Christian Kelleher

Christian Kelleher, head of University of Houston Libraries Special Collections, has been awarded the Emily Scott Evans Endowed Library Professorship, effective November 1. The appointment enables UH Libraries to further develop impactful collections that support core University priorities for research, teaching, and learning.

The Emily Scott Evans Endowed Library Professorship was established in 2002 by Ms. Evans’ daughter, Alice Evans Pratt. Emily Scott Evans was a longtime friend of UH Special Collections, and the Evans Professorship was created specifically to support an Endowed Library Professor in the department.

As part of his role, Kelleher also curates the Libraries’ primary source collections in Visual Arts  and Energy and Sustainability. Kelleher came to UH in 2015 from the University of Texas at Austin where he was the archivist and assistant head librarian at the Nettie Lee Benson Latin American Collection and managed UT Libraries’ Human Rights Documentation Initiative. He holds a Master of Library and Information Science degree and a Master of Arts degree in Journalism from UT. Previously, Kelleher was an archivist and records manager with History Associates Incorporated in Rockville, MD, a development assistant with literary publisher Graywolf Press in Minneapolis, MN, and a Peace Corps volunteer in the Republic of Guinea, West Africa. He currently serves on the boards of CASETA, the Center for Advancement and Study of Early Texas Art, and of the Petroleum History Institute. His research interests include community archives post-custodial archives practice, and the intersections thereof.

“Christian personifies excellence in scholarship, service, and collaboration,” said Athena Jackson, dean of UH Libraries and Elizabeth D. Rockwell chair. “His leadership propels UH Special Collections forward in its mission to preserve and make accessible unique materials for research, and he continues to expand collections that have generative, profound implications for UH Libraries and the scholarly community.”