LGBT History Research Collection October Programs
University of Houston Libraries Special Collections will host programs in the month of October highlighting primary source materials in the LGBT History Research Collection, which includes personal papers, organizational records, publications, and library collections.
During the month of October, selections from The Banner Project will be on display in MD Anderson Library. The Banner Project, created by Houston activists Sara Fernandez, JD Doyle, and Kirk Baxter, is a pop-up exhibit featuring pivotal moments in Houston’s LGBTQ history from the 1930s to present day. 2024 marks the eighth year that UH Libraries Special Collections has partnered with the creators to host the banners, sparking discussion, reflection, and engagement with the LGBT History Research Collection.
October 11: The UH community is invited to visit Coming Out of the Archives, a pop-up exhibit of archival materials documenting LGBTQ+ history, at MD Anderson Library from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
October 30: UH Libraries Special Collections and UH GLOBAL will co-host a tabling event, UH LGBTQI+ History and Zines, at the UH Student Center from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. The UH community is invited to view a mini pop-up exhibit featuring materials from the Transgender and Queer Zine Collection in the LGBT History Research Collection, as well as University Archives; and to create a collective zine.
In addition, UH Libraries Special Collections will be participating in two off-campus events. On October 13, archivists from Special Collections will attend Collect & Connect: The Curve Foundation’s Curve Magazine Archive Celebration at Pearl Bar to collect and preserve donated copies of Curve magazine and oral histories, in order to start a Curve archive in the LGBT History Research Collection. On October 26, archivists from Special Collections will attend the Families with Pride event at Discovery Green, displaying archival materials from the LGBT History Research Collection.
New Exhibits Featuring Shuart Women’s Research Collection
Two new exhibits featuring selections from the Carey Shuart Women’s Research Collection open in September at University of Houston Libraries.
Nevertheless, She Persisted! Women as Historic Influencers will be viewable on MD Anderson Library Floor 2, while Leagues of Their Own: Representing 60 Years of Women’s Athletics Achievement will be on display on Floor 1.
Claire Keck, graduate assistant curator for the Carey Shuart Women’s Research Collection, selected materials for Nevertheless, She Persisted! depicting influential women in the Houston region who effected changes in society, politics, and artistic expression.
The process of curating an exhibit involves exploration of what Special Collections preserves through the use of finding aids, and choice of visually appealing items. Selections include a variety of primary source materials, including correspondence, artwork, scrapbooks, photos, certificates, banners, and video footage that illustrate an overarching theme. Keck’s tasks also involve generating social media, designing posters, and helping curate a digital exhibit.
In choosing materials, Keck’s goal was to engage Gen Z, focusing on historical activism of women’s suffrage and the pro-choice movement, women’s clubs and organizations, women’s art, women of color, and LGBTQ+ women throughout the 20th century.
Keck encourages other students who are interested in working with archival material to visit exhibits wherever possible. “Whether that means visiting museums when you can (by the way, Houston museums have a student discount on Thursdays), studying digital exhibits, or looking at the several exhibit cases in the MD Anderson Library, you will continue to learn from all of them and gain a greater understanding of history and the use of archival materials,” Keck said. “Be sure you like to work with old things and that you like to read.”
Leagues of Their Own features archives from two collections within the Shuart Women’s Research Collection. Vince Lee, archivist for the Shuart Women’s Research Collection, curated items representing the Stephen F. Austin High School Scottish Brigade, which, founded in 1937, promoted scholarship, discipline, respect, leadership, social skills, and fitness at a time when girls’ sports teams were rare or nonexistent. James Burke, PhD student in US History, selected items from the Houston Comets Memorabilia Collection. The Comets, founded in 1997, set the standard for excellence in the early years of the WNBA and paved the way for future generations of players.
“These exhibits are components of a year-long engagement generously supported by Carey C. Shuart to promote our research collections which preserve the histories of women’s clubs and organizations in the Houston area,” said Lauren Gottlieb-Miller, associate dean for Special Libraries and Preservation. “In spring 2025, we look forward to hosting a culminating event featuring a multi-generational panel and celebratory program to bring alive the stories related to the materials presented in the exhibits.”
Collaboration among Libraries departments is essential for successful exhibit production. These and all UH Libraries exhibits illustrate the collective effort and expertise of teams in Special Collections, Preservation and Reformatting, Resource Management and Metadata, Technology Services, and Administration. UH Libraries thanks Carey C. Shuart for her wonderful support of the Shuart Women’s Research Collection and related exhibits and programming.
