For #AskAnArchivist Day and American Archives Month, we asked three UH archivists to share a bit about their work. In this video, Katy Allred, assistant university archivist for the Centennial project; Vince Lee, archivist for the Carey Shuart Women’s Research Collection; and Mary Manning, University of Houston archivist, talk about how they got into the field of archives, what a typical workday looks like, and some of their current projects.

University archivist Mary Manning

UH Libraries thanks Deborah Colton for her contributions to this announcement.

University of Houston Libraries Special Collections is pleased to announce the donation of the Suzanne Paul Collection.

Image of the photographer Suzanne Paul, circa 1970s, sourced from a contact sheet

Suzanne Paul (1945 – 2005), a native Houstonian and pioneering female photographer, has made a vast contribution to representing the arts of Houston and to recording Houston’s art history. Through pure creative impetus and respect for the arts in the city, Suzanne photographed the heartbeat of Houston’s art scene from the mid-1970’s through the beginning of the millennium. This collection has now been generously donated by Suzanne’s daughter, Mercedes Mallard Paul.

Paul’s introduction to the arts of Houston started in 1976 when James Harithas, who was then the Director of the Contemporary Arts Museum (CAMH) commissioned her to take photographs of artists and their art installations at the museum. Shortly thereafter, she was offered the first solo exhibition of a female artist there, which featured her photographs. Suzanne was always at every art happening that was significant in the city, carefully taking photos and capturing the essence and soul of each event. 

In revealing ways, Suzanne Paul has documented the artists, the curators, the gallery owners and patrons of that era. The people who shaped and defined Houston’s rapid growth and helped the arts flourish, which set the stage for who we have become as a vibrant art city today. 

Among the first artists Paul photographed were Dick Wray, Julian Schnabel, Terry Allen and Norman Bluhm. Soon after, she documented Richard Stout, Bert L. Long Jr., Jesse Lott, The Art Guys, Mel Chin and Edward Albee. In addition to her portraitures of artists and long-time friends, Paul captured photographs of museum curators like Anne Tucker, Walter Hopps, Alison de Lima Green and Edward Mayo, and patrons starting art nonprofits at the time, like Ann Harithas, Marilyn Oshman and others. So many art celebrities and patrons on this era were photographed through Paul’s skillful lens. Without Suzanne Paul’s photographic documentation of this incredible growth era of the arts in Houston, so much of this period would be lost. 

This collection of photographic negative, slides, prints and related memorabilia from this work was left in the care of Deborah Colton – Deborah Colton Gallery since the artist’s passing in 2005. At the request of Suzanne’s daughter, Deborah Colton Gallery hosted the Memorial Reception and Exhibition of Suzanne and her work in March of 2005, which was the time of her passing. This important exhibition was at Colton’s gallery at 2500 Summer Street at the time, where hundreds of people from the art community came to pay their respects to this notable artist. 

Deborah Colton Gallery, in collaboration with Suzanne’s daughter Mercedes Mallard Paul, worked tirelessly for many years to catalog and preserve Paul’s imagery and related materials, including prints, negatives, slides, press articles, catalogs, and letters. The result is an impactful, tangible record affirming Paul’s distinction and major contribution to Houston’s arts and culture. 

As Deborah Colton stated, “I dedicated so much of my staff’s and my time and financial resources to the Suzanne Paul project and protected this Collection for close to two decades. I did this with conviction and long-term dedication because I knew how important it was to Houston’s art history. During the time Suzanne was photographing, she was known to be at anything and everything important in the arts happening in the city. She was the first and the last to put so much of her heart and soul into the documentation of the city’s arts, and such an important time it was: a rapid period of growth, helping shape our arts and culture into the vibrant community that it is today. It has been my long-term goal to see this collection be placed with the Special Collections of the University of Houston Libraries.”  

“I believe my mother wanted to capture the art world in Houston because that was her passion,” Mercedes said. “Art and photography were things that she lived and breathed daily.” 

