featured at the conference reception and through a “Minute Madness” session, during which presenters will give a 60-second summary of each poster.
  • Workshops, Tutorials & Demos, Birds of a Feather Sessions: These events provide venues for in-depth instruction in important areas of digital library practice (workshops), demonstrations of new or useful tools and technologies (tutorials), and gatherings of interested attendees to engage in discussion about a particular topic (birds-of-a-feather sessions). Events in this category can range from 1 to 4 hours.

How to Submit a Proposal

More information and the Proposal Submission link can be found at the conference website.

Important Dates

Be a part of TCDL 2015 by submitting your session proposal now. Deadlines and other key dates are approaching quickly!

  • November 17: Call for Proposals
  • February 9: Deadline for all Conference Proposal Submissions
  • March 16: Notification of acceptance
  • March 31: Early bird registration deadline

Questions? Email us at support@tdl.org.

TCDL 2015 Call for Proposals

Help to build the program for the 2015 Texas Conference on Digital Libraries!

 

The 2015 Texas Conference on Digital Libraries will be held April 27-28 at the AT&T Executive Education and Conference Center in Austin. The Texas Conference on Digital Libraries is the premiere gathering of digital library and information professionals across Texas and beyond. This is your opportunity to be part of the program.
________________________________________

Submit a Proposal for 2015!
________________________________________

TCDL addresses a wide range of topics including creation, promotion, preservation and management of digital projects and assets, as well as the software and applications that drive the digital library world. Through a blend of interactive presentations, engaging speakers and informative workshops, TCDL 2015 will be a great place to network and experience the latest in all things digital.

What kind of broad areas would we hope to see covered at TCDL 2015? Here are some ideas!

  • Unexpected finds: present new ways to use existing technology or demonstrate a new piece of software that’s really made an impact on your workflow. Show off a new digital collection or project or present novel uses of your institution’s collection material.
  • Unexplained gaps: present ways the larger digital library community can work together to solve problems; initiate dialogues to answer to difficult questions that have faced your institution and to suggest solutions you’d like to see offered at a state or national level.
  • Unexplored collaborations: discover ways to partner together to address an unmet collecting need, novel partnerships that produced interesting results or ideas for greater exposure for collaborative collections.

Whatever you choose to submit, topics explored can include project management, intellectual property issues, deep explorations of software applications … the sky’s the limit! Need more inspiration? Check out last year’s successful programs to get your creative juices flowing.

How can you make your mark on TCDL 2015? Simple: submit a session proposal today. Sessions can take a number of forms, including:

  • Presentations: General presentations on practical work, theoretical or speculative issues, or ongoing or completed research.
  • Panels: Panel sessions should address a single topic from multiple perspectives and should engage the audience for a full 80-minute session.
  • 24×7 Presentations (24 slides in 7 minutes): 7-minute presentations comprising no more than 24 slides.
  • Posters: Posters will be featured at the conference reception and through a “Minute Madness” session, during which presenters will give a 60-second summary of each poster.
  • Workshops, Tutorials & Demos, Birds of a Feather Sessions: These events provide venues for in-depth instruction in important areas of digital library practice (workshops), demonstrations of new or useful tools and technologies (tutorials), and gatherings of interested attendees to engage in discussion about a particular topic (birds-of-a-feather sessions). Events in this category can range from 1 to 4 hours.

How to Submit a Proposal

More information and the Proposal Submission link can be found at the conference website.

Important Dates

Be a part of TCDL 2015 by submitting your session proposal now. Deadlines and other key dates are approaching quickly!

  • November 17: Call for Proposals
  • February 9: Deadline for all Conference Proposal Submissions
  • March 16: Notification of acceptance
  • March 31: Early bird registration deadline

Questions? Email us at support@tdl.org.