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!