Christian Kelleher, current director of exhibitions and external relations and former head of Special Collections, said “the work of Suzanne Paul will prove to be invaluable for research in the arts, women’s history and the history of Houston. This is a special, influential legacy that we are honored to preserve in our collections.” 

The Suzanne Paul Collection is a compelling addition to an already rich archive of primary source materials in performing and visual arts. Through UH Special Collections, UH students and faculty, as well as global scholars, can explore records of well-known regional organizations that document theater companies, directors, producers, performers and artists, and art groups.  

“Suzanne Paul’s work captures the soul of Houston’s art scene with striking clarity and depth,” said Lauren Gottlieb-Miller, associate dean for Special Libraries and Preservation. “This collection not only preserves her legacy but enriches UH Libraries’ commitment to documenting the city’s cultural history. We are deeply grateful for the dedication of Deborah Colton Gallery and Mercedes Mallard Paul in bringing this invaluable archive to our students, scholars, and community.”

The collection is currently being processed. For information, contact Christian Kelleher.

Recently, University of Houston Libraries hosted an opening reception for the new exhibit “Black Ink: The Black Arts Movement in Print.” Rare Books curator Julie Grob selected materials from UH Special Collections’ significant holdings of poetry and other writing published during the Black Arts Movement period of the 1960s and 70s. A few of the writers featured are Amiri Baraka, Toni Cade Bambara, Gwendolyn Brooks, Nikki Giovanni, and Ntozake Shange. The exhibit also includes examples from the Black-owned publishers Broadside Press of Detroit and the Third World Press of Chicago.

The community engagement event held at the Elizabeth D. Rockwell Pavilion included poetry readings from three graduate students in the UH Creative Writing Program. Abby Mengesha, Anthony Sutton, and El Williams III shared poetry from writers of the Black Arts Movement along with their own works.

Sutton wrote the following introduction to the exhibit:

This mid-twentieth century movement in literature, music, and art coincided with cultural shifts in the post-World War Two United States, including the Civil Rights movement and the Cold War. Through the Black Arts Movement, experimental literary sensibilities emerging at the time met the politics of the Black Panthers.

While some members of this grouping, such as Lorraine Hansberry, Amiri Baraka, and Gwendolyn Brooks, achieved mainstream recognition, this movement largely made use of underground and alternative venues such as the Black Arts Repertory Theater and School in Harlem for works to be performed. Print materials from the Black Arts Movement show the DIY publishing possible with a machine called the mimeograph which allowed the production of large volumes of magazines and books quickly and affordably.

The Black Arts Movement was also a nation-wide movement with not only New York City being a hotspot but also significant publishing activity in the Midwest with Broadside Press in Detroit and Third World Press in Chicago. In 2025 Third World Press received the Toni Morrison Achievement Award from the National Book Critics Circle. The Black Arts Movement eventually reached Houston through Lorenzo Thomas who served as Writer-in-Residence at Texas Southern University and later as faculty at UH-Downtown.

Visitors are invited to experience the exhibit, located at MD Anderson Library floor 2, through May 2026.

University of Houston Libraries is pleased to announce the 2025 recipient cohort of the UH Open Education Incentive (OPEN) Program.  

Formerly known as the Alternative Textbook Incentive Program, this initiative was launched in 2018 to mitigate the high cost of textbooks for students by supporting instructors in replacing commercial textbooks with open educational resources (OER). Since then, the program has expanded to include additional ways for UH faculty to engage with open education.  

Instructors awarded the Textbook Affordability Incentive will adopt, adapt, or create OER, or use a combination of freely available or library-licensed resources, to replace required commercial textbook(s) in a course.  

Instructors awarded the Open Educational Practices Incentive will create and share an OER learning object (including assignments, quizzes, lecture slides, lesson plans, videos, or other teaching resources), which benefits both students and other educators who can reuse and repurpose it. This incentive also supports instructors in replacing a traditional assignment with a renewable assignment, implementing what is commonly called open pedagogy, or engaging students in co-creating course content that can be openly licensed and shared. 

