Out of the Stacks and into the Catalog: The Basics

Posted on September 20, 2017 by Mackenzie Ryan

By Stephanie Andrews, Library Assistant

By searching the library catalog, many of the Texas State Library and Archives Commission’s titles and holdings can be discovered from the comfort and convenience of home. In the library catalog, you can find publications covering topics such as: Texas history, Genealogy, United States federal documents, and much more! In fact, the State Archives’ finding aids can also be found in the library catalog. In this blog series, we will explore the features, functions, and various search strategies that you can use for navigating the library catalog.

Today, we will start with the basics. To get to the Texas State Library and Archives Commission’s (TSLAC) library catalog, first visit our website at www.tsl.texas.gov and then click “Archives & Reference.” Next, click “Library Catalog” on the following page. To access the catalog directly, you can type www.tsl.texas.gov/catalog into the address bar of your web browser and press the Enter key. Here you can conduct multiple types of searches, access your patron account, and find contact information for the Reference staff. In this post, we’ll look specifically at the search box, search results, and how to get item details.

The TSLAC library catalog homepage.

The TSLAC library catalog is a shared catalog. It stores our titles as well as those for the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) which leads us to our first few quick tips:

Click “Keyword”, “Browse”, or “Exact” depending on the type of search you are doing. An in-depth look on the types of searches you can do will be covered in an upcoming post.
Select “TX State Library & Archives Comm” under Library. This limits your search to titles in our collections. Otherwise, you may see items held by the TCEQ.
Pressing “Enter” on your keyboard will default your search to a “Words or Phrase” search. Try using the other search buttons, ”Author”, “Title”, “Subject”, “Series”, or “Periodical Title” to narrow your search. We will take a closer look at these search options in a future post, as well.

Let’s try a search using these new tips! I’ll do a keyword search for the word bluebirds. You can try this same search at home by typing “bluebirds” into the search field then selecting “Texas State Library & Archives Comm” and pressing Enter on your keyboard.

Once you do, you should be redirected to the same results screen as pictured below. If you searched for bluebird instead of bluebirds, you probably see a different set of results. Hint: when doing searches, try different variations of spelling(s) and/or variations on plural/singular spellings to find different titles.

A search results page, listing several results in blue.

Once the search results appear, you can click on a blue link to be redirected to more specific information about the keyword, title, subject, author, publisher, or periodical you searched for. For this search, I’ll click on the top result that appeared; “Bluebirds in Texas” by Noreen Damude and published in 2016.

The Item Details screen shows you detailed information about the title.

In the image above, we have highlighted the two main sections that you need to know. The first shows the item information which is highlighted by the purple box. Here you can see the item’s title, author, publisher, publication date, and even a physical description of the item.

The second portion shows the TSLAC holdings information which is highlighted by the green box. Here you can see the item’s call number, number of copies, type of material (book, DVD, etc.), and the item location. The first and last pieces of information here are important because the call number and location is what staff need to know to retrieve the item for you. It’s also important to note the location may say TSLAC or Liberty. TSLAC denotes that it is at our location in downtown Austin and Liberty denotes that it is at our location in Liberty, TX.

Not finding what you’re looking for? Use the Reference Desk contact information found on the right side of the catalog homepage to get in touch with a Reference staff member for assistance.

That’s all for this blog post, but stay tuned for future tips, tricks, and walkthroughs from the TSLAC Reference staff. Happy searching!

Meet the Staff – Steven Kantner

Posted on September 6, 2017 by Susan Floyd

Meet the Staff is a Q&A series on Out of the Stacks that highlights the Archives and Information Services staff of the Texas State Library and Archives Commission

Photo of Steven Kantner at a light table between two film reels.

In 50 words or less, describe what you do.

I oversee digitization projects for various formats in TSLAC’s holdings including photographs, documents, sound and video recordings, and motion picture film. I also prepare metadata for digitized items and manage our local file storage. In addition, I package metadata and files together for ingest into the Texas Digital Archive.

Why did you choose your profession?