Visitors are welcome to view the exhibits during regular building hours between September 6, 2024 and May 31, 2025. Visit Entering MD Anderson Library for details on quick and secure building access.
New Library Supervisor in Special Collections
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.
MD Anderson Library Service Desk Hours
University of Houston Libraries welcomes new and returning Coogs for the start of a spirited fall 2024 semester. This academic year, effective Monday, August 19, MD Anderson Library will offer new Service Desk hours. The new schedule is:
Monday – Thursday: 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Friday: 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Saturday: Closed
Sunday: 12:00 noon to 8:00 p.m.
The new hours pertain only to the Service Desk on MD Anderson Library floor 1. Building hours will remain the same as in previous semesters.
During times when MD Anderson Library is open and the Service Desk is closed, Coogs have the following self-service options:
- Self-checkout machines on MD Anderson Library floor 1, located across from the Service Desk, enable users to check out books. The self-checkout machines require an active Cougar Card to borrow books.
- Group study rooms in the Red and Brown wings on floors 3, 4, and 5 are open on a first-come-first-served basis. No reservation or room keys are required to use these rooms during hours when the Service Desk is closed.
- Individual study carrels in the Blue wing on floors 3, 5, and 6 and in the Brown wing on floors 2 – 5 are open on a first-come-first-served basis. No reservation or carrel keys are required to use these carrels during hours when the Service Desk is closed.
- Printing, scanning, and copying options are available for those with active Cougar Cards.
Hours of operation for special libraries and service points are as follows:
Special Collections
Monday – Friday: 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Digital Research Commons
Monday: 8:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.
Tuesday: 12:00 noon to 2:00 p.m.
Wednesday: 8:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.
Thursday: 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
Architecture, Design, and Art Library
*Re-opening on Monday, August 26* Monday – Friday: 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Health Sciences Library
Monday – Thursday: 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Friday: 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Saturday – Sunday: 12:00 noon to 5:00 p.m.
Medical Library
Monday – Friday: 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (staffed); the space is open 24 hours for medical students
Music Library
Monday – Thursday: 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Friday: 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Questions? Contact us.
New Digital Collection: Houston Shakespeare Festival
In tandem with the opening of Houston Shakespeare Festival’s 50th season, UH Libraries is pleased to announce the availability of the Houston Shakespeare Festival Collection.
The digital collection is the culmination of a months-long collaboration between Special Collections University Archives and Preservation & Reformatting to collect, preserve, and provide access to Houston Shakespeare Festival (HSF) and School of Theatre and Dance (SoTD) archives. The digital collection includes programs and other materials from HSF, with original materials preserved in UH Libraries Special Collections in the Sidney Berger Papers. Berger, former director of the UH School of Theatre, founded HSF in the summer of 1975.
The project was inspired by professor of acting Jack Young, who requested HSF resources that were preserved in Special Collections. The resources were digitized in Preservation & Reformatting, and University Archives prepared them to be shared online. Soon after, Young donated a remarkable scrapbook and other SoTD materials documenting HSF and the Children’s Theatre, along with audiovisual materials and photos saved in SoTD. Young’s interest in these materials spurred University Archives to make finding aids available online: UH School of Theatre and Dance Records and Houston Shakespeare Festival (a series in the Sidney Berger Papers).
The UH community, scholars and researchers, and the public can now easily find these materials in Special Collections, and many of the items have been digitized and are accessible online, thanks to the work of Preservation & Reformatting.
“We’re excited about the launch of the digital collection,” said Mary Manning, university archivist, “and we eagerly anticipate our continued collaboration in documenting and celebrating SoTD’s history.”
Houston Comets: The First Dominant WNBA Dynasty
By James Burke, Intern at UH Special Collections and PhD student majoring in US History and minoring in Public History. His work involves museum archives, artifact cataloging, and exhibit curation.
The Houston Comets were among the first eight teams of the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) in 1997. In their first season the Comets saw unprecedented success, playing against and beating the New York Liberty in the Championship. The Houston Comets went on to win the 1998 WNBA Championship against the Phoenix Mercury, again in 1999 against the New York Liberty, and in 2000 against the same. Throughout each of the first four seasons, the Houston Comets dominated the court. The “Big Three” Cynthia Cooper, Sheryl Swoopes, and Tina Thompson topped all statistical charts for the WNBA and were instrumental in leading the Comets to four consecutive WNBA Championship wins. While the Houston Comets were a breakout dynasty in the WNBA, after the 2008 season the team was disbanded due to ownership issues.
