Author Archives: Rebecca

Astrodome Memories project will host oral history and scanning event, August 8, 2015!

Astrodome rendering

Astrodome Memories is a project of the Houston Public Library in partnership with the Houston Metropolitan Research Center; the Harris County Archives; the Woodson Research Center Special Collections & Archives, Fondren Library, Rice University; Special Collections, University of Houston Libraries; and the Harris County Public Library. The project provides access to a broad collection of Astrodome-related materials, including items contributed by the public as well as from major archives in the Houston area and the state. The collection includes oral histories, photographs, blueprints, and audio-video materials related to the construction of the Astrodome, as well as pamphlets, scrapbook, and memorabilia documenting the use of the Astrodome for the last fifty years.

This project has been made possible in part by support from the Institute of Museum and Library Services provided by the Texas State Library and Archives Commission. Visit the project website: http://www.astrodomememories.org

The next Astrodome Memories event is an oral history and scanning event:

August 8, 2015
10:00 AM until 2:00 PM
Julia Ideson Building Auditorium
Houston Public Library
500 McKinney Street
Houston, TX 77008
For Appointments Call: 832-393-1522

Drop-in appointments are available, but if you wish to record an oral history or have more than three items to contribute, we recommend making an appointment.

Oral histories and items scanned at the event will be shared online at the project Web site. You can view items that were scanned at the 50th Anniversary Birthday Party at the Astrodome by visiting:

50th Anniversary Event

 

AHA! Summer Meeting scheduled for July 8–UPDATED!

AHA! Summer Meeting has been scheduled for July 8 at TSU Special Collections.

Summer Meeting

Wednesday, July 8, 2015

6:00 PM

Texas Southern University

Barbara Jordan Archives and Special Collections

Robert J. Terry Library

3100 Cleburne Street

Houston, Texas 77004

 

Agenda

  • Introductory remarks
  • Acceptance of Minutes/Secretary’s Report
  • President’s Report
  • Vice President’s Report
  • Treasurer’s Report
  • Old Business
  • New Business
  • Audio/Visual Presentation – Emily Vinson and Sandra Yates

Map of TSU and parking:

TSU campus map

When the Water Recedes: Salvage assistance offered by AHA!

When the Water Recedes: Archivists Provide Salvage Assistance

Members of the Archivists of the Houston Area (AHA!) are available for providing advice and best practices in salvaging photos, books, documents and other priceless records that may have been damaged in the recent flooding.

Vince Lee, archivist at the University of Houston Libraries and president of AHA!, urges those seeking help with waterlogged materials to contact the organization for guidance. “AHA! would be happy to talk with anyone in a situation in which their valuable materials have been damaged by floodwaters,” Lee said.

Flood remediation of family or organizational records involves cleaning, drying and other types of treatment specific to the type of item. Many materials that have been affected can be salvaged with appropriate methods. AHA! archivists can provide specialized expertise in salvage and preservation.

Houston area flood victims seeking help with damaged records are encouraged to contact AHA! President Vince Lee. For more information on emergency salvage of flood damaged papers, visit National Archives Salvage Tips.

DAS course: Arrangement and Description of Electronic Records, 2 day course offered in Houston–CANCELLED

Holocaust Museum Houston is hosting the 2-day DAS course: Arrangement and Description of Electronic Records, June 23-24. Early bird registration ends May 24. This excellent 2-day course fulfills two requirements under Foundational and Tactical and Strategic Courses needed to pursue the DAS Certificate.

For more information visit: http://saa.archivists.org/events/arrangement-and-description-of-electronic-records-part-i-and-ii-15b2/616/

AHA! Spring Meeting on Wednesday, April 1, 2015

The AHA! spring meeting will be on Wednesday, April 1 at 6 pm at The Heritage Society. Our guest speaker will be author Louis Aulbach.

Agenda:

  • Introductory remarks
  • Acceptance of Minutes/Secretary’s Report
  • President’s Report
  • Vice President’s Report
  • Treasurer’s Report
  • Old Business
  • New Business
  • Presentation – Louis Aulbach, Author and Publisher, Guides to the rivers and parks of West Texas: Rio Grande, Devils River, Pecos River, and others. “Keeping up with the changing nature of archival research — an author’s  perspective.”