2025 OPEN Program winners are: 

Textbook Affordability: 

• Layci Harrison – ATP 6113: Lower Extremity Evaluation Lab & ATP 6123: Upper Extremity Evaluation Lab – College of Liberal Arts & Social Sciences 

• Dmitri Litvinov – ECE 3355: Electronics – Cullen College of Engineering 

• Julio Cesar Lopez Otero – SPAN 1507: Intensive Elementary Spanish for Heritage Learners – College of Liberal Arts & Social Sciences 

• Rita Sharpe – BIOL 4374/BCHS 4313:  Cell Biology/Cell Biochemistry (cross-listed) – Honors College 

• William Zahn – MARK 4332: Social Media Marketing – C.T. Bauer College of Business 

Estimated textbook costs removed for students in the first year of implementing no-cost materials in these courses is $89,000, benefiting an estimated 500 students. Awards were granted based on the number of students impacted, cost of the textbook being replaced, the type of project and type of resources being adopted, and the feasibility of successful implementation. 

Open Educational Practices: 

• Laura Cizek – COMD 3371: Speech Development and Disorders – College of Liberal Arts & Social Sciences 

• David Crawley – TLIM 3330: Innovation Principles – Cullen College of Engineering 

• Mary Sykes and Emese Felvégi – ACCT 2301: Principles of Financial Accounting – C.T. Bauer College of Business 

These proposals will impact approximately 700 students. Awards were granted based on project goals, feasibility of successful implementation, and anticipated enhancement to student learning.  

Additionally, this year the OPEN Program expanded to include an OER Professional Development Incentive in which instructors completed self-paced online learning modules and received a certificate administered by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board. Sixteen instructors completed the OER Professional Development Incentive, including instructors from the College of Engineering, College of Natural Sciences & Mathematics, College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences, C.T. Bauer College of Business, College of Education, Cullen College of Engineering, College of Pharmacy, Conrad N. Hilton College of Global Hospitality Leadership, and the Kathrine G. McGovern College of the Arts. The full list of all award recipients can be found on the OPEN Program webpage. 

“I’m excited that we are able to continue expanding awareness of open education through the Open Education Incentive Program,” said Ariana Santiago, head of open education services and interim associate dean for research and student engagement. “Instructors are supporting student success by ensuring they have free access to course materials and developing engaging learning experiences with open pedagogy.” 

Learn more about open educational resources at UH. 

Special thanks to the members of the 2025 OPEN Program Review Committee: Lu Gao, Edward Gloor, Virginia Sisson, Kate McNally Carter, and Ariana Santiago. 

University of Houston Libraries is pleased to welcome Molly Knapp as the new data management librarian.

Molly Knapp

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

As the UH data management librarian, my responsibilities include leading the expansion of the Libraries’ data management service portfolio; managing and promoting the UH Dataverse Repository (an open access repository for the UH community to share and preserve their research data) and DMPTool (a free service that simplifies creating data management and sharing plans to meet grant funding requirements). I‘m looking forward to growing partnerships across campus to address current and emerging data management needs among faculty, students, and research centers.

Please share a bit about your background and professional interests. How do these inspire and shape your approach to research services?

I bring over 20 years of experience working in academic and health sciences libraries and engaging with students, adult learners, researchers and faculty. I’ve held roles at the Network of the National Library of Medicine (NNLM), Tulane University Rudolph Matas Library of the Health Sciences, and the John P. Isché Library at Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center-New Orleans. At the NNLM I was a primary instructor for classes about Pubmed.gov, the largest free biomedical and research database in the world, and in my opinion, the most important trove of knowledge for anyone working in the sciences. I am inspired by the motto “see one, do one, teach one,” a medical education method originating from American surgeon William Stewart Halsted in the late 19th century, who formalized the apprenticeship model for surgical training at Johns Hopkins Hospital. This approach emphasizes acquiring skills through observation, hands-on practice, and then solidifying that knowledge by teaching it to others. My experiences working in academic medicine and government shape my approach in growing our data management and research services here at UH. As a runner and former New Orleanian, I am also fond of using the motto “it’s a marathon, not a sprint,”  to describe everything from 5Ks to Mardi Gras, much to the chagrin of my teenage children.

