Author Archives: Houston Archivist

Event: 2025 Galveston County History Round-Up

 

Come one, come all to our first annual Galveston County History Round-Up! Community members are invited to bring photographs, letters, documents, and other meaningful items for this in-person digitization event! Collection experts will give you tips on how to care for your keepsakes and make sure you walk away with a flash drive of your digitized items!

Sign up for our raffle to win some goodies to help you protect your family keepsakes! Bring family members along and with your cell phone, and create a short, interactive family oral history interview! The event is FREE, but registration is required. Just scan the QR code or use the link to sign up!  A copy of all scanned items will be retained by the Archives of Galveston County.

For more information call Theresa Mayfield, Moore Memorial Library at 409-949-3007. 

 

Job Posting: TSLAC Conservator (Curator IV) DEADLINE EXTENDED

DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS EXTENDED TO NOVEMBER 30

The Texas State Library and Archives Commission has an opening for this full-time position: Conservator (Curator IV) – $6,250-$7,084 monthly

The conservator manages the daily activities of the well-equipped book and paper Summerlee Conservation Lab at TSLAC and performs complex treatments on rare and unique archival and library materials in accordance with the AIC code of ethics. This position develops and monitors work procedures for the unit, establishes priorities, and makes treatment decisions. The conservator is called on to assist with outreach and educational programs, preservation planning and surveys, emergency response, and environmental control. This position may also instruct and monitor interns, students, or volunteers assigned to assist with conservation tasks. Learn about the work undertaken in our conservation lab at our TSLAC Conservation blog, https://www.tsl.texas.gov/conservation/.

To review this job posting go to https://www.tsl.texas.gov/jobs.

AHA! Zine: Call for Submissions!

The Archivists of the Houston Area (AHA!) invites you to submit a page to the collaborative AHA! Zine. We are about a month out from our submission deadline of November 30th and we are excited to see the various ways in which people are exploring the topic of COMMUNITY. This topic can be broadly interpreted though many ways such as: a review of an AHA! event * write up of an archival collection * a review of a digital archive (such as the Portal to Texas History) * an artwork you created with or inspired by archival materials * collection highlights * upcoming/past history/archival events * project completed in library school Check out this sampling of contributions from a few members of the AHA! Board:

Together we try to represent the various ways in which one can express the theme of community. Reminder, you don’t have to be an archivist, librarian, or information professional to submit to the AHA! Zine. Anyone who has an interest in archives is welcome to share their experiences and stories with the Archivists of the Houston Area community.

Submission deadline: Sunday, November 30, 2025 Submit via our Google Form or via email at ahazines@gmail.com. More detailed information about the AHA! Zine and the the Zine Committee can be found on our AHA! Zine Page.

Archives Month: Menil Archives at 25

Archives Month celebrations continue! Join us this Thursday, October 23, for a special afternoon exploring the Menil Archives at 25:

Pre-event Tour – 4:00 PM
Get an inside look at the Menil Archives and its 25 years of preserving the museum’s remarkable history.
  • Location: 1515 West Alabama Street (Free parking available)
  • RSVP required: Sign up here
Post-tour Dinner – 5:00 PM
Join us for a casual dinner and conversation at Lúa Viet Kitchen (1540 W Alabama St UNIT 300).
Public Program – 7:00 PM
Stick around for “The Menil Archives at 25: A Conversation,” hosted by the Menil. Hear from founding archivist Geraldine (Geri) Aramanda and author Don Quaintance as they discuss the Archives’ past, present, and future.
Learn more: 

Menil event page

 

Don’t miss this chance to celebrate Houston’s archival heritage and connect with fellow archivists and history lovers!

Consultant Needed: Death Collaborative of Greater Houston

The Death Collaborative, an emerging nonprofit educational resource group, is looking for either an archivist or a current graduate student focused on archives, who may be able to consult their new group on archives and records management. The group grew out of the Death Cafe meetup groups that meet at HPL Stella Link and seeks to eventually create a directory of death care workers and providers. As this is a new group, they are looking to get off on the right foot in organizing and preserving their records.

Applicants interested in this unique opportunity, can reach out to Lisa Delaune, the Collaborative’s Historian at lisa@deathcollaborative.org.