The digital preservation of archival materials, especially audiovisual formats, combines my interest in media history, and history in general, with my technical skills from my previous experiences as a recording engineer and audiovisual media educator.

What is your favorite document, photo, or artifact in TSLAC’s collection?

It’s hard to choose just one. We had an interesting find recently while digitizing the original laws of Texas. We knew we were approaching the Civil War era, and upon opening the next volume in line to be digitized, the first document in the volume was the Ordinance of Secession from 1861. That pivotal moment in Texas and American history, done behind the back of Sam Houston, is documented on that one sheet of paper and was very interesting to read and handle.

Page one of the 1861 Ordiance of Secession from the Texas 8th Legislature, 1st Called Session.

An Ordinance to Dissolve the Union between the State of Texas and the Other States United Under the Compact Styled “The Constitution of the United States of America” Identifier: 08_leg_extra_ord_001

I suppose some favorites include old films we have digitized from collections such as the Texas Highway Department films and Governor Allan Shivers films. These aren’t available just yet online, but should be soon. Keep your eyes peeled.

When you’re not busy, what do you like to do for fun?

Smoking brisket or ribs; Movies; Travel; Long distance cycling.

Metadata: The Description Is Out There

Posted on August 16, 2017 by Susan Floyd

By Brian Thomas, Electronic Records Archivist

Metadata is a confusing word that is very often stated but is either not defined for users or ill-defined. The meaning of the term isn’t common knowledge, and references to the importance and popular understanding of what metadata is usually lies with references to the Edward Snowden public release of classified NSA documents. This comparison is great, if you know who Edward Snowden is and paid close attention to the details of the 2013 scandal involved. For the rest of us, it is important for libraries and archives to explain what metadata is and why it is so important.

Metadata is such a big (yet straightforward) concept that an explanation of what it is usually results in conversations that sound like philosophy. Put simply, metadata is descriptive information about stuff. For better or worse, the stuff is what it is. The stuff could be events, things, people, etc. Metadata provides information about what that stuff is. This is incredibly useful for people (and computers) that need to know what that stuff is but cannot see or experience it. For example, if a person is unable to see colors properly, how would they know what color a blue box from an online retailer is? If the person is unable to see anything, how would they know about the logo on said blue box? Someone would need to describe it to them. That description is metadata about the box.

Metadata in libraries is most often seen in the library catalog, which gives details about books so users can know whether a book is the right book for them and where to find the book. Metadata in archives is most often seen in the finding aid, which gives details about what records exist in the collections. All of this is very powerful information, and is one of the currencies of the information age we live in.

The most powerful part of metadata as it exists today lies with metadata standards. Using metadata standards, computers are able to manipulate information to enhance accessibility of the content you want to see. For example, it enables functions like filters and facets to fine-tune a search. The most common example of a filtered search is shopping for something online, and using options provided by the seller to narrow the search results. An example of filtered searching at the Texas State Library and Archives Commission is in the Texas Digital Archive (TDA). Using the Texas Digital Archive to complete a simple search for a picture of someone with the last name Smith might yield 3,499 results. Knowing that the photograph was taken by the Department of Public Safety, and using the filters available, the search results suddenly could drop to 68 results. There are a great number of metadata standards in the various information professions. Dublin Core is a common standard that many other metadata standards incorporate in their core requirements. The Library of Congress provides a good list of current metadata standards for libraries and archives.

A black and white photo with the descriptive information about the photograph circled.

To illustrate the importance of good metadata: In the Stargate universe, lack of metadata about a galaxy far, far away led to contact with the Ori and two more seasons of good v. evil conflict (arguably the worst or best seasons of the show). Lack of metadata about the Romulans in Star Trek enhanced the tensions between the Romulan Empire and the Federation. In Star Wars the midi-chlorians…well, you get my meaning.

Having good metadata enhances our understanding of the things around us, leading to better management and discovery mechanisms. The stuff is out there, metadata helps us find and work with it.

Meet the Staff – Susan Floyd

Posted on August 8, 2017 by Susan Floyd

Meet the Staff is a Q&A series on Out of the Stacks that highlights the Archives and Information Services staff of the Texas State Library and Archives Commission.