Directions to The Heritage Society can be found: http://www.heritagesociety.org/direct.html

Parking Information:

Please park in the Heritage Society’s lot behind the Kellum-Noble House. The best approach to the parking lot is heading east toward downtown on Allen Parkway. Turn right immediately after going under Interstate 45. Be careful not to accidentally turn right onto the interstate just before reaching the parking lot. You can also enter the parking lot from the intersection of Clay and Bagby/West Dallas. Additional parking is available at the Heritage Clay Street Garage for a fee. Tours begin at the Tour Office located in the Museum. The Heritage Society parking lot is open from 8:30 a.m.−5 p.m. Monday−Saturday and for THS special events.

Decolonizing the Archive: Chicana por mi Raza and the Challenge of Digital Humanities, March 9 @University of Houston

Event Date: 
Monday, March 9, 2015 – 10:00am – 12:30pm
Location: 
Elizabeth D. Rockwell Pavilion, MD Anderson Library, University of Houston

 

10:00am – Talk by Maria Cotera, University of Michigan
Decolonizing the Archive: Chicana por mi Raza and the Challenge of Digital Humanities

Focusing on the Chicana por mi Raza digital archive, a collection of oral histories and documents from women who were active in social movements during the 1960s and 1970s, this lecture explores the possibilities and challenges that are opened up by the “digital turn” in Humanities scholarship.

Cotera argues that digital archiving projects like Chicana por mi Raza challenge conventional notions of humanistic research and reformat the archive in critical ways by shifting it from a repository to an active site for the co-creation of feminist knowledge. Re-reading the archive as a site of encuentro (encounter) and exchange, Cotera explores how contemporary feminist scholars can teach and learn about the past in ways that recover lost histories and incite new, and unexpected, connections.

Maria Cotera, PhD is an associate professor who holds a joint appointment in theDepartment of Women’s Studies and the Program in American Culture at the Universityof Michigan. She served as the director for the University of Michigan’s Latina/o Studies Program from 2008 to 2011. Cotera’s first book, Native Speakers: Ella Deloria, Zora Neale Hurston, Jovita González, and the Poetics of Culture, received the Gloria Anzaldúa 2009 book prize from the National Women’s Studies Association.

Cotera’s two current research initiatives include Chicana por mi Raza, a national digital humanities project that seeks to create an online interactive archive documenting Chicana Feminist praxis from 1960-1990; and El Museo del Norte, a partnership with Southwest Detroit arts and culture organizations to create a museum without walls that documents Latino history in the Midwest.

11:30am – Panel discussion
Pushing Back: Chicana, Latina, Hispanic Women Preserving Our Narratives

Panel participants will discuss the politics and implications of digitizing the archive, as well as the opportunities increased access provides.

  • Lisa Cruces joined the University of Houston Libraries as the first Hispanic Collections Archivist in 2014. Prior to this position, Cruces was a fellow with the Hesburgh Libraries at the University of Notre Dame. Along with stewarding and growing UH’s Hispanic Collections, Cruces promotes the use of archival materials in undergraduate education and an increase in community inclusivity. Her professional interests and research focus on collecting, preserving and creating access to English and Spanish language Hispanic archival collections.
  • Patricia Hernandez is a visual artist, arts educator, archivist and native Texan.She holds a BA in Art and Art History and a BFA in Painting from Rice University. She received her MFA in Painting from the University of Houston in 2000. In 2011, she began managing the DiverseWorks pilot project, Creating A Living Legacy (CALL), helping Houston artists collect and organize the records of their creative practice. She is the founder of StudioOne Archive Resource, a new service organization whose mission is to work with members of the Houston arts community to preserve their stories.
  • Carolina Villaroel, PhD is the Director of Research for University of Houston’s Arte Público Press, the nation’s largest and most established publisher of contemporary and recovered literature by US Latina and Latino authors. Villaroel, along with Dr. Nicolás Kanellos, leads the Recovering the U.S. Hispanic Literary Heritage Project, a national program that locates, identifies, preserves and makes accessible the literary contributions of US Hispanics from colonial times through 1960.

