by Matt Richardson, Archivist and Special Collections Librarian.
October is Archives Month! The celebration offers an occasion to raise awareness about archives, the work archivists do, and the amazing resources they steward. At the McGovern Historical Center, this provides the background for our annual Give2History campaign (https://library.tmc.edu/make-a-gift/). You can also catch us participating in #AskAnArchivist Day October 11–all day long on social media @McGovernHRC and over lunchtime In Real Life at the TMC Library.
Zooming out, the Texas State Library and Archives Commission is celebrating with an Archives Month poster featuring one of our favorite projects, Texas Archival Resources Online (TARO).
It’s been a little while since we’ve sung TARO’s praises, and since then the website has undergone a major overhaul, courtesy of NEH funding and the efforts of archivists across the state (including here at the MHC).
TARO is a portal that pulls together finding aids from libraries, museums, archives, and other sources across Texas so that researchers can find original materials through a single search. It’s powered by a consortium of archivists and others who work to make that possible—all for free.
While we know the McGovern Historical Center is your favorite archives-place, we realize that sometimes folks might need to look elsewhere to complete their research. Think of it this way: what’s better than 350 archival collections about medical history? How about 18,000 archival collections about every topic in Texas?
If you don’t know where to start your research, TARO can help identify repositories with relevant archival materials. If you already know about one collection of interest, TARO can help you discover whether any other institutions around the state have related materials (If that theme sounds familiar, yes, we’ve written about it before).
For news, resources, and membership information about TARO, check out TARO Today.
For more information about the Give2History campaign, check out our blog post Give2History and Adopt a Box. If you’re ready to donate, head over to https://library.tmc.edu/make-a-gift/. Thank you for supporting the McGovern Historical Center and helping us secure the history of the Texas Medical Center!