Photo of Susan Floyd.

In 50 words or less, describe what you do.

As an archivist, I spend most of my time processing—that is, arranging and describing—state records, along with some historical manuscript collections. I also serve as the accessions archivist and legislative records specialist, responsible for working with donors and legislators who transfer records to the state archives.

Why did you choose your profession?

I have always been interested in history; I also have a master’s in English, and I’d considered going back to get a PhD in one of those two subjects. However, after working at UT-Austin for a few years and taking a bibliography and textual studies class there with Professor Michael Winship that met at the Harry Ransom Center, I realized my calling was to work in archives to preserve records and make them accessible. So I went back to graduate school at the iSchool at UT. I’m kind of stunned that I hadn’t considered this career path earlier—I got my MSIS and first archivist job (this one!) at age 36.

What is your favorite document, photo, or artifact in TSLAC’s collection?

This is an impossible question! The two photo-engraved panoramic postcards showing the downtown square in Paris, Texas, taken after the devastating fire of 1916 are definitely special. These photos were displayed in TSLAC’s lobby gallery last year in the East Texas section of our exhibit, Wish You Were Here: Historic Postcards From Texas.

I’m from Paris, and I grew up seeing prints of these photos in people’s homes and offices; because of the fire, almost all of the buildings in our historic town center date to 1916 and still bear witness today—almost every one prominently declaring the year on its cornice or upper facade. Two of the four New Deal-funded murals by Paris native Jerry Bywaters on display in the Paris Public Library depict the fire and its aftermath. Memory of the event persists in Lamar County; last year, Paris commemorated the one hundredth anniversary of the fire.

When you’re not busy, what do you like to do for fun?

Since going back to school in 2013, I find I’m somehow always busy! In my “free” time, I’m usually watching soccer, especially Liverpool FC; studying Welsh, which I’ve been learning for the past nine months or so; cooking and trying new foods; walking or hiking, both around downtown and on Austin’s amazing trails; volunteering with the Junior League of Austin; planning my next trip; or, of course, reading—mostly nonfiction, especially history.

Did You Know in Texas History: Texas outlaw Sam Bass

Posted on July 21, 2017 by Susan Floyd

By Caroline Jones, Library Assistant

On July 19^th 1878, Texas outlaw Sam Bass was mortally wounded in a gun fight against Texas Rangers in Round Rock, TX. He died a few days later in Round Rock on July 21^st, his 27^th birthday.

According to the Handbook of Texas Online, Bass was born on July 21^st, 1851 in Indiana and moved to Denton, TX in the fall of 1870 where he worked for Sheriff William F. Egan as a ranch hand building fences and caring for the livestock. During this time he, also worked for the railroad as a freighter loading goods on to railroad cars between Denton, Dallas, and Sherman. After leaving Egan’s property he began transporting cattle and racing horses, while also accumulating gambling debts he could not afford. It was during this time that Bass began robbing stagecoaches.

Bass used the skills he acquired as a ranch hand and as a railroad freighter to rob stagecoaches and railroad cars in and outside of Texas. By the spring of 1878, Bass and his gang had robbed four trains outside of Dallas- cementing Bass’s reputation as a notorious, Texas outlaw. Part of TSLAC’s collection materials concerning Bass is from a robbery committed in Nebraska. The gang held up a Union Pacific passenger train and stole $60,000 worth of new twenty-dollar gold pieces along with an additional $1,300 and four gold watches from the passengers. The image below is the digitization of a reward for the “Omaha Train Robbers” Bill Heffery, Sam Bass, Jack Davis, James Berry, and Tom Nixon. It can be found here in the Texas Treasures online exhibit.

Lists of fugitives, 1865-1879, 1898-1899, Lists of fugitives, Frontier Battalion records, Ranger records, Texas Adjutant General’s Department. Archives and Information Services Division, Texas State Library and Archives Commission.

Before actually robbing the bank in Round Rock, Bass wanted to survey the area to be sure they had an escape route. According to Rangers of Texas, Bass came with three gang members to complete the heist: Frank Jackson, Seaborn Barnes, and Jim Murphy. Unbeknownst to the rest of the gang, Murphy was an informant for the Texas Rangers. So when the gang rode into Round Rock, Commander Major John B. Jones had three Rangers waiting to meet them.