Both events are free and open to the public. Sponsored by the University of Houston’s Women’s, Gender & Sexuality Studies Program, Center for Mexican American Studies, Department of English, Department of History, and Digital Humanities Initiative, along with the Houston Arts Alliance, MECA, and Humanities Texas.

Permalink: http://info.lib.uh.edu/p/decolonizing-archive-chicana-por-mi-raza-and-challenge-digital-humanities

 

Genealogical Research Seminar, Saturday, February 28

Holocaust Museum Houston is pleased to announce its collaboration with Clayton Library Center for Genealogical Research in bringing Houston a genealogical research seminar. Embarking on a family history research project is a great way to pass down our stories and those of our ancestors’ lives. Sue Kaufman, manager of Houston Public Library’s Clayton Library Center for Genealogical Research, will present basic steps for getting started on your family history journey with a special emphasis on Jewish genealogical research.  Amanda McKenzie, assistant librarian at Holocaust Museum Houston, will give an introduction to Jewish genealogical tools that will assist researching Holocaust survivors and victims. Join the Museum and the library to learn about the resources available for your search. The program is brought to the public by HMH’s Friends of the Library affinity group.

Admission, which includes entry to the Museum, is $12 for nonmember adults, $8 for seniors and active-duty military, and free for HMH members and students. Seating is limited, and advance registration is requested.

Visit http://www.hmh.org/RegisterEvent.aspx to RSVP online.

CALL TO ACTION: House Appropriations Committee Hearing Set for State Library & Archives

The next hearing on the Texas State Library and Archive’s Commission’s budget for the 2015-2017 biennium will take place next week on Monday, February 16. This is a hearing of the House Finance Committee. I don’t have an agenda for the meeting yet, so I don’t have any clue what order the agencies will present in.

Budget hearings are an interesting process. Often, advocates find themselves listening through hours of testimony, as there is no guaranteed time for agency presentations or public testimony.  Changes in scheduling are common. That being said, it is incredibly important to have advocates who are committed. Nothing is more powerful than persuasive testimony!

If the hearing is broadcast, the link will be available on the day at http://www.house.state.tx.us/video-audio/committee-broadcasts/. Expect hours and HOURS of poor audio and video.

The current TSLAC Legislative Appropriation Request is available at https://www.tsl.texas.gov/agency/budget/fy1617/index.html. There is a synopsis available from the Texas Library Association at http://www.txla.org/sites/tla/files/Advocate/84th_Library_Budget_Issues.pdf. You should note that though many of the requests for new funding (exceptional items) are directed toward the State Archives, the Texas Library Association is focused on two that will benefit libraries statewide. That is why your support for the archival priorities is essential!

TSLAC, like all agencies, was directed to prepare an option for a 10% budget cut. Note that while the library services division would feel the greatest impact in terms of dollars, other divisions will feel the impacts in loss of staff. If a 10% across-the-board cut is made, 7.0 FTEs in archives plus 1 FTE in State and Local Records Management would be eliminated.

If your representative serves on the Appropriations Committee, I urge you to contact him or her to express your support:

Representative Trent Ashby; Trent.Ashby@house.state.tx.; 512-463-0508

Representative Cecil Bell; Cecil.Bell@house.state.tx.us; 512-463-0650

Representative Greg Bonnen; Greg.Bonnen@house.state.tx.us; 512-463-0729

Representative Cindy Burkett; Cindy.Burkett@house.state.tx.us; 512-463-0464

Representative Giovanni Capriglione; Giovanni.Capriglione@house.state.tx.us; 512-463-0690

Representative Sarah Davis; Sarah.Davis@house.state.tx.us; 512-463-0389

Representative Dawnna Dukes; Dawnna.Dukes@house.state.tx.us; 512-463-0506

Representative Helen Giddings; Helen.Giddings@house.state.tx.us; 512-463-0953

Representative Larry Gonzales; Larry.Gonzales@house.state.tx.us; 512-463-0670

Representative Donna Howard; Donna.Howard@house.state.tx.us; 512-463-0631

Representative Bryan Hughes; Bryan.Hughes@house.state.tx.us; 512-463-0271

Representative Linda Koop; Linda.Koop@house.state.tx.us; 512-463-0454

Representative Oscar Longoria; Oscar.Longoria@house.state.tx.us; 512-463-0645

Representative Marisa Marquez; Marisa.Marquez@house.state.tx.us; 512-463-0638

Representative Ruth Jones McClendon; RuthJones.McClendon@house.state.tx.us; 512-463-0708

