Author Archives: Houston Archivist

Event: Architectural Orientation at the HMRC

May 10, 2017   6:30-8pm

HMRC is hosting an Architectural Orientation of the Texas Room to introduce the public to our collections and how to access them through the reference desk.  This program goes beyond our monthly Texas Room Orientation to focus primarily on HMRC’s architectural collections.

Guided by Architectural Archivist, Samantha Bruer, customers will learn about architectural drawings, archival collections, books, and other materials that are useful in historic building research.

Parking is available under the Central Library building, with entry on Lamar Street.

For questions, please contact Samantha Bruer at samantha.bruer@houstontx.gov or 832-393-1376.

Event: Spring Creek Heritage Festival

SPRING CREEK HERITAGE FESTIVAL — FREE EVENT
Saturday, May 20th, 10 am – 3 pm RAIN OR SHINE
Spring Creek Park – 15012 Brown Road – Tomball, TX 77377

Enjoy a fun-filled day of educational, family friendly activities in one of Harris county’s most beautiful parks! Visit recreated Confederate and Union camps to learn about Civil War era lifestyles. Also take guided tours to discover the history of the recently discovered Spring Creek Park Cemetery.

Activities
Cemetery Tours – Civil War Battle Reenactments
Cultural Demonstrations – Crafts and Entertainment
Food Trucks – Archaeology Digs – Storytelling

Event Flyer

Dues Payments Made Easy!

Greetings AHA!

We’re so happy to report that you can now pay your AHA! membership dues with any major credit card! We have setup an account with Squareup.com to handle credit card transactions. To cover the transaction fee, a convenience charge of $1 will be added to the regular $10 membership. As always you can still pay dues by cash and check. See the AHA Credit Card Flyer for more details.

Cheers!

Sandra Yates
AHA! Treasurer

Sandra E. Yates, MSIS, CA, DAS
Archivist & Special Collections Librarian
McGovern Historical Collections
Texas Medical Center Library
syates@library.tmc.edu
p: 713-799-7176
f: 713-799-7876

Website: www.library.tmc.edu/mcgovern
The Black Bag: http://mcgovernhrc.wordpress.com

Lone Arrangers Call for Presenters

Call for Presenters!

Managing Expectations in (and outside) the Archives
SAA Annual Meeting, Portland, Oregon, July 23-29, 2017
Lone Arrangers Section Meeting: Wednesday July 26, 2:30-3:45pm

At the Annual Meeting this year, the Lone Arrangers Section would like to focus some of our allotted time on a discussion of managing expectations: the expectations of volunteers, of the community, and of the institution you collect for. Ideally we will have three people on the panel to speak about instances or projects that they have led which were case studies in managing expectations.

Following the presentations, we’d like to have a Q&A or breakout sessions to discuss what we’ve just heard and what ideas it sparks in us, and how we might put these ideas to work.

If you have a project you’ve done, no matter how small or how large, and you will be at SAA, we’d love to have you present! Please contact Melissa Torres (torresme@uhd.edu) or Julia Corrin (jcorrin@andrew.cmu.edu) if you are interested.

RAO Seeking Proposals

The Reference, Access, and Outreach (RAO) section of the Society of American Archivists (SAA) is seeking proposals for presentations and demonstrations for their 6th annual Marketplace of Ideas at the SAA Annual Meeting in Portland, OR to be held Wednesday, July 26 from 2:30-3:45 pm. Take a look at this form for details and the easy application procedure.

Applications are due by May 1, 2017.

The RAO Program Committee will notify all applicants about the status of their proposal by May 22, 2017.

The Year Ahead for AHA!

Dear AHA! Members,

Thanks to all who joined us recently for the inaugural monthly AHA! Happy Hour—it was a great evening of discussion and socializing. We had a productive executive meeting and brainstormed ideas for an exciting upcoming year.

One thing that came out of this gathering was a thoughtful review of AHA’s mission statement. Reflecting on the organization’s stated mission energized board members and others present. It also provided guidance as we seek to align AHA’s activities with this mission.

AHA! exists to increase contact and communication between archivists and those working with records, to provide opportunities for professional development, and to promote archival repositories and activities in the greater Houston, Texas area.

As we craft programming and communications for the year, we’ll seek to ensure that all three of these pieces are actively cultivated. Improved communication, increased fellowship, and opportunities for training and knowledge-sharing all seem like areas ripe for connecting and developing our membership. The big-ticket item—the Houston Archives Bazaar—naturally fits the focus of promoting our work within and beyond Houston. By deliberately aligning our activities with the stated mission, it is our hope that we can better serve and connect Houston’s archival community—that’s you!—as well as the communities we serve.

As we look ahead to the year, we’d like to begin by getting your input on what you’d like to see from AHA! Please take a moment to fill out this member survey.

We hope that you’re as excited as we are about the upcoming year!

Sincerely,

AHA! Executive Board

Emily Vinson, President
Matt Richardson, Vice-President
Lisa Cruces, Secretary
Sandra Yates, Treasurer

Share Your Federal Funding Impact Story!

On Thursday, March 16, 2017, President Trump sent an outline of his proposed FY 2018 budget to Congress, to be followed by a more detailed proposal in the spring. The budget, known as “America First: A Budget Blueprint to Make America Great Again,” proposes a $54 billion increase in defense and public safety spending that is offset by equivalent cuts in discretionary non-defense programs. Included in those cuts are reductions in, or the total elimination of, funding for federal agencies with a history of supporting cultural heritage organizations and projects, including:

– National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH)
– Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS)
– National Endowment for the Arts (NEA)

Budgets are still to be determined for other agencies with archives-related programs such as:

– National Archives and Records Administration (NARA)
– National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC) of NARA
– Library of Congress
– Smithsonian Institution

Share Your Story!

As archivists, librarians, and museum professionals, we know how our collections, institutions, and local communities have benefited from grant funding from these federal agencies. We collect statistics about the work we accomplish under these grants, but we also know that the impact goes far beyond numbers alone.

SAA’s Committee on Public Awareness is looking for stories that convey the impact that federal funding has had on individuals, our institutions, and in our local communities! Collected stories will be gathered, published online, and promoted by the Society of American Archivists through their website and social media channels. We hope to gather stories representing all types of archival repositories, and in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, so please consider sharing your story–no impact is too small when it comes to advocating for federal support for the arts and humanities!

Consider: Did your federal grant-funded project empower K–12 educators to teach with primary sources, connect family members through genealogical records, or inspire a community art project?  Did a federal grant enable your institution to create jobs, contract with an external vendor, or carry out a project that had a fiscal impact on your institution? It is these stories of direct impact, whether personal or fiscal, and at all levels–within your institution, your local community, or even on a national scale–that speak to the true value of federal grant funding for the arts and humanities.

Share Your Story!

Personal impact is powerful. Please share the details of your federally funded project and the story of its impact.

Upcoming Board Meeting and Happy Hour!

We’d like to invite you all out to a happy hour Tuesday, March 14 at 6pm at 8th Wonder Brewery. We hope you’re able to drop by and socialize with friends and colleagues.

The board will have a short meeting at 5:30 to discuss plans for the year, including the Archives Bazaar. Anyone interested in joining those conversations is welcome to come early!