For the creation of this exhibit, I have had to make up for my own shortcomings in knowledge on the Houston Comets. Prior to beginning the Houston Comets exhibit, Vince Lee, Archivist for the Carey Shuart Women’s Research Collection, and I planned on working on a separate exhibit from Special Collections. However, upon getting the commission for the Comets exhibit, the two of us began working on the task immediately. While I knew people who were fans of the Houston Comets when they were active, I was ignorant to their history at the onset of the project. Working with Vince and by his advice, the first two weeks were largely spent on researching the story of the team. Furthermore, he suggested I familiarize myself with the Houston Comets Memorabilia Collection. While I have experience doing curatorial work, never had it been on something I had minimal working knowledge on, but it was, and remains, an exciting opportunity to learn.
I chose the items for the Houston Comets exhibit largely centered on the first four seasons of the team, in addition to the “Big Three”. I wanted the exhibit cases to demonstrate the history of the team and their success, but also the fans and their dedication. Across the exhibit I selected five items signed by members of the Houston Comets. In addition to signed memorabilia, I wanted to feature several Houston Comets publications throughout the exhibit, both to show the teams history as told by the WNBA, and by journalists from the Houston Chronicle. The Comets dominated the first four seasons of the WNBA, and written material reflects that. Beyond such items, I wanted to include various merchandise to show that fans of the Houston Comets remained so outside the arena.
Despite the Houston Comets only lasting for twelve seasons from 1997 to 2008, the team established a dynasty in the WNBA and made a lasting impact on both Houston and the league at-large. Fans of the Comets remained loyal during and after their time on the court, and the collection of memorabilia establishes that. While the team is no longer active, their legacy continues to permeate the WNBA and their fans to this day.
________Explore history at UH Special Collections! We are located in M.D. Anderson Library, 2nd Floor, at the top of the stairs next to the elevators. Our reading room is open Monday-Friday, 10:00 AM-4:00 PM, excluding holidays. Appointments are strongly recommended so that requested materials can be ready for you upon your arrival. Drop-in visits are welcomed if there is available space in the reading room.
Year in Review: UH LGBTQ+ History Research Collection
Season’s greetings! I just thought I’d share with you all some of the engagement around the LGBTQ+ History Research Collection in support of research, learning, outreach, and community-building in 2023. Here are just some of the highlights…
October 24, 2023. Members of the U.S. Department of State’s International Visitors Leadership Program visited UH Special Collections as part of their study tour to learn the history and advocacy of local and regional LGBTQ+ communities.
We have been building and processing the collection. We accepted several new collections or accruals from the community, including materials from the Arden Eversmeyer estate, JD Doyle, Patrick McIlvain, an anonymous donor who donated issues of This Week in Texas (TWT), and others. A couple of other important donations are about to have a new home here in Special Collections and we can’t wait!
Additionally, Project Archivist Katy Allred processed the Log Cabin Republicans of Houston Records, PFLAG Houston Records, and more materials from Town Meeting 1. Currently, Katy is processing the Houston GLBT Community Center Records. There are so many interesting and sometimes surprising things to learn in these collections! Come visit UH Special Collections to check them out in our reading room. Building and processing the collection continues!
We have an ongoing project with UH professor Dr. Guillermo De Los Reyes called the Cougar Rainbow Histories project, which is about preserving the history that led to the creation of the UH LGBT Studies Minor and the UH LGBTQ Resource Center (disbanded as of Sept 1, 2023). Special Collections’ role for the project is to conduct oral history interviews with the people who were involved in planning and bringing the Minor and Center to fruition. So far, we have recorded five oral history interviews, which will soon be available for research.
Five undergraduate students interned with us in 2023 to preserve LGBTQ+ history—three students worked with materials in the collection while two students conducted oral history interviews for the Cougar Rainbow Histories project. So far, we have not had to recruit interns because students are so enthusiastic about preserving and interacting with materials that document LGBTQ+ history that they proactively contact us. The new capstone intern who is lined up for Spring 2024 contacted me back in September! It’s heartwarming to work with such enthusiastic, bright, and creative students.
We created the Hollyfield Foundation Pride exhibit, which was located in front of UH Special Collections. The theme for the exhibit was FAMILIES and we, along with intern Dafne Meza Flores, selected materials from the collection to provide a space for visitors to consider the impact of families, broadly defined, on the lives of LGBTQI+ people in historical and contemporary contexts.