Representative Borris Miles; Borris.Miles@house.state.tx.us; 512-463-0518

Representative Rick Miller; Rick.Miller@house.state.tx.us; 512-463-0710

Representative Sergio Munoz; Sergio.Munoz@house.state.tx.us; 512-463-0704

Representative John Otto; John.Otto@house.state.tx.us; 512-463-0570

Representative Dade Phelan; Dade.Phelan@house.state.tx.us; 512-463-0706

Representative Four Price; Four.Price@house.state.tx.us; 512-463-0470

Representative John Raney; John.Raney@house.state.tx.us; 512-463-0698

Representative Justin Rodriguez; Justin.Rodriguez@house.state.tx.us; 512-463-0669

Representative J.D. Sheffield; J.D.Sheffield@house.state.tx.us; 512-463-0628

Representative Sylvester Turner; Sylvester.Turner@house.state.tx.us; 512-463-0554

Representative Gary VanDeaver; Gary.VanDeaver@house.state.tx.us; 512-463-0576

Representative Armando Walle; Armando.Walle@house.state.tx.us; 512-463-0490

 
If you don’t know who your representative is, you can go to http://www.fyi.legis.state.tx.us/Home.aspx and enter your address to find out! Even if your representative isn’t on the Appropriations Committee, it is important to communicate with them about the importance of TSLAC, especially as the budget process moves forward.

 

The equivalent in the Senate is the Senate Finance Committee; their hearing was last week. You can still communicate with them to express your support for archives, though. Here’s the list of members:

 

District 1: Senator Kevin Eltife; 512-463-0101; Kevin.Eltife@senate.state.tx.us

District 3: Senator Robert Nichols; 512-463-0103; Robert.Nichols@senate.state.tx.us

District 5: Senator Charles Schwertner; 512-463-0105; Charles.Schwertner@senate.state.tx.us

District 7: Senator Paul Bettencourt; 512-463-0107; Paul.Bettencourt@senate.state.tx.us

District 9: Senator Kelly Hancock; 512-463-0109; Kelly.Hancock@senate.state.tx.us

District 11: Senator Larry Taylor; 512-463-0111; Larry.Taylor@senate.state.tx.us

District 12: Senator Jane Nelson; 512-463-0112; Jane.Nelson@senate.state.tx.us

District 14: Senator Kirk Watson; 512-463-0114; Kirk.Watson@senate.state.tx.us

District 15: Senator John Whitmire; 512-463-0115; John.Whitmire@senate.state.tx.us

District 17: Senator Joan Huffman; 512-463-0117; Joan.Huffman@senate.state.tx.us

District 18: Senator Lois Kolkhorst; 512-463-0118; Lois.Kolkhorst@senate.state.tx.us

District 19: Senator Carlos Uresti; 512-463-0119; Carlos.Uresti@senate.state.tx.us

District 20: Senator Juan “Chuy” Hinojosa; 512-463-0120; Juan.Hinojosa@senate.state.tx.us

District 23: Senator Royce West; 512-463-0123; Royce.West@senate.state.tx.us

District 31: Senator Kel Seliger ; 512-463-0131; Kel.Seliger@senate.state.tx.us);
Some tips for contacting your senator or representative:

 

If you are calling the office, ask to speak to the staff person working on Appropriations or Finance. When you get that person, introduce yourself, tell them you are a constituent, and tell them you are calling to ask for the Representative or Senator’s support of funding for the state archives. Mention that the TSLAC Appropriations Committee hearing is set for Monday Feb. 16, and you want to speak to them concerning the importance of funding the agency’s exceptional items requests. Be specific about which exceptional items you support and explain how they will benefit you and other constituents. Ask if s/he has any questions and thank them. It’s that easy!

 

TLA has an Advocacy Primer available at http://www.txla.org/advocacy-how-to that provides a lot of useful guidance.