Photo of John B. Jones, Texas Ranger Commander

John B. Jones. 1/102-333, People Collection, Prints and Photographs. Archives and Information Services Division, Texas State Library and Archives Commission.

However, it was local law enforcement officer Morris Murphy, accompanied by Deputy Sheriffs Grimes and Moore, who first approached the bandits. A gun fight broke out in a convenience store, with Barnes killing Grimes, Moore sustaining severe chest wounds, and Bass losing fingers from his right hand. As the gang fled the Rangers appeared, killing Barnes and fatally wounding Bass with a shot to the spine. Jackson rode out of town with a dying Bass, but ultimately had to leave him behind. The next day Bass was found about 3 miles north of Round Rock. He was brought into town and died of his injuries the following day, July 21^st.

Even after his death, Bass’s story lived on through the tales of the Texas Rangers, the ballads of cowboys, and in the remaining members of his former gang. As seen in the image below, three years later, Texas Governor Roberts received messages from those interested in capturing the rest of the outlaw gang for a chance at the reward money.

Note from Toney Heis to Governor Roberts regarding the remaining Bass outlaw gang.

Toney Heis to Roberts, November 23, 1881, Records of Oran Milo Roberts, Texas Office of the Governor, Archives and Information Services Division, Texas State Library and Archives Commission.

The legend of Bass outlived him and continues to be a point of folklore and historical research in Texas.

Further Reading:

Texas Treasures: Rangers and Outlaws: https://www.tsl.texas.gov/treasures/law/index.html

Texas Governor Oran Milo Roberts, 1861-1883 (bulk 1878-1883): http://www.lib.utexas.edu/taro/tslac/40019/tsl-40019.html

Texas Adjutant General’s Department, Ranger Records: http://www.lib.utexas.edu/taro/tslac/30027/tsl-30027.html

State Executive Record Books, 1835-1917: http://www.lib.utexas.edu/taro/tslac/30057/tsl-30057.html

Texas Secretary of State, Fugitive Records: http://www.lib.utexas.edu/taro/tslac/30088/tsl-30088.html

Title	Call No.
Tracking the Texas Rangers : the nineteenth century	Z N745.8 G463tr
Rangers of Texas	923.9764 R163
Sam Bass & gang	364.1 M617s
The tenderfoot bandits : Sam Bass and Joel Collins, their lives and hard times	923.41 B293R
Sam Bass: 100 years later, 1878-1978	976.406092 B293S
The Black Sheep	364.922 M264B
Tame the restless wind; the life and legends of Sam Bass	920.7 B293G and 923.41 B293GR
A sketch of Sam Bass, the bandit : a graphic narrative : his various train robberies, his death, and accounts of the deaths of his gang and their history	923.41 B293m 1956
Authentic history of Sam Bass and his gang	920.7 B293B 1950
Sam Bass, the train robber; the life of Texas’ most popular bandit	920.7 B293C

Meet the Staff – Andrew Glass

Posted on July 11, 2017 by Susan Floyd

Meet the Staff is a Q&A series on Out of the Stacks that highlights the Archives and Information Services staff of the Texas State Library and Archives Commission. Photo of library assistant Andrew Glass.

In 50 words or less, describe what you do.

I dabble in a little bit of everything that the Information Services division within ARIS has to offer. I perform stacks maintenance activities, provide patron assistance in all three of our public reading rooms, collect statistics, process incoming items, write procedures, rehouse and inventory archival items and more!

Why did you choose your profession?

As an undergraduate at the University of Texas, I worked at the now defunct Audio Visual Library. It was a great job and I loved it, but I thought I had more pressing passions. After graduating college, I moved to Washington D.C. to muck it up in politics and realized within 6 months that policy work was not for me. Falling back on my undergraduate degree, history, I crawled back to my hometown of Corpus Christi, Texas and became a high school teacher. I did this for two years. All the while eying the school librarians. Pestering them with questions. Flickers of my past life as a library employee keeping me up at night. I realized after trying my hand at other things, libraries are the place for me. I love research, patrons, collections, organization, access, preservation, digitization, older forms of media, co-workers. I like arriving to a place everyday with the goal of making it easier for a person off the street to access the wonders of the world.

