As our archives staff work on an ongoing basis to arrange, preserve, describe, and make available to the public the materials under our care, we spotlight new additions to the website in a regular feature from Out of the Stacks. The column lists new and revised finding aids recently made available online, along with fresh uploads to the Texas Digital Archive, our repository of electronic items. For a comprehensive list of all recently added and updated finding aids visit Archives: Finding Aids (New & Revised)

New Finding Aids

State Records

Texas Department of Agriculture audiovisual materials – nearly all of these materials are part of the Texas Digital Archive
The Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA) promotes production agriculture, consumer protection, economic development, and healthy living. TDA’s Office of Communications provides media information and keeps the public informed of TDA activities and agriculture issues via traditional and social media channels. These 16 mm motion picture films and digital copies of the original audiotape and video recordings document the department’s activities, including many of the agency’s programs and events, public appearances of commissioners Jim Hightower and Rick Perry, and interviews with agricultural producers in Texas, dating 1969-1999 and undated. The majority of the 16 mm motion picture recordings have been digitized and along with the digital copies of the original recordings are part of the Texas Digital Archive.

Texas Department of Agriculture meeting minutes, agenda, and supporting documentation (replaces description of the portion of these records that had been included in our Texas Department of Agriculture records finding aid, which will be revised for this soon).
The Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA) promotes production agriculture, consumer protection, economic development, and healthy living. These TDA records, consisting of meeting minutes, agenda, and supporting documentation, 1924-2021, bulk 1960-1997, document the activities of various boards and committees operating under TDA oversight. The records include meeting minutes, agenda, transcripts, reports, and supporting documentation. Major topics include administration of programs that provide loans and grants to agriculture-related businesses, promotion of agricultural diversification in Texas, establishment of environmental rules and regulations, management of seed quality and development, pesticides and pest eradication, herbicides, and ground and surface water.

Texas Historical Commission Historic Sites Division presentations – includes electronic records that are part of the Texas Digital Archive
The Texas Historical Commission (THC) protects and preserves the state’s historic resources for the use, education, and enjoyment of present and future generations. THC’s Historic Sites Division is responsible for overseeing the agency’s thirty-six historic properties located throughout the state. Presentations created by the division, 2011-2015, consist of PowerPoint presentation slides and supplemental documentation. They were used to inform the public and conference attendees about the Historic Sites Division’s operations, its historic properties, and Texas history. The presentations cover topics such as the Historic Site Division’s programs at Casa Navarro, preservation and conservation efforts on the state’s historic structures and artifacts, and the lives of Texans during the 19th century.

Texas Historical Commission executive director files
The Texas Historical Commission (THC) protects and preserves the state’s historic resources for the use, education, and enjoyment of present and future generations. THC executive director files include correspondence, legislative bills, subject files, reports, memorandums, newsletters, programs, brochures, photographs, meeting agendas and minutes, dating 1953-2009, bulk 1976-1980. Correspondence from Executive Directors Truett Latimer and Curtis Tunnell make up the bulk of these records. Also included are correspondence and other materials regarding the Texas Conservation Fund, the Texas 1986 Sesquicentennial Commission, the State Historic Preservation Officers, and the purchase of the Crockett letter.

As our archives staff work on an ongoing basis to arrange, preserve, describe, and make available to the public the materials under our care, we spotlight new additions to the website in a regular feature from Out of the Stacks. The column lists new and revised finding aids recently made available online, along with fresh uploads to the Texas Digital Archive, our repository of electronic items. For a comprehensive list of all recently added and updated finding aids visit Archives: Finding Aids (New & Revised).

New Finding Aids

State Records

Texas Education Agency Historical School District Action Files
The Texas Education Agency (TEA) and the entities which proceeded it (State Superintendent of Public Instruction, State Board of Education, and State Department of Education) administered agency oversight of public school districts. TEA historical school district action files, 1883-2005, bulk 1935-1992, document the existence of and changes to common, independent, and rural high school districts as well as juvenile detention facilities. Volumes listing districts document each district’s existence during the span of 1883-1954 (not inclusive). The historical school district actions, 1935-2005, document changes in district boundaries through consolidation and annexation, which affect apportionment of school funding. The records are mainly correspondence and copies of county election records, with copies of scholastic census lists, hand-drawn maps, or other documents occasionally included.

Texas State Library and Archives Commission Public Relations Social Media Records
The Texas State Library and Archives Commission (TSLAC) preserves the record of government for public scrutiny, secures and makes accessible historically significant records and other valuable resources, meets the reading needs of Texans with disabilities, and builds and sustains statewide partnerships to improve library programs and services. TSLAC engages in public relations activities to disseminate information about its events and programs through press releases and other forms of communication. These TSLAC public relations social media records, 2010-2022, were produced to publicize agency resources, services, and events through the utilization of social networking tools.

Texas Parks and Wildlife Department Wildlife Division Photographs
The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) is responsible for the management and conservation of the state’s wildlife and fish resources. The TPWD Wildlife Division manages and conserves the natural and cultural resources of Texas and provides hunting, fishing, and outdoor recreation opportunities for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations. These photographs date 1938-1990s, undated, and span the Texas State Parks Board; Texas Game, Fish, and Oyster Commission; Game and Fish Commission; and TPWD, including the Texas Parks and Wildlife magazine. Formats include black-and-white negatives, color transparencies, black-and-white prints, color slides, and contact sheets, documenting Wildlife Division activities including agency staff and property; flora and fauna of Texas; TPWD facilities such as fish hatcheries and laboratories; outdoor activities such as fishing, hunting, and camping; and state parks.