Each October, archivists raise awareness about the vital work being done to collect, preserve, and provide access to the materials held in repositories around the country through the American Archives Month campaign. In Texas, the Texas Historical Records Advisory Board (THRAB) coordinates with the Texas State Library and Archives Commission (TSLAC) to celebrate with Texas Archives Month initiatives.

THRAB and TSLAC produce a themed poster and webpage, which this year is Documenting Disability History in Texas. The poster is available for download and highlights collections from the State Archives, University of Texas at El Paso’s C.L. Sonnichsen Special Collections, Forth Worth Public Library Archives, Hogg Foundation for Mental Health, and the Texas Disability History Collection at the University of Texas at Arlington’ Special Collections. The poster webpage offers additional resources from these institutions with images, video, and links to finding aids relevant to the theme. THRAB and TSLAC also maintain a Texas Archives Month webpage with a calendar of events, Archives Month proclamations, and links to archival exhibits online and on view in Texas.

THRAB commemorates Texas Archives Month each year by announcing the recipients of their annual archival awards. Awards recognize individuals or organizations that have made significant contributions to ensure the preservation and availability of the historical record of Texas. The awards bring attention to the extent and variety of repositories in the state and acknowledge the work of individuals within their institutions. The 2021 award recipients were from Archives of the Big Bend, the archives held by Sul Ross University in Alpine and the Dallas Historical Society, a non-profit organization documenting local history in Dallas. Visit the archival awards webpage to read more about the current recipients and view a list of past winners. The THRAB webpage also announces professional development opportunities they offer throughout the year and recordings of past webinars to view on-demand.

Visit the Texas Archives Month webpage to find out more about the events, activities, and resources being promoted throughout October. Happy Archives Month!

Call for Nominations for Archival Awards of Excellence, Advocacy, and Distinguished Service

The Texas Historical Records Advisory Board (THRAB) is pleased to announce an expanded awards program for 2020. In addition to the Archival Award of Excellence for an individual and institution, THRAB seeks nominations for the Advocacy for Archives Award and a Distinguished Service Award. Organizations, individuals, programs, and institutions are all eligible for the new honors. Send nomination packets to THRAB coordinator Jelain Chubb at the address below by August 10, 2020. THRAB announces award recipients as part of Texas Archives Month celebrations in October.

Advocacy for Archives Award acknowledges an individual or organization that has made significant contributions to ensure the preservation and availability of the historical record of Texas.

Distinguished Service Award recognizes an individual, archival institution, education program, or nonprofit/government organization that has provided outstanding leadership, service or contribution to the archives profession in Texas.

Archival Award of Excellence recognizes significant achievements in preserving and improving access to historical records in any format by a Texas archival institution and individual achievements.

For institutions: All Texas institutions responsible for archival records that provide public access to at least a portion of their collection are eligible. Achievements include recent projects and/or on-going programs that build collections, enhance access to archives, develop effective digitization programs, or implement preservation strategies.

For individual: An archivist or individual who has made an outstanding contribution in the areas of management, preservation, access, advocacy, or use of historical records in Texas. Nominees must have accomplished the work within the state of Texas during the five years preceding the year in which the award is presented. Current THRAB members are not eligible.

Nomination Process: Submit a complete nomination packet to THRAB coordinator Jelain Chubb. Nomination packets include the appropriate award nomination form, a statement of work accomplished, two letters of support and any supporting materials. For more information, visit https://www.tsl.texas.gov/archivalaward.

Nomination Forms:
Archival Award of Excellence
Advocacy for Archives
Distinguished Service

Send nominations via email thrab@tsl.texas.gov or U.S. mail to: Jelain Chubb / ATTN: THRAB Awards / Texas State Library and Archives Commission / PO Box 12927 / Austin, TX 78701

Submit Nominations by August 10, 2020

The Texas Historical Records Advisory Board and its programs receive support from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission and the Texas State Library and Archives Commission.

The Texas Historical Records Advisory Board (THRAB) is pleased to announce that the C.L. Sonnichsen Special Collections at the University of Texas at El Paso Library and Brenda Lincke Fisseler, former volunteer with Lavaca County, have been chosen to receive the 2019 Archival Award of Excellence. The award recognizes significant achievements in preserving and improving access to historical records in any format by a Texas archival institution and individual.

“This year’s recipients serve as stellar examples of how dedication and ingenuity can help ensure that archival records are not only preserved, but made even more useful for future generations,” said Jelain Chubb, State Archivist and the board’s coordinator.

The board selected the C.L. Sonnichsen Special Collections at the University of Texas at El Paso Library as the recipient for the award in the institutional category for their Casasola Project. With the Casasola Project, Special Collections personnel employ crowdsourcing to help identify unnamed individuals featured in the images from their Casasola Studio photograph collection.

Not only does the collection of photos highlight the people and culture of Texas, but the Library has enhanced the value of the images by partnering with the community for biographical and historical information. In so doing, members of the general public have contributed narrative context to the collection and connected personal history with the greater purpose of archives work.

THRAB selected Brenda Lincke Fisseler as the recipient for the award in the individual category for her extensive work with Lavaca County records. Ms. Fisseler helped coordinate an initiative to rescue, preserve, properly house and facilitate access to historical records documenting the county that led to the creation of the Lavaca County Archives. She has demonstrated the enormous impact one individual may have on preserving our collective history.

Congratulations to the winners!

THRAB serves as an advisory body for historical records planning and supports efforts to preserve and provide access to archival collections throughout the state. Funding for THRAB is provided by the National Historical Publications Records Commission, the grant-making arm of the National Archives and Records Administration. The state archivist is appointed by the governor to preside over the nine-member board. Learn more about THRAB by visiting the website.

October is Texas Archives Month and the Texas Historical Records Advisory Board (THRAB) is kicking it off with our 2019 poster, The Power of Water. The theme acknowledges both the prevalence of archival records dealing with water-related subjects and the threat water poses to those very materials. The design features images from Rosenberg Library, the University of Texas at El Paso Library, Fort Worth Public Library, Texas State Library and Archives Commission and the Archivists of Central Texas. Visit https://www.tsl.texas.gov/arc/thrab/archivesmonth.html to download a copy of the poster and learn more about Texas Archives Month activities. #TxArchivesMonth #AmericanArchivesMonth