What is your favorite document, photo, or artifact in TSLAC’s collection?

The items in our collection that I have the most fun perusing would have to be the City Directories. My family arrived in East Texas from Baton Rouge in the 1840s. The first appearance of my Great-Grandfather and namesake Anthony Montana Glass occurs in the Houston City Directory for 1882. He is listed as a County Cattle Inspector: Excerpt from a 1882 Houston city directory for an Anthony M. Glass.

Skipping to 1912, we find my great, great-grandfather and great uncle as neighbors on historic Hardy Street.

Excerpt from a 1912 Houston city directory showing two entries for Anthony M. Glass.

In a cruel bit of fate, the Texas and New Orleans Railroad company which my great uncle is listed as being a towerman for, would be responsible for my Great Great Grandpa’s death.

Using one of our subscription newspaper databases, I can read all about the grisly scene when an iron rod from a T. & N. O. locomotive nearly decapitated my namesake! News article titled A.M. Glass Died Result of Injurey.

When you’re not busy, what do you like to do for fun?

I watch an incredible amount of movies. I am never without a book. I ride my bicycle everywhere. I like exploring, hiking, eating. My ideal weekend would be sweating it out in the Chisos Mountains with friends enjoying cold drinks and eating meat and potatoes.

Did You Know in Texas History: George T. Ruby

Posted on July 6, 2017 by Susan Floyd

By Caroline Jones, Library Assistant

On April 26, 1870 George T. Ruby signed his oath to serve as a state senator, surpassing racial barriers as one of Texas’s first African-American politicians.

Black and white image of George Thompson Ruby, an African American senator

George Thompson Ruby of Galveston served in the 1868-69 Constitutional Convention and the 12th and 13th Texas Legislature

Born in New York in 1841, Ruby moved to Galveston in 1866 to work for the Freedmen’s Bureau. While in Galveston he established the city’s first Labor Union of Colored Men. With a liberal arts education under his belt and experience as president of the Union League, Ruby quickly made a name for himself in Galveston and was elected as delegate to the Republican national convention in 1868. He served as the only African-American within the Texas delegation. In this same year he served as one of only ten African-American delegates to Texas’s Constitutional Convention. By 1869, Ruby was elected state senator from the Twelfth District representing Galveston, Brazoria, and Matagorda counties. This is particularly noteworthy as this was a predominantly white district at the time.

Ruby served in the 12^th and 13^th Texas Legislatures, from 1870 to 1871 and in 1873 respectively. As state senator Ruby served on the judiciary, militia, education, and state affairs committees. Bills he introduced successfully incorporated the Galveston and El Paso, the Galveston, Harrisburg and San Antonio, and the Galveston, Houston and Tyler railroads, as well as the Harbor Trust Company and several insurance companies. Bills he introduced also provided for geological and agricultural survey of the state. Due to a changing political climate in which the Democratic Party dominated the senate, Ruby chose not to seek reelection and finished his term in 1873. He spent the rest of his life in New Orleans, Louisiana. Despite his brief time as senator, Ruby is remembered by some historians as “the most important black politician in Texas during Reconstruction in terms of his power and ability” (tshaonline). His political passion enabled him to exceed racial expectations and provided opportunities for African-American laborers in Galveston and across the state. Ruby is prominently featured in TSLAC’s own “Forever Free” online exhibit as well as our “Texas Treasures” online exhibit.

Ruby’s oath of office is part of our Secretary of State Bonds and Oaths collection. The records were originally transferred to TSLAC by the Texas Secretary of State on an unknown date and reaccessioned in January of 2012. According to the finding aid, Archivist Tony Black discovered this set of records among unprocessed records of the Texas Adjutant General’s Department in November of 1986 and determined they were actually part of the Secretary of State bonds and oaths. The oaths and physical card catalogs from this collection have also been digitized and are available through Ancestry.com.