What are one or two things you’d like faculty, students, and scholars to know about the function/purpose/significance of data management?

Everyone should be interested in data management, because everything we do generates a data point for someone or something, who probably wants to monetize it. I hope to empower our community with awareness and understanding of how to control, monitor, use and share data. Just recently I was introduced to the book You Are a Data Person: Strategies for Using Analytics on Campus by Amelia Parnell, which posits that nearly every campus professional will need to approach their work with a data-informed perspective. The book is free to read through UH Library ebooks, and includes a set of self-assessment questions to see  what kind of data identity you may have. I got “Visionary”. So here’s my data vision for the people of UH: Don’t be scared of your data, tame it! If you need ideas on how to do that, come to me.

Kerry Creelman

Kerry Creelman, associate dean for Collections Services and Discovery at University of Houston Libraries, was selected for the competitive Association of Research Libraries Leadership Fellows Program. As one of 25 fellows in the 2025 cohort, Creelman will engage in a “13-month hybrid experience designed to prepare the next generation of senior and executive leaders in research libraries and archives.” The program affords opportunities to develop as a leader through a compelling curriculum, mentoring, self-assessment, executive coaching, and site visits.

“I’m thrilled to support Kerry as she participates in the ARL Leadership Fellows program,” said Christina H. Gola, dean of UH Libraries as of September 1. “This transformative leadership program will provide her with the knowledge, network, and leadership acumen to make broader impacts across the profession and bring new and innovative ideas to her role at UH Libraries.” 

In 2023, Creelman was chosen for the ARL Intensive Learning Program, an eight-month leadership development program for associate deans. At UH Libraries, Creelman holds the rank of associate librarian. In 2022 she was appointed as the associate dean for Collections Services and Discovery, a role in which she collaborates with fellow associate deans to ensure services and spaces meet the needs of students, faculty, and researchers; and leads a cohesive team of departments that support enterprise-wide collection building. In her prior role as head of Collections Strategies and Services, Creelman provided vision and strategy for collections management, the open educational resources program, and research visibility and impact services. Previous roles at UH include head of Liaison Services, coordinator of undergraduate instruction and outreach, library liaison to Athletics, and English librarian.

Creelman has authored and produced numerous peer-reviewed publications and presentations, and has been invited to present her scholarship. In service to the profession, she has represented the University through various leadership and committee roles with the Association of Research Libraries, Association of College and Research Libraries, American Library Association, and the Greater Western Library Alliance. She holds a strong record of University service with appointments to elected, advisory, and planning committees.

Creelman earned a Master of Library and Information Science from the University of Western Ontario, a Master of Arts in English Literature from the University of Windsor, and an Honors Bachelor of Arts in English Literature from Mount Allison University.

Christina H. Gola has been named dean of UH Libraries.

On Friday, August 22, Christina H. Gola was announced as the new dean of University of Houston Libraries, effective September 1.

In a message to the UH community, Diane Z. Chase, senior vice president for academic affairs and provost, praised Gola’s long-time service to UH Libraries and the integral role she has played in its growth.

“For the past year, Christina has served as Interim Dean,” said Chase. “In this role, she’s built partnerships across campus, enhanced student spaces at MD Anderson Library, upgraded technology, and effectively managed personnel to meet UH Libraries’ most immediate needs. These are just some of her accomplishments from her time as Interim Dean.

I am confident that her institutional knowledge will be an asset to the Libraries’ continued progress. Additionally, her steadfast commitment to serving the UH Community will prove most beneficial to our institution.”

