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.

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.