George T. Ruby’s Oath of Office.

Did You Know in Texas History: Texas Centennial Exposition

Posted on June 28, 2017 by Susan Floyd

By Caroline Jones, Library Assistant

On June 6^th, 1936 the Texas Centennial Exposition opened at Fair Park in Dallas, TX. The Texas Centennial Commission was created in June 1934 with Dallas outbidding Houston and San Antonio as the exposition grounds and construction to expand Fair Park was underway by October of 1935. The expansion included 180 acres of park grounds and 50 new buildings. In total the exposition cost 25 million dollars, and an estimated 6,345,385 people attended the Centennial Exposition in Dallas.

Aerial black and white photo of the Texas Centennial.

From “Texas Centennial and Dallas Exposition: over 100 illustrations” from TSLAC-Main Collection.

The exposition was open from June 6 to November 29, 1936. Although centennial celebrations were happening across the state, the Handbook of Texas Online states the event at Fair Park as the “central exposition.” One of the highlights of the Texas Centennial Exposition was the Hall of Negro Life. According to the Handbook of Texas Online, this was the first instance of the recognition of black culture at a world’s fair. It is estimated that over 400,000 people came through the hall, viewing the contributions of thirty-two states, the District of Columbia, and works from individuals like W. E. B. Dubois and Samuel A. Countee. The hall exhibited advances in economics and industry, murals, music, literature, performances, and more.

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Monday Mystery – June 2017

Posted on June 19, 2017 by Susan Floyd

We’re back with another Monday Mystery post. All of the images from this feature are available on the Texas Digital Archive (TDA) and we welcome folks to browse through all of the images available on this site. We’re looking to our community of patrons, which includes academic researchers, genealogists, photography historians, and Texas enthusiasts, to help us identify some of our photo treasures.

Portiate of a couple, man standing and woman sitting in front of a backdrop

Image: 1995.112-58

Description: Portrait of couple, man standing and woman sitting in front of backdrop, about 1905 to 1920

TDA link: https://tsl.access.preservica.com/file/sdb%3AdigitalFile%7Cd200bac6-7685-4b26-81f8-9c91f6634889/

Collection: Clyde and Thelma See glass plate negatives collection

Question: Can you identify this dashing couple? We’re interested in any information about the pair and if they are from the Batson and Saratoga, Texas area. Or at the very least, admire their serious sense of style.

And as always, if you find an image on the TDA that you’d like to submit for a future Monday Mystery post, please email mailto:archinfo@tsl.texas.govand include “Monday Mystery” in the subject line.

Texas Writers’ Project Records

Posted on June 13, 2017 by Susan Floyd

By Susan Floyd, Archivist

1940 Typescript of San Antonio's Fiesta.

San Antonio: Fiesta! typescript, 1940. City and town historical materials, Texas Writers’ Project records, 1962/218-9. Archives and Information Services Division, Texas State Library and Archives Commission.

In February, we published a finding aid for records relating to a New Deal program: the Texas Writers’ Project, an undertaking of the Work Projects Administration. Originally established as the Works Progress Administration on May 6, 1935, the WPA was a federal relief agency created by an executive order of President Franklin D. Roosevelt.

In Texas, the WPA employed 600,000 in a wide variety of projects based on local needs and workforce skills. These projects included construction, vocational training, childcare, garment manufacturing, gardening and food production, healthcare, libraries and archives, recreation, and the arts.

The Texas Historical Records Survey and the Texas Writers’ Project, both organized in 1935, were two major WPA-led archival and literacy programs. The Writers’ Project, directed by author and newspaperman James Francis (J. Frank) Davis, employed researchers and writers to compile guides to the state and its regions focusing on cultural, geographic, and historical points of interest. The Project’s best-known publication was Texas: A Guide to the Lone Star State (1940). Writers also worked on major publications such as America Eats; Hands That Built America (sometimes also referred to as Hands that Built the Nation); and, together with the Texas Historical Records Survey, The Western Range: The Story of the Grasslands.

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