University of Houston Libraries is pleased to announce that MD Anderson Library floors 7 and 8 have re-opened with a bright, fresh aesthetic.

MD Anderson Library floors 7 and 8 are now open.

80 seats have been added to each floor. Students can choose from modern and flexible options including single-user carrels and rounded, cushioned pods, as well as tables with privacy screens. Along with new carpet and a spacious configuration, students can enjoy inspiring views of the University and the city from these floors, which are accessible via the Blue wing elevator.

University of Houston Libraries is pleased to welcome Kevin Kinney as the new processing archivist.

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

I will be working with Special Collections to arrange and describe archival materials across a wide array of subjects and formats, making them available for students, faculty, staff, and the broader public to access and research. The subjects those materials cover range from Houston hip-hop and rare books to women’s studies and LGBT history, among many other topics. Doing this will help students to engage with primary source materials, conduct research with collections spanning multiple disciplines, and learn how information has been recorded and disseminated across centuries.

Please share a bit about your background and professional interests. How do these inspire and shape your approach to archival processing?

As someone who has always enjoyed being in the presence of books and “old stuff,” working in libraries and archives was pretty much inevitable. The bulk of my work experience has been in academic and public libraries, starting with paging maps and atlases as a freshman at the University of Michigan, where I received both my Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and Master of Science in Information. It was also at U-M where I first gained experience working with special collections. I further developed that experience working as an archivist at Rosenberg Library in Galveston, Texas, for over eight years. Rosenberg’s archival collections touched on almost all of my personal and professional interests, including maritime history, historically underrepresented communities, church history, rare books, and genealogy.

Since Rosenberg is a public library, working there gave me a sense of urgency in learning how best to make information accessible and easy for the public to understand, especially during a time when information access and literacy are needed now more than perhaps ever before. When I process a collection, regardless of its topic, I think about how I can arrange and describe it such that anyone, especially someone who has never heard of an archive, can understand and use it.

What are one or two things you’d like faculty, students, and scholars to know about the function/purpose/significance of archives?

Archives are a concrete example of physical/digital presence and enduring relevance, whether they document an individual’s activities during a particular window of time, an organization’s operations across decades, or even a country’s history of accomplishments and failings since its founding. Archives, more specifically access to and the use of archives, help to strengthen collective memory of the past, place present events in their full context, and predict future developments with high accuracy and confidence. Archives are of immense value to everyone on and off a university campus.

What didn’t tall Texan Tommy Tune accomplish in the performing and visual arts world?

The Tommy Tune Collection at UH Libraries

Students and scholars will be able to explore that question and much more with the acquisition of a wonderful new collection at University of Houston Libraries that preserves and celebrates the legacy of the prolific dancer/singer/director/choreographer.

Thomas James Tune was born in Wichita Falls and grew up in Houston where he attended Lamar High School. After graduating from University of Texas at Austin, the 6 foot 6 tap dancer began graduate studies in directing at University of Houston, but soon left Texas for New York City, where his career launched from day one. In 1965, Tune made his Broadway debut in the production of Baker Street, followed by A Joyful Noise (1966) and How Now, Dow Jones (1967). 

Tune is the recipient of 10 Tony Awards, including the 2015 Tony for Life Achievement in the Theatre. He is the only star in theatrical history to win in four categories, and the only person to win the same Tony Awards two years in a row. Tune also received The National Medal of Arts, the highest honor for artistic achievement given by the president of the United States. He was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1993.

And those accolades only scratch the surface. Tune’s illustrious performing arts career comes alive in the massive collection, which currently boasts nearly 100 linear feet of materials, and will grow even more with a forthcoming second shipment from New York City. 

Tommy Tune and his sister, Gracey Tune, generously gifted the first set of items to University of Houston. Gracey Tune is the founder and artistic director of Arts Fifth Avenue in Fort Worth, where much of the collection was housed. 