We participated in the 2nd annual Families with Pride event, which was hosted by Houston Council Member Abbie Kamin on June 24th at Levy Park. It was certainly hot, but luckily, our history tent had a huge fan and was located in the shade amongst the loveliest of trees. Not only did we exhibit materials from the collection, but we also created an activity for attendees of all ages, which was to write a message or draw a picture (or both!) for people in LGBTQ+ communities to encounter in the future. Complete with a puppy parade, the Families with Pride event was an absolute success! LOVE was the key word of the day. The messages and drawings are being preserved in UH Special Collections, but we plan to collect more at other future events. Come check out this one-of-a-kind living collection!
In October, we celebrated LGBTQ+ History Month. Banners from The Banner Project were draped in the library atrium, staircase, and walls on the 2nd and 3rd floors, and on October 11th, we once again featured a pop-up exhibit of collection materials in the atrium in honor of National Coming Out Day.
On October 23rd, we hosted an event titled Readings from the Road, which featured a panel of speakers who read or reflected on their research and/or experiences traveling and/or navigating spaces and places as members of the LGBTQ+ community. I had the privilege of facilitating the event and kicked off the panel by reading an introductory excerpt from my own essay based on research in Texas archives, “(En)countering the Archival Sidekick,” which was published in the anthology, Q&A: Voices from Queer Asian North America. The engaging speakers were Dr. Guillermo De Los Reyes, local LGBTQ+ historian, author, and one of our collection donors JD Doyle, UH librarian Imani Spence, and UH GLOBAL president Kaitie Tolman. Light refreshments were served, including crowd-pleasing conchas.
The following morning on October 24th, we welcomed a delegation of 14 researchers, journalists, activists, lawyers, artists, and NGO leaders in the Korean LGBTQI+ community who were part of a study tour to learn about LGBTQI+ advocacy in the U.S. through the Department of State’s International Visitor Leadership Program. The group visited only three U.S. cities and Houston was one of them! Aaaaand UH Special Collections and the LGBTQ+ History Research Collection was their first stop in Houston. What an incredible honor! It was SO memorable to meet and talk with these leaders and also to use some of the banners from The Banner Project as tools to discuss Houston’s vibrant LGBTQ+ history and advocacy. Mission accomplished.
Throughout the year, we also worked with UH faculty and beyond to connect the LGBTQ+ History Research Collection with their lesson plans and led tours for UH faculty and students, potential donors, and community organizations. We’re here to support research and learning, events, community-centered projects, and other goals and interests relevant to the collection. Contact us!
As you can guess, there’s much more that goes into preserving local and regional LGBTQ+ history, including building meaningful relationships with people across campus and many communities. This is essential to our work, and it is certainly rewarding.
Well, that’s all for now. But be in the lookout for more in Spring 2024!
Happy holidays!
Joyce Gabiola, MSLIS | UH alum
Archivist for the LGBTQ+ History Research Collection
University of Houston Libraries – Special Collections
Explore history at UH Special Collections! Our reading room is open Monday-Friday, 10:00 AM-4:00 PM. Appointments are strongly recommended so that requested materials can be ready for you upon your arrival. Drop-in visits are welcomed if there is available space in the reading room.
Mydolls in a World of Their Own
Jenna Guinn, practicum student from the University of North Texas, shares research and resources related to her work with the Mydolls Records at the University of Houston Special Collections.
Mydolls exploded onto the Houston punk scene in the late 1970s and have been influencing pop rock ever since. Known for their mainly self taught, eclectic style, they used their influence to help pave the way for other women and minorities to break into the genre. Not known for being quiet, their lyrics often commented on the systematic problems prevalent at the time. Formed in 1978, the group consisted of Linda Younger on guitar and vocals, Dianna Ray on bass and vocals, Trish Herrera on guitar and vocals, and George Reyes on drums and vocals, and was active until 1986. The group reunited in 2008, and has been intermittently touring, creating music, and influencing the next generation of young alternative punk rockers ever since. In 2016 the Contemporary Arts Museum of Houston highlighted Mydolls as a part of their 20Hertz music lecture series. The series described Mydolls “as one of the earliest art punk bands in Houston, Mydolls created a DIY sound that was as ethereal, fluid and poetic as it was politically charged and feminist. Throughout their nearly 40-year history, these pioneering musicians have paved a path for women and minorities in the music and arts scenes, and they continue to perform today with their original lineup.” The band released three recordings on Houston’s C.I.A. Records during the 1980s. Mydolls songs were included on compilations: Cottage Cheese from the Lips of Death (Ward-9 Records, 1983), Sub Pop 7 (Sub Pop Records, 1983), and The Dog That Wouldn’t Die (C.I.A., 1986). The album, A World of Her Own, was released by Grand Theft Auto in 2005. In 2015 Mydolls eight-song CD It’s Too Hot for Revolution was released. The band also appeared in a cameo in the award winning film Paris, Texas with their song “A World of Her Own.”
