Texas Archives Month

Each October, Texas joins archival repositories across the nation to celebrate Archives Month and promote the preservation of our country's documentary heritage. Archives Month in Texas aims to celebrate the value of Texas' historical records, to publicize the many ways these records enrich our lives, to recognize those who maintain our communities' historical records, and to increase public awareness of the importance of preserving historical treasures and making them available for use by present and future generations.

Submit your 2022 Texas Archives Month event for the calendar: If you are hosting an event or presenting Archives Month activities this year, let us know! We will provide a link. Please provide the sponsoring institution, date and time, place, details of what will happen at your event, and if available, any associated website addresses. Send to thrab@tsl.texas.gov. 

Texas Archives Month Poster

An image of the Texas Archives Month 2022 Poster – Analyzing Primary Sources in the Classroom. Map: Galveston storm, 1900. Rosenberg Library. Map of Galveston, Texas after the storm of September 8, 1900. The map is a grid with indicators of water encroachment and partial and total destruction. A list enumerates the damages with correlated numbers on the grid. The map is stamped “Denver Resurvey” and is oriented with Galveston Bay at the top and the Gulf of Mexico at the bottom. Document: William Barret Travis's Letter from the Alamo, February 24, 1836. Texas State Library and Archives Commission. Handwritten document written by William Barret Travis on February 24,1836. Travis writes about the situation at the Alamo and signs the letter, Victory or Death. Photograph: San Antonio, undated. Texas A&M San Antonio. ALT-TEXT: Black and white photograph of a street and parking lot with vehicles from the middle of the twentieth century. A black pickup truck pulling a trailer is in the foreground. There is a two-story building in the background and power lines running down the length of the street on their poles.

Click the poster image above to go to the Archives Month Poster page

Ideas for Celebrating Texas Archives Month

Plan your Texas Archives Month activities now! The Society of American Archivists offers resources for celebrating American Archives Month, including an Event Planning Guide and public relations kits.

SAA's public awareness campaign #AskAnArchivist on October 12 encourages users of archives to talk with archivists - via Twitter - about what archivists do, why archives are important, and, of course, the interesting records in their collections.  Archivists around the country will take to Twitter to respond to questions tweeted with the hashtag #AskAnArchivist.

The Council of State Archivists' Archives Month Resources features blog posts containing news of Archives Month events happening throughout the U.S. and a gallery of past Archives Month posters from around the nation.

Official Texas Archives Month Proclamations

Proclamations made by state and local government officials will be listed here as they are made. Let us know if your county or municipality has issued a Texas Archives Month proclamation at thrab@tsl.texas.gov. 

City of Dallas (2021)

 

 

Calendar of Texas Archives Month Events

2022

If you are hosting an event or presenting Archives Month activities this year, let us know! We will provide a link. Please provide the sponsoring institution, date and time, place, details of what will happen at your event, and if available, any associated website addresses. Send to thrab@tsl.texas.gov.

 

October 1, 2022

Texas Archives Month Poster available for download (THRAB)

Exhibit: The Accomodation: A Visual Companion
J. Erik Jonsson Central Library, 7th floor (Dallas)
Dallas History & Archives Division
During the Month of the October, the the Dallas History & Archives Division will continue its Accommodation : A Visual Companion exhibit, which pairs excerpts from the book The Accommodation with historical photographs, news clippings, and other materials from the collections of the Dallas Public Library’s Dallas History & Archives Division illustrating the subjects being discussed. 

Talking Texas History podcast: All month long, podcast episodes focus on archives around the state. Podcast hosts talk with archivists and others responsible for the historical record of Texas. Catch episodes on the East Texas Research Center, the General Land Office, the State Archives and more in this weekly series. 

October 4, 2022

Program: Evaluating Online Sources for Genealogy Research
J. Erik Central Library, 8 th floor and ONLINE / 2:00p.m. -3:00p.m. (Dallas)
Dallas Public Library - Genealogy / Register to attend in person / Register to attend online
When researching your family history online, how do you figure out if what you are finding is accurate? Genealogy & History Manager Stephanie Bennett will walk through step-by-step how to evaluate the accuracy of your online source and provide tips for locating the original record. This program is available both in-person at the J. Erik Jonsson Central Library, 8th floor and online.

October 12, 2022

#AskAnArchivist on Twitter (Society of American Archivists) https://www2.archivists.org/initiatives/askanarchivist-day

Exhibit: Newsworthy Indigenous Peoples featured in The Dallas Times Herald / J. Erik Central Library, 7th floor (Dallas)
Dallas History & Archives Division
Featured in this exhibit are Native Americans, both residents of Dallas and those who spent time in this area, who made the pages of news coverage in the Dallas Times Herald newspaper.  This includes historical photographs and news clippings from the Dallas Times Herald Collection of the Dallas Public Library’s Dallas History & Archives Division. 

October 18, 2022

Program: Understanding Y-DNA
J. Erik Central Library, 8 th floor and ONLINE / 2:00p.m. -3:00p.m. (Dallas)
Dallas Public Library - Genealogy / Register to attend in person / Register to attend online
What is Y-DNA and how does it help with genealogy research? Join Genealogy Specialist Mic Barnette to explore Y·DNA testing and how to use your Y-DNA matches to find elusive family histories.

