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 2024 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 by filling out this form. You may also send the information to thrab@tsl.texas.gov. 

Texas Archives Month Poster 

An image of the Texas Archives Month 2023 poster with a collage of items in the background of Woman's shoe, black, 1900-1920. Texas State Archives Artifact Collection, ATF0070, Harvey P. Smith and Associates, Homer L. Fry (landscape architect), United States. Federal Civil Works Administration (client). Fountain, Spanish Governor's Palace. Bluepring, Castañeda, Carlos E., 1896-1958 (contributor) – Photograph, Cret, Paul Philippe, 1876-1945 (consulting architect), Staub, John F., 1892-1981 (architect), University of Texas Texas Memorial Museum (Austin, Tex.): scheme "A" alternate elevation, 11/3/1935 – drawing, and Map, Mexico, 1832. Arrowsmith, John, 1790-1873 – map. In the foreground is the text of Texas Archives Month Start Your Research with TARO! Find descriptions and inventories of collections from participating archives, museums, and libraries around the state from one site. TARO Texas Archival Research Online. Txarchives.org.

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 11 encourages users of archives to talk with archivists - via X - about what archivists do, why archives are important, and, of course, the interesting records in their collections.  Archivists around the country will take to X to respond to questions 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 (2023)

 

 

Calendar of Texas Archives Month Events

2024

THRAB is offering a range of professional development opportunities, archival resources, awards announcements and an upcoming poster celebrating Texas Archives Month. 

2023

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 by completing this form. You may also send information to thrab@tsl.texas.gov.

September 23, 2023

Border Archives Bazaar

graphic with text of details for the border regional archives group border archives bazaar. The theme is Re:Collections, Re: Collections. Free and open to the publiic, Saturday, Sept 23, 2023, 10am-4pm, NM Farm & Ranch Heritage Museum, 4100 Dripping Springs Rd, Las Cruces, NM 88011. More than a dozen libraries, archives, and museums of the El Pase and southern New Mexico area will showcase original historical manuscripts, photographs, maps, publications, films, and more that highlight the unique history and culture of our region and the role that archives play in preserving and promoting cultural heritage. facebook.com/BRarchives. Image in background of adobe structure with an adult, child and baby posing in front.

10:00AM - 4:00PM
New Mexico Farm and Heritage Museum
4100 Dripping Springs Rd. Las Cruces, New Mexico 88011
Facebook.com/BRarchives

October 1 - 31, 2023

Margaret H. McAllen Memorial Archives - Closed for Processing

Read more and watch a video about the way this archive is recognizing Archives Month:
https://mosthistory.org/margaret-h-mcallen-memorial-archives-closed-october-2023/

October 4, 2023 - April 1, 2024

Special Exhibit Comes to Corsicana in Honor of its 175th Anniversary


Opening reception: 2:00PM
3100 W. Collin St., Corsicana, Texas 75110


October 6-8, 2023

Texas Film Round-Up Free Digitization Program

  • Friday October 6, 8 PM at Port Isabel Lighthouse Historic Site (421 E. Queen Isabella Blvd., Port Isabel, TX) screening of Misterio en Las Bermudas, a film shot on South Padre Island, presented with ENTRE Film Center, the Texas Historical Commission and the city of Port Isabel.

  • Saturday, October 7, 2-6 PM at ENTRE Film Center (415 W Jackson Avenue, Harlingen, TX) as a part of their Home Movie Day Event. Home Movie Day is a celebration of amateur films and filmmaking. Participants can bring their home movies to screen as part of the program.

  • Sunday October 8, 1-5 PM at The Museum of South Texas History (200 N Closner Blvd, Edinburg, TX)

Films and videotapes will be collected for the Round-Up at ALL events. More info here.

October 7, 2023

San Antonio Regional Archivists (SARA) Archives Bazaar
Graphic promoting the San Antonio Archives Bazaar with cartoon figure in bowler hat yelling in a megaphone with cartoon media formats surrounding the figure, such as a floppy disk, books, vhs tape, photograph, and document.

10:00AM - 2:00PM
Brick in the Blue Star Arts Complex
108 BLUE STAR, SAN ANTONIO, TX 78204
https://sites.google.com/view/sanantonioregionalarchivists/-bazaar?authuser=0

October 14, 2023

Home Movie Day / Texas Film Round-Up

6:00PM - 9:00PM
French Legation
802 San Marcos St. Austin, TX 78702
More information here.

October 24, 2023

Travis County History Day presents: Clerks of the Courts 

Exhibit opening and reception: 
12:00PM - 1:00PM
Hall of Goverment
700 Lavaca St. Austin, TX 78701
Exhibit runs Oct. 24, 2023 - Jan. 8, 2024
https://www.traviscountyhistory.org/?na=v&nk=3408-23488775f0&id=5

October 26-27, 2023

Introduction to Emergency Preparedness for Cultural Heritage



8:30AM - 5:00PM
Fair Park Visitors Center 
3535 Grand Avenue, Dallas, TX 75210
Click here to register. (Free)
Deadline: Monday, October 16,2023
(For questions regarding the workshop, please contact Lynn Rushton Reed at lynn.rushton@dallas.gov)

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: September 12, 2024