In 2019, Mydolls donated their discography, video performances, photographs, zines and more to the University of Houston Special Collections Department. Many items in the Mydolls Records come straight out of the underground punk rock scene of the 80s. Mydolls’ discography is preserved in vinyl records and various filmed performances are housed in the collection. The collection showcases the fast-paced career of Mydolls memorialized in zines, photographs, and performance ads and can be viewed at the Special Collections Department upon request.
Behind The Scenes of Reality TV with Special Collections
Alexander Rodriguez, undergraduate student from the University of Chicago, takes a look at records from a reality TV show filmed at the University of Houston.
During the 2005 spring term, amongst our Cougar ranks walked five TV stars- well, reality TV stars, at least. As part of an acquisition from the University of Houston’s Division of Marketing and Communications, Special Collections has obtained archival materials relating to a reality TV show called Freshmen On Campus. Filmed by Princess Productions in 2005, the program follows five British students as they study at the University of Houston for a few weeks. Aside from the requisite teen drama, the show provides glimpses of American university life for viewers back in Britain, such as a fraternity pledge ceremony. The stars also check out things to do near Houston, visiting Galveston Beach and the Texas Prison Museum, excursions a UH student could reasonably make. Through participation in the show, these five get a taste of the University of Houston and experience college life in America. The university has tapes for Episodes 11 through 15 in the collection.
However, equally exciting are the paper records that accompany the series in the archives. Consisting mostly of correspondence between the production company and the UH administration, these records depict all the planning and permissions needed to make the program happen. The documents include a wealth of information related to the logistics of filming a television series, from crew housing to food costs- even including the parking tickets issued to some of the filming crew for overrunning their parking meters. Reading through emails to UH staff, a sales pitch emerges: producers suggest that the show will put the University of Houston into the awareness of British teens and convince those looking to study in America to choose Houston. (Apparently, it also used to be normal for academic professionals to email each other in all lowercase.)
Viewing the finished episodes alongside the artifacts of its production provides a deeper understanding of the show and the medium in general. By seeing the presented product as well as the private effort that came before, archival research allows us to get past the surface and build a picture of what the experience was like for everyone involved. Reality TV is infamous for the ways it hides the real means of its creation, and in the early 2000s, the format was still unironically claiming to document real life. Now, in an era where we think more critically about reality TV shows and their real-world effects on people, it is fascinating to look back in time and get a peek behind the scenes of one such show that took the format away from Beverly Hills to a place more of us are familiar with.
The videotapes of the episodes, as well as the paper documents, are both in the UH Marketing and Communication Records at Special Collections.
Paul Chu: Physics Pioneer, Marketing Icon
Alexander Rodriguez, undergraduate student from the University of Chicago, takes a look at Professor Paul Chu’s presence in university marketing initiatives.
University of Houston (UH) Professor Paul Chu is a known name both on- and off-campus. In 1987, Chu and his team made breakthroughs in the field of superconductivity, developing materials that could conduct electricity with zero resistance at temperatures reachable with liquid nitrogen. This discovery kicked off a wave of excitement in the scientific community and put the university’s Department of Physics at the leading edge of this research.
In the late 1990s, UH’s Division of Marketing and Communications commissioned the production of 30-second television commercials for prospective students, starring university faculty with their work. One of these focuses on Chu, with shots of him with lab equipment demonstrating the materials developed in his lab. With floating magnets and nitrogen plumes aplenty, the clip is an effective counterargument to any high schooler who says physics can’t be cool.
Elsewhere, Chu and his research team garner mention from voices outside the university. In a compilation of news clips from November 2001, several television and radio stations reported on Dr. Chu’s move to Hong Kong to lead a research department there. True to the era, the reporters excitedly mention that he will continue to lead his UH research department through a technology known as “e-mail.” The similarity of the reporting across different channels indicates the use of a standardized press release, likely crafted by UH Marketing and Communications, to package the facts for news stations to add directly into their report.
These items, part of a Special Collections acquisition of UH Marketing and Communications Records this year, demonstrate the way the university showcases its faculty and their research as an asset for its image. The message for the public is that the work done here is not only research worth continuing but also the knowledge that has an impact on the lives of people outside academia and merits sharing. These outreach efforts establish the University of Houston as an institution on the forefront of science, attracting the next generation of bright minds to enroll and be a part of the spirit of innovation at the university.
Check out the full Marketing and Communications collection in the archival catalog here. More information about Chu and his research can be found elsewhere in Special Collections, including newspaper clippings in the Faculty Vita Records.