Joyce Gabiola, archivist for the Contemporary Literature Research Collection and the LGBT History Research Collection at University of Houston Libraries Special Collections, was selected to be a Memory Workers fellow as part of the Autistic Voices Oral History Project (tAVOHP). 

Last year, tAVOHP received a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) to support the fellowship program, which “aims to expand understanding of neurodiversity, foster collective and accessible community documentation of the Autistic lived experience and advocacy movement, and enhance the fields of archives and oral history.” 

The Memory Workers track provides an opportunity for allistic and Autistic archivists, librarians, oral historians, and Library and Information Science students to study neuro-affirming practices, cross-neurotype communication, and Autistic culture. 

Over the next few months, Gabiola will take part in a series of Expanding Knowledge sessions intended as a guide in conducting oral histories. Topics include workflow and tool training, Autistic mental health, and understanding sensory processing. As part of the fellowship, Gabiola will select two narrators as oral history subjects, and engage them in a conversation to learn about any aspect(s) of their life they would like to share with the world. “This might include the factors and situational context surrounding the time of their diagnosis, their education and career, romantic relationships, growing up in the American South or other region in the U.S., navigating high school, family vacations, and/or all the things that bring them joy,” Gabiola said. “The possibilities are endless.”

Gabiola’s research interests involve how archives and special collections can provide an accessible environment for everyone to support teaching, learning, student success, and public engagement. Their participation in the fellowship is a way of contributing to the practice of centering and preserving first-person narratives while gaining knowledge about neurodiversity and documenting unique perspectives as primary source materials. Significantly, an oral history can impart emotional context, an aspect that might go unseen in an archival photo or document. 

“A person’s oral history is the only one like it in the world,” Gabiola said. “Oral histories provide a fuller understanding of the person and their community based on their experiences, and can be empowering because each narrator has control and the interviewer will be guided by what the narrator wants to share.”

Interviews will eventually be preserved and made accessible through the University of Kentucky Nunn Center for Oral History. 

University of Houston Libraries welcomes Julia Dion as the new library supervisor in Special Collections.

Please describe your role. How does your work align with the student success and research productivity focus of the University?

My role is very student-focused. I not only manage students’ work on our welcome desk and oversee their part in patron assistance, but I also work one-on-one with each of them to assign archival projects that play to their unique interests and strengths. I enjoy creating bonds with our students, learning about their passions, and serving as a mentor for the archival profession. The work we do encourages students to engage with historic materials in a way that leaves long-lasting impressions. As a supervisor, I aim to connect our student employees with primary source materials that excite their curiosity and affirm their sense of identity. When students engage with archival collections in this way, they are empowered to understand the significance of our shared history.

Please share a bit about your background and professional interests. How do these inspire and shape your approach in archives?

I graduated from Stephen F. Austin State University with a degree in English language, literature, and an accompanying minor in linguistic studies. My passion for book history and authorship as an art form led me to rare books librarianship, which inspires my continued interest in archives and special collections. I went on to attend the University of North Texas as a graduate student, where I earned my master’s degree in library science with an emphasis in archival studies and imaging technology and a certificate in archival management.

As a student of literature and the evolution of written history, my undergraduate career inspired my drive for preservation. My work as a graduate student further enabled me to put this passion into practice with skills such as collections management, book composition and construction, and disaster prevention and recovery. Through my studies, I’ve developed a deep appreciation for first-edition materials and other early writings, as well as the need to protect them from adverse conditions. My aim as an archival professional is to encourage collection accessibility, continuous learning, and shared empathy across identities and ideological communities.

What are one or two things you’d like scholars and students to know about engaging with primary source materials?

When we participate in the use of primary source materials, a remarkable exchange occurs; studies have shown that hands-on involvement with archival materials promotes empathetic engagement and heightens emotional response. By handling objects created decades, centuries, or even millennia ago, our own experiences mingle with those from the past and create a sense of continuous humanity. Due to their tactile and deeply intimate nature, primary sources elicit a response that is as emotional as it is intellectual.

Katy Allred

University of Houston Libraries is pleased to welcome Katy Allred in a new project role of assistant university archivist.

Please describe your responsibilities in the new role. How will your work support the University’s upcoming centennial?

In preparation for the UH centennial in 2027 and the anticipated increase in demand for access to and use of archival University materials, I will be arranging, describing, and preserving collections of personal papers and organizational records within University Archives. We will prioritize collections that document UH students, faculty, administration, colleges, programs, organizations, departments, and milestones. I will also assist with accessioning new materials and identifying materials that are good candidates for digitization. I will continue to do general reference work in the Reading Room to support researchers as well. Since starting my new role, I have already processed materials in the Sidney Berger Papers about the Houston Shakespeare Festival, which will celebrate its 50^th anniversary this summer. Soon, I will begin work on UH President’s Office Records and Student Organization Records. 

Please share a bit about your background and professional interests. How do these inspire and shape your approach as an archivist?

I am originally from Bossier City, Louisiana, but my wife and I have lived in Houston for 8 years. I earned a BFA in Communication Design from Louisiana Tech University in 2010 and worked in graphic design for several years. I completed my MLIS remotely at the University of North Texas and graduated in August 2021. Before this role, I worked as a project archivist in UH Special Collections beginning in March 2020. I am especially interested in processing backlogs, developing policies and best practices for processing hybrid and born-digital archival collections, and making archival collections and spaces more accessible, more discoverable, and less intimidating. It’s important to me that all users feel like they belong in a reading room and can confidently access and use archival collections. I work with those goals in mind especially when I describe materials, write finding aids, assist researchers, and talk to potential patrons at outreach events.  

What are some insights you’ve gained while processing archives?

In my previous role as a project archivist, I processed the Dorothy Hood Papers, the José María Velasco Maidana Papers, the Elizabeth D. Rockwell Papers, the Margo Grant Walsh Papers, the PFLAG Houston Records, and a few other small collections. I enjoy processing because I love structure and making things usable, but I also love getting to be creative. Every collection requires creative problem-solving to create an accessible structure because every collection is different. Lives are messy, and I’ve learned that our records usually reflect the messiness, despite people’s best efforts. I approach each collection using what I’ve learned from the last one, all while knowing I’ll have to do things a little differently and be ready to learn new lessons to make the next collection navigable and understandable. It keeps me on my toes. I am looking forward to the challenges University Archives has in store!