October 21, 2022

Event: Family History Month Celebration
J. Erik Jonsson Central Library, 8th floor and ONLINE / 10:00a.m. - 6:00p.m. (Dallas)
Dallas Public Library - Genealogy / Register to attend in person / Register to attend online
Celebrate Family History Month with the Dallas Public Library, Dallas Genealogical Society and the Genealogy Network of Texas (GNT), a state-wide initiative to connect libraries/genealogical societies and provide educational and research opportunities! Join library staff and volunteers for this annual celebration and learn more about your OWN family's history. Seven FREE programs will be live streamed on the 8th floor of the J. Erik Jonsson Central Library along with free research help and tours provided throughout the day. The Genealogy Network of Texas is spearheaded by the Genealogy Center of the Waco-McLennan County Library, Co-sponsors include the Central Texas Genealogical Society, Denton Public Library, The Genealogy Center and the Texas State Genealogical Society.

October 22, 2022

Program: Into the Archive: Deadly Dallas with Rusty Williams
J. Erik Jonsson Central Library, 7 th floor, O'Hara Hall and ONLINE / 2:00p.m.-3:30p.m. (Dallas)
Go “into the archive” of the Dallas History and Archives Division by listening to historian and author Rusty Williams speak about his book Deadly Dallas: A History of Unfortunate Incidents and Grisly Fatalities, as part of the “Into the Archive” speaker series. Rusty will tell the stories of individuals who didn’t fare well at a time when technologies were shifting, and Dallas was experiencing explosive growth. Darkly humorous and sometimes tragic, these stories provide a warning of how we might choose to cope with the future. The event was made possible thanks to the generous support of the Friends of the Dallas Public Library. 
Register here to attend online

October 26, 2022

Event: Travis County History Day 
700 Lavaca Street, Hall of Government / 4:30p.m. (Austin)
Presented by the Travis County Archives and the Austin History Center, and sponsored by the Travis County Historical Commission. For those not able to attend in person, the program will be broadcast live on Facebook. 

PANDEMICS: RESPONSE & RESILIENCE

  • Featuring speakers Judge Nick Chu, Justice of the Peace Precinct 5, and author and journalist Michael Barnes
  • Exhibit materials from the COVID-19 collections of the Travis County Archives and the Austin History Center
  • Refreshments will be provided, and a vaccine/booster clinic will be available.
  • Exhibit in the Hall of Government to run from Oct. 26, 2022 - Jan. 13, 2023

For more information and to RSVP, visit: https://www.facebook.com/events/1478019219327785
For questions, contact: Christy.Costlow@traviscountytx.gov

November 6, 2022

2022 DFW Archives Bazaar
Fort Worth Stockyards / 1:00p.m. - 5:00p.m.

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Current Exhibitions During Archives Month

Archives and Special Collections throughout Texas provide the public with an opportunity to view original documents, photographs, and artifacts through exhibits.  Check with the institutions below for details about their complete list of exhibits, exhibit hours, and price of admission.

Armstrong Browning Library and Museum - Baylor University
https://www.baylor.edu/browninglibrary/index.php?id=942670

Austin History Center
https://library.austintexas.gov/ahc/current-exhibits-17946

Coates Library - Trinity University
https://coateslibrary.com/omeka-exhibits/

Cushing Memorial Library & Archives - Texas A&M University
https://cushing.library.tamu.edu/programs/current.html

DeGolyer Library - Southern Methodist University
https://www.smu.edu/libraries/degolyer/Exhibits

The Dolph Briscoe Center for American History - University of Texas
https://www.cah.utexas.edu/exhibits/index.php

Dallas Historical Society
http://www.dallashistory.org/exhibitions/

Dallas Municipal Archives
https://dallascityhall.com/government/citysecretary/archives/Pages/Archives_home.aspx

Woodson Research Center Special Collections - Rice University
https://woodsononline.wordpress.com/online-exhibits-and-story-maps/

George H.W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum
https://www.bush41.org/exhibits/overview

George W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum
https://www.georgewbushlibrary.smu.edu/

Harry Ransom Center - University of Texas
https://www.hrc.utexas.edu/exhibitions/

Houston Metropolitan Research Center - Houston Public Library
https://houstonlibrary.org/exhibits

LBJ Presidential Library
https://www.lbjlibrary.org/exhibitions

Lamar University - Special Collections
https://www.lamar.edu/library/services/university-archive/exhibits.html

Southwest Collections - Texas Tech University
https://swco.ttu.edu/exhibits/index.php

Southwestern University - Special Collections
https://www.southwestern.edu/library-and-it/special-collections/online-exhibits/

Texas Christian University - Special Collections
https://exhibits.tcu.edu/

Texas State Library and Archives Commission
https://www.tsl.texas.gov/lobbyexhibits

University of Houston - Special Collections
https://exhibits.lib.uh.edu/

University of North Texas - Special Collections
https://exhibits.library.unt.edu/

University of Texas at Arlington - Special Collections
Texas Disability History Collection
https://library.uta.edu/barrier-freecampus/

University of Texas at El Paso - Special Collections
https://www.utep.edu/library/special-collections/#exhibits

The Wittliff Collections - Texas State University
https://www.thewittliffcollections.txstate.edu/exhibitions

Preserve Your Own History, and Go Behind the Scenes at the TSLAC Conservation Lab

You can celebrate Archives Month all year long by learning how to care for your own books, papers, photographs, and other personal archives with these Preservation Tips from the Texas State Library and Archives Commission.

Also, see what's happening in the TSLAC Conservation Lab, from interesting items chosen for treatment and how the professional conservator decides on the best course of action to thoughts about how these records of the past reflect the lives of Texans and their world. You can see all this and more by following the TSLAC Conservation blog.

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Page last modified: October 13, 2022