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.

Two new exhibits featuring selections from the Carey Shuart Women’s Research Collection open in September at University of Houston Libraries. 

Houston Comets Memorabilia Collection

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.” 

Stephen F. Austin High School Scottish Brigade

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. 

The UH community is cordially invited to attend an opening reception on Wednesday, October 16 from 5 – 7 p.m. in the MD Anderson Library Elizabeth D. Rockwell Pavilion. RSVP

“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.