Documenting the history of The Meridian Highway across Texas, February 18

Individuals and organizations are encouraged to attend a public outreach meeting to share information and visual items related to the Meridian Highway for use in a public project. Texas Historical Commission (THC) staff and representatives of the preservation planning firm Hardy-Heck-Moore, Inc. (HHM) will introduce the project and involve community members through discussion, question-and-answer session, and displays of maps and historical Meridian images. Please bring historical photos, postcards, maps, and other Meridian-related items to the meeting. With your consent, HHM staff will scan or photograph materials to be included in the project. The meeting is open to the public and will be held Wednesday, February 18, 5:30-7:00 p.m. For more information visit: http://www.thc.state.tx.us/news-events/events/meridian-highway-across-texas-houston-public-outreach-meeting

WHO: Hosted by Preservation Houston, Hardy-Heck-Moore, Inc., and THC staff. The public is invited.

WHAT: Meridian Highway Public Outreach Meeting

WHEN: Wednesday, February 18, 5:30-7:00 p.m.

WHERE: The Parador
2021 Binz Street
Houston, Texas 77004

BACKGROUND: The THC is undertaking a two-year study to document the history of the Meridian Highway. The THC has awarded the contract to complete the study to Hardy-Heck-Moore, Inc., an Austin-based historic preservation planning and management firm. The project will result in a written history of the Texas section of the Meridian Highway, and a survey of the Texas Meridian route, including associated historic resources: auto repair garages, gas stations, diners, tourist camps, auto courts, motels, road markers, paving, and traffic signs. This effort is funded by the Texas Legislature and the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) through the Transportation Enhancement Program. For more information, contact the THC’s History Programs Division at 512.463.5853 or visit www.thc.state.tx.us.

Free Webinar on Project Management

Project Management 101: Planning Your Project

Two-part webinar

February 5 and 19, 2015  (1 hour each afternoon)

11 am PST / 2 pm EST

Produced by the Coalition to Advance Learning in Archives, Libraries, and Museums

Join your colleagues from archives, libraries and museums for a two-part, interactive learning webinar that will introduce the fundamentals of project management: planning a project. All of our fields struggle with unstable budgets and dynamic technology, so learning to think and act in terms of projects is critical—it can be the difference between turning an idea into a successful, resourced initiative or not. Led by representatives from the Institute of Museum and Library Services, the webinars will focus on the key elements of a project plan: the idea, the audiences, funding options, a work plan, an evaluation, and more. We will also discuss how to critically examine your project ideas, asking, Is it fundable? Valuable? Sustainable? And if not, what could you do differently? While learning these fundamentals, you will also benefit from the insights and experiences shared by your fellow participants from across archives, library, and museum institutions.

February 5     Key Elements of a Project Plan (1 hour)

This session will describe how careful planning leads to more successful projects.. We will cover how to develop an idea, define your audience, look at funding options, do an environmental scan, assess your resource capacity and needs, and develop a project scope and schedule for implementation. Attendees will be invited to use the two weeks between webinars to outline a project idea based on these key principles. Submitted project plans will be reviewed by webinar moderators with individual feedback provided for each submission.

February 19   Evaluating Your Project Plan (1 hour)

In this highly interactive second session, we will use sample project ideas and case studies to look at how we can assess the strength of a project plan before it is implemented. We will also discuss other project management resources and where to learn more about the topic.

How Will I Benefit?

After participating in this two-part webinar, attendees will be better able to:

  • Why project management is a critical skill
  • What it takes to turn an idea into a fundable project
  • Where to learn more about project management
  • How to evaluate staff and institutional capacities to manage a project

Who Should Attend

This topic is relevant to all organizational roles: you may be currently managing or soon will be managing a project, or you may be a contributor to a current or future project.

Presenters and Moderators

  • Robert Horton, Associate deputy director, IMLS
  • Sarah Fuller, Program specialist, IMLS

Register Now

Registration Info

About the Coalition to Advance Learning in Archives, Libraries and Museums

This is the inaugural project from the Coalition to Advance Learning in Archives, Libraries and Museums, which is supported by grants from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the Institute of Museum and Library Services. The purpose of the Coalition is to work in deliberate coordination across organizational boundaries to devise and strengthen sustainable continuing education and professional development (CE/PD) programs that will transform the library, archives, and museum workforce in ways that lead to measurable impact on our nation’s communities. Look online for a complete list of Coalition members.