Job Posting: Katz Family Archivist at Rice University

Rice University is seeking a candidates for the Katz Family Archivist, a  5-year temporary position in support of the South Texas Jewish Archives at the Woodson Research Center, Fondren Library. This individual  will primarily preserve, arrange, and describe archival collections in the Joan and Stanford Alexander South Texas Jewish Archives (STJA), which represent Jewish history and experience in the Houston area and in southern portions of the state. 

Interested applicants can learn more and apply here.

Join us on Saturday, October 18th for the AHA Annual Archives Month Blitz!
We’ll spend the afternoon transcribing, scanning, rehousing, and working on other archival projects from the L.V. Hull Archive, one of America’s 11 Most Endangered Historic Places. This is an excellent opportunity to connect with fellow archivists, community members, and preservation enthusiasts while contributing to this important effort.
Location: The Orange Show (2334 Gulf Terminal Dr, Houston, TX 77023)
Date & Time: Saturday, October 18 | 1:00–5:00 p.m.
Free parking available
Pizza provided!
Learn more about L.V. Hull and the ongoing preservation efforts here:
 

Preserving the Home of an Unusual Artist: L.V. Hull

Job Posting: NAL Space History Collections Intern, UHCL Archives and Special Collections

 Description: The University of Houston-Clear Lake (UHCL) Archives and Special Collections is seeking to fill the position for a paid internship working with archival collections documenting human space flight history held within the Archives. This internship is funded through an endowment by the NASA Alumni League, Johnson Space Center Chapter (more can be learned about the program here: https://blog.uhcl.edu/news/uhcl-nasa-alumni-league-launch-human-space-flight-archive-internship-endowment). Interested applicants can learn more about the UHCL Archives by exploring this LibGuide research guide on our holdings and operations, and watch a tour video: https://uhcl.libguides.com/UHCLArchivesandSpecialCollections 

For more details about the position: https://uhcl.libguides.com/UHCLArchivesandSpecialCollections/NALSpHisCollIntern

circular cropped image of the 1940 Air Terminal Museum in Houston, TX with vintage plane in front.

Tour the 1940 Terminal Air Museum & Archive on Saturday, June 8th

AHA! is touring the 1940 Terminal Air Museum & Archive on Saturday, June 8th.   There is ample on site parking and the museum has kindly offered to have refreshments on hand for our visit!

The 1940 Terminal Air Museum,  operated by the Houston Aeronautical Heritage Society (HAHS) is located in Houston at the William P. Hobby Airport. It first opened its doors on September 28, 1940 and is a beautiful art deco structure designed by noted local architect Joseph Finger. During its heyday, the terminal housed the airport administrative functions and the airport control tower, and was the only terminal in Houston until 1954.  Today, the terminal houses the museum’s collections focused on Houston civil aviation history.

The tour will start at 10:30 am, and Michael Bludworth, the museum’s volunteer historian will give us a brief history of the aviation industry in Houston, and the terminal (he is a wonderful storyteller)!  Participants will have an opportunity to roam the museum for about 20 – 30 minutes and then gather together again for a tour of the Archive.  The Archive (not a large space) is housed in a building about 100 yards from the museum, and is a walkable distance.  But depending on the heat, it may be good to drive.   After the tour we will have lunch at Don Carlos Cantina and Mexican restaurant (8385 Broadway St. 77061), not far from the museum.

Logo of Archivists of the Houston Area. Mark Your Calendars! 194 Air Terminal Museum Tour! June 8th, 2024, 10:30am to 12 noon. 8325 Travelair St. Houston, TX 77061.

Amateur Astronomy Night at the Sam Houston Center, June 14

The Sam Houston Regional Library and Research Center, part of the Texas State Library and Archives Commission, invites you to stargaze with Village Creek State Park Interpreter Alex Stamatis on Friday, June 14 at the Center’s Amateur Astronomy Night.

Stamatis will lead visitors on a tour of the night sky from 8:30 p.m. until approximately 10 p.m. Learn to locate constellations and view some of the season’s most fascinating celestial objects using telescopes, binoculars, and the naked eye! 

Join the fun on the Center’s grounds at 650 FM 1011, Liberty, Texas. (Back-Up Date for Inclement Weather/Cloud Cover is Friday, June 21).

For more information: https://www.tsl.texas.gov/node/69508