Please join us for the End of Year Potluck and Tour!
We will be hosting our final event of 2025 at the Moore Memorial Public Library. Join us as we tour the historically beautiful library with a potluck afterwards. Bring your Drivers License to get a library card! You are also welcome to bring $10 for annual membership dues.
The end of 2025 is just around the corner, but AHA is here to party! đź•ş
Join us for our End of the Year meeting to discuss By-Law changes and elected board positions for 2026! We will vote on amendment changes to the By-Laws as well as voting for open positions within the executive board! Details below.
Date: Monday, December 15, 2025
Time: 12PM
Meeting link & info: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84146703461?pwd=goaY9UcyQX3Zwi0EmtrCAYVsJqRsjQ.1
Meeting ID: 841 4670 3461
Passcode: 342183
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.
AHA is hosting its first free online international digitization game event, facilitated by Sean Macmillan of King’s College London on Friday, August 23rd from 10 am – 11:30 am. The theme for this gaming event is Digital Preservation!
A little bit about our facilitator Sean Macmillan.
“Sean Macmillan is a digital collections manager based in King’s College London. His background is in archives, and has previously worked for the University of London, University of Oxford, Liverpool Hope University, and a family private estate. He has a passion for games and learning, and has organized a number of digital preservation games events in the past two years”
If you are an expert in digital preservation or want to build a better understanding and awareness of best practice in a fun and friendly environment, then please join us! As this is the first time hosting a Digital Preservation Game event, seating is limited. To sign up, use the link below. Deadline to sign up is August 20th.
Have you ever been plugging the Archivists of the Houston Area (AHA!) to a new hire or graduate student and thought, “Man, I wish I had something tangible to give you with all the information you need to join the Premier Archivist Organization of Southeast Texas?” Well, look no further! AHA! now has postcards and flyers available for download.
We also have 250 postcards printed in vibrant color for area repositories to have on hand for anyone interested in becoming an AHA! member, like staff, interns, volunteers, and researchers.
Archivists of the Houston Area! (AHA!) is the premiere archivists organization of Southeast Texas.
Our 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.
What does membership do for you? It’s an opportunity to…
Get involved and collaborate with 100s of other archivists in the area.
Attend meetings and events throughout the year, virtually and in-person.
Share experiences and skills.
Receive alerts to events, meetings, professional opportunities, and job announcements through our email list.
Back by popular demand! Our “Old, Weird Houston” stickers have been re-issued in a special glitter edition. These went quickly at our event at The Orange Show back in April!
Get yours by donating $3 dollars or more.
Stickers are 3in x 3in, are durable and weather resistant with a glittering look but none of the mess of actual glitter! These will look good on your laptop or even car bumper.
Donate through our Square store. Once your donation has been received, the Treasurer will contact you by Email for your shipping information.
Who should attend?
Anyone interested in becoming a member of AHA! That includes library students, recently graduated, professionals, and archives enthusiasts living or working in the Houston area!
We will present opportunities for networking and connecting with peers in our area!
Meet members of the AHA Board!
Have questions on the history and mission of AHA? Interested in upcoming events? Have questions for us? Join us and chat!
On September 22, 2020, the members of AHA! convened virtually for the second general meeting of the year. The AHA! board overviewed ongoing and future initiatives, including a slate of exciting Archives Month programming for October. Watch your inbox for more information in the coming weeks! If you’re not on the AHA! listserv and are interested in becoming a member, contact the board at houstonarchivists@gmail.com.
Following the business meeting, archivists and AHA! members John Rovell, Sandra Yates, and Amanda Focke shared their experiences and thoughts on the Certified Archivist (CA) and Digital Archives Specialist (DAS) certification programs. The panelists discussed skills and lessons learned, the costs and benefits of each certification program, and answered questions from the group, offering advice to prospective certificate seekers.
The Certified Archivist certification is offered by the Academy of Certified Archivists, an independent organization made up of professional archivists. Obtaining this certification involves coursework, professional service, and passage of an exam covering all aspects of archival enterprise.
The Digital Archives Specialist certification is offered by the Society of American Archivists. This certification pertains specifically to working with born-digital records, involving a customizable curriculum of coursework and a cumulative final exam.
Thank you again to our panelists! If you are interested in viewing a recording of the meeting and panel, contact the AHA! board at houstonarchivists@gmail.com.
Today is filled with sadness and heartbreak for the family and friends of George Floyd, the City of Houston, and communities around the world.
We join the Society of Southwest Archivists and the Society of American Archivists in “condemning the continued racist acts of violence committed against members of our Black communities across the country.” We acknowledge the “systemic racism and white supremacy that has been a part of United States government since its founding, and as archivists, we know the historical evidence bears witness to the legacy of oppression, violence, and death that structural racism has imposed on Black, Indigenous, Latinx, Asian, and other communities of color. When it comes to perpetuating institutional racism and white supremacist culture, archives are no exception.”(1, 2)
We understand “no one owes their trauma to archivists,”(3) and we urge ethical documentation in times of crisis.(4, 5)
We support Houstonians’ right to peacefully protest and demand policy reform, justice, and equal treatment under the law; and we believe Black Lives Matter.
Please consider attending SAA Community Reflection on Black Lives and Archives this Friday, June 12 at 2:00 pm CST. Documenting the Now is looking for archivists and other memory workers who are willing to share their time, resources, and expertise to help activists document police violence. You may volunteer here.
We invite you to share any words of solace and healing by replying individually to houstonarchives@gmail.com and we will compile them to send a card to the family of George Floyd.
Archivists of the Houston Area (AHA!) recommends that libraries and archival institutions in the Houston area cease public operations in adherence with national and local guidelines regarding the spread of COVID-19 and in solidarity with national, regional, and local professional organizations and ensure fair compensation for staff during the ongoing situation.
We commend the libraries and archival institutions that have closed in order to protect our communities from the spread of COVID-19, follow social distancing guidelines intended to “flatten the curve,” and, we hope, save lives.
Nationally, the United States Government and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention recommend social distancing measures and working from home whenever possible. Locally, the City of Houston also recommends working from home whenever possible, avoiding gatherings of over 10 people, and avoiding discretionary travel. The Society of American Archivists also urges leaders and administrators to act swiftly to close archival institutions and support employees in work from home plans stating, “the valued labor of archivists is not more important than the health of the people doing that work.”
AHA! recommends the SAA Accessibility & Disability section’s “Archivists at Home” document to assist in devising work from home plans and tasks for archivists and staff. If you are concerned about the effect of COVID-19 on your workplace status, income, or access to sick time and family leave time, please consider filling out the Contingent Archival Workers and COVID-19 anonymous survey. SAA has also created a resource page to help the archives community navigate this global health crisis.