“The Tune family is so thankful and thrilled to have the Tommy Tune Collection at University of Houston,” said Gracey Tune. “We appreciate each individual embracing this big project. It began when we contacted Hillary Hart at TUTS; she was excited and contacted Mary Manning…the rest is history. We are Houstonians – we love Houston and UH.”

The acquisition was facilitated by Mary Manning, university archivist, together with Christian Kelleher, head of UH Special Collections. Manning sees a host of opportunities for how the Tommy Tune Collection can advance academic and scholarly productivity. “The Tommy Tune Collection is a significant contribution to the study of theatre history, particularly musical theatre,” she said. “Tommy Tune is not only a talented singer, actor, and dancer, but also a celebrated director, producer, and choreographer; his archives will be enlightening to scholars and performers researching any of these fields. The collection will provide insight into Tune’s creative processes and provide cultural context for the plays he directed and performed in; it can serve as a source for reconstructing the plays and performances, inspiring and providing material for musical theatre students and professionals.”

Bit by meticulous bit, Katy Allred, assistant university archivist, will survey each item in the collection, which includes costumes, scripts, production and publicity photos, newspaper articles, posters, paintings, scrapbooks, correspondence, sheet music, playbills, drawings, souvenir books, production documents, and awards and honors.

Archival materials often arrive at UH Special Collections (located on MD Anderson Library floor 2) in containers such as plastic tubs or cardboard boxes. Items might have binders, such as rubber bands that can harden and stick, or fasteners that can rust. Part of the job of an archivist like Allred is to go through the entire collection, identify preservation concerns, and intervene. This process will bring to light the condition of each item, which will inform preservation in archival enclosures, such as how to store Tune’s dazzling sartorial pieces. “This collection is really interesting because it comes with a lot of textiles,” Allred noted. “We don’t usually get collections with a lot of costumes. The challenge of preserving hats, shoes, and coats will be a new thing to learn.”  

Allred will gain a sense of how to arrange the collection into series for the finding aid that will be published online. The finding aid is a tool researchers can use to browse collections, identify the boxes they’d like to explore, and contact UH Special Collections with their request. The collection will be of particular interest to UH students, faculty, and researchers seeking primary source materials on Tommy Tune’s life and career, including documentary filmmakers, biographers, dance historians, musical theatre performers, directors, producers, and choreographers.

Surveying a collection of this magnitude takes time. Allred is early yet in the process, but already, compelling themes and stories are emerging from the materials. “What I can tell so far is that Tommy Tune is a Renaissance man of the theatre,” she said. “He sang, danced, acted, produced, directed, and choreographed shows on Broadway, off-Broadway, touring shows, and countless other productions. He was constantly working on something; often on several projects at once! I am a huge fan of musical theatre, so this is such an exciting opportunity. I know how important and inspirational Tommy Tune has been for so many aspiring performers in my own life; people from the South who looked up to him as someone like them who made it. I can’t wait to make this collection available and accessible to everyone.”

UH Libraries thanks Tommy Tune, Peter Glebo, and Gracey Tune for their incredible generosity and collaboration on this impactful gift. The Tommy Tune Collection’s journey to UH was facilitated by a collective effort. UH Libraries recognizes and thanks the following individuals for their integral role in bringing this collection to the University: 

• Hillary Hart, executive director, Theatre Under The Stars (The TUTS Tommy Tune Awards event was held on Friday, June 6, honoring high school musical theatre in Houston.)
• Andrew Davis, PhD, dean, Kathrine G. McGovern College of the Arts
• Megan Topham, PhD, associate dean of operations, Kathrine G. McGovern College of the Arts

“The Tommy Tune Collection is a transformative addition to both our University Archives and our Visual and Performing Arts collections,” said Lauren Gottlieb-Miller, associate dean for special libraries and preservation. “This gift ensures that students, researchers, and artists for generations to come will have a direct connection to one of the great creative forces of American theatre. We are honored to steward Tommy Tune’s legacy in the city and University that helped shape him.” 

This collection is being processed and is not yet available for viewing. For more information, contact Mary Manning.