Programming & Outreach
Latinx Community Archivist, Marina Islas conducted part one of an oral history with Leticia “Garza” Rodriguez. Leti is a talented artist, dancer, performer, teacher, and musician who has been actively creative in Austin for nearly 40 years. She has worked
and produced performances alongside folks such as the Sharir Dance Company, National Dance Institute, Atzlan Folklorico Dance Company, Teatro Vivo, and many others. In addition to being a prolific renaissance woman, her family is one of the first Mexican American families to settle in Austin.
Asian Pacific American Community Archivist, Ayshea Khan conducted an interview with Asian Texans for Justice Fellow, Alishba Javaid, for AAPI Texas curriculum advocacy project.
Asian Pacific American Community Archivist, Ayshea Khan, presentation with COA Housing & Planning Internship Program (Attendance: 6)
Asian Pacific American Community Archivist, Ayshea Khan, prepared the AAPI Communities in AAS Traveling Exhibition (AARC, FY22 – September)
Curator of Archives, Molly Hults, is working on Reparative Archival Description and discussed next steps with a working group meeting to discuss Oakwood Cemetery database. Met with Bryce (ALIS) to discuss how to update the database and how to build out the search tool.
Collections
Archival Collections Digitization and Metadata:
Processing Archivist, Kelly Harell registered 10 donations, 14.08 linear feet, 5.45 GB
AHC received additions to two collections, the Wednesday Morning Music Club Records (AR.1997.005) and the Bobo Family Papers (AR.2002.034).
New Collections Processed: Jacque and Molly worked on finding aids for 2 collections: AR.2018.037 Alpha Kappa Sigma Philos Scrapbook and AR.2021.002 Almaree Owens Scrapbook
Curator of Archives, Molly Hults, surveyed 40+ years of cemetery ledgers to answer questions about data consistency.
Indonesian Diaspora Network Records (AR.2016.066) processing completed and published to TARO: https://txarchives.org/aushc/finding_aids/00787.xml
Armenian Church of Austin Records (AR.2018.045) processing completed and published to TARO: https://txarchives.org/aushc/finding_aids/00786.xml
African American Community Archivist, Jacque Smith-Francis corresponded with Ms. Almaree Owens to develop a biography to begin the process of making a finding aid for her Anderson High memorabilia.
Imaging Archivist, Vanessa Hutchins, created 23 images for archival collections.
Imaging Archivist, Vanessa Hutchins, Captured and processed 148 images for AR-2020- 010, the Post-Custodial collection for donor/partner Leticia Rodriguez, exports and file naming remains.
Audiovisual Archivist, Afsheen Nomai, processed ATXN/Channel 6 Collection (AR.2012.001): Monthly renaming and creating access copies of video files delivered digitally from ATXN – 177 files renamed
Audiovisual Archivist, Afsheen Nomai Digitized:
Cinematexas (AR.2007.020): Created 34 access copies of video files
AMN (AR.2001.007): 4 video tapes digitized
ACTV (AR.2007.015): 1 video tape digitized
Austin Women’s Club (AR.2000.008): 11 tapes digitized, 19 preservation copies
created
Public Services/ Reference
Research was conducted on the following requests:
Assisted patron with her project for Dr. Gordan looking at change in assessed values in tax records for Wheatville before and after the 1928 plan.
Responded to 8 PIR requests.
Assisted Smithsonian Fellow Angel Westbrook with resources related to BIPOC LGBTQ+ history in Texas.
Louis Moreno called last week while I was on the reference desk to inquire about whether the AHC had a collection or information about the Kingburger Drive-in, a restaurant that had two Austin locations in the 1970s.
Customer comments:
“I had the opportunity to write and research organizational history during my career as a journalist and corporate communications professional. I always appreciated miscellaneous materials like these, which helped me understand how ordinary people lived. It’s a bit daunting to have one’s life considered ‘history,’ but here we are! Thank you for what you do.”
Volunteer projects:
July was packed for Ian and Aaryan, our two interns from the Austin Public Health Emerging Leaders Summer Internship Program. I arranged for them to virtually meet Dr. Joel Green, Instrument Scientist at the Space Telescope Science Institute; and Climate Mitigation Specialist, Dr. Sara Diamond of USAID. We also took a field trip to the UT campus to meet Meteorologist
Troy Kimmel of the Department of Geography and Environment. While on campus we also
participated in Dr. Ted Gordon’s virtual Racial Geography Tour and learned a lot about the racial history of UT. Aaryan’s research project was to conduct oral histories regarding the Large Hadron Collider that was proposed to be built around Austin and he was able to complete two.
Ian’s project was to research the history of weather and natural disaster in Austin and provide a presentation based on his findings. Both of them presented their experiences and their research findings to a handful of staff on July 20th. (Latinx Community Archivist, Marina Islas)