New Digital Collection: City of Houston, Its Development and Evolution
Long before Houston was the fourth largest city in the United States and referred to as the Energy Capital of the World, up until the twentieth century, it was simply called the Magnolia City for its natural magnolia groves found flourishing in east Houston. Although it was a simpler time, Houston was still a city on the move beginning to transform itself into the metropolis we know today, and many historical documents illustrate this shift as the City of Houston began to initiate efforts to expand commerce and transportation networks.
The City of Houston, Its Development and Evolution collection is now available in the University of Houston Digital Library.
A selection of 247 items, including drafts and published versions of Houston’s charters and codes of ordinance are included. These documents from 1847 to 1897 were the founding documents establishing Houston as a municipality along with enacted laws that would govern the city at this time. Many of the documents are from the Reconstruction period in Houston after the Civil War between 1865 and 1877. During this period, Houston became a global hub of commerce through its shipping port, initially transporting cotton and lumber, and later oil. Railroads were also built to connect the Port of Houston with rail lines to transport goods and resources to and from the Port of Houston to all parts of the country.
Also included are documents from the Engineer’s Office and Streets and Bridges department concerning the city’s infrastructure, and letters and memos from city council members, mayors, and aldermen discussing policy and legislation. Other noteworthy items include payrolls and other documents relating to the activities of the Houston Police, Fire Department, and Public Schools that provide emergency and educational services to the citizens of the community.
The original materials are available in UH Libraries Special Collections in the George Fuermann “Texas and Houston” Collection.
May 2016 Technology Training
Technology training at UH Libraries is open to all students, faculty and staff.
Workshops in Access 2013, Adobe Acrobat, Excel 2013, Illustrator CS6, Indesign CS6 and Photoshop CS6 are being held in May at the University of Houston Libraries.
The Technology Training program at UH Libraries offers free technology courses to current UH students, faculty and staff. Classes are held in the Learning Commons Training Labs on the first floor of the MD Anderson Library.
View the full calendar and reserve your seat.
Collaboration Leads to Enhanced On-Demand Digitization
The University of Houston Libraries leverages the power of partnerships to enrich services locally and expand impact globally. An interdepartmental project focusing on the improvement of on-demand digitization is just the latest example of the Libraries’ collaborative outcomes.
On-Demand Digitization
Librarians and staff in Metadata and Digitization Services (MDS), Special Collections, and Web Services coordinated on an effort to streamline the existing on-demand digitization service, resulting in a better experience for both internal and external users.
On-demand digitization allows patrons to request high-resolution images of Special Collections materials that are not currently available in the UH Digital Library (UHDL). Now, patrons can request more images, receive preservation-grade images faster, and enjoy a seamless user experience.
The origin of the project grew from an assessment of the process, which revealed a need for increased capacity to handle larger requests; practices aligned with the standards of UHDL projects; and a framework for the potential preservation and access of images scanned on an ad-hoc, on-demand basis.
Special Collections manages the patron interaction, assists with reference requests, identifies the materials needed for scanning, and provides customer service. Special Collections also records metadata describing the images so that they can be searched and reused in future requests. MDS provides professional-grade equipment and expertise in digitizing the requested materials, applying file-naming conventions and imaging standards in line with the UHDL. The improvements to the workflow allow each department to focus on what they each do best.
Web Services developed an internal app that notifies MDS of the request and enables the uploading of individual images associated with the specified metadata from Special Collections. It also allows a check for prior digitization. What was once manual workflow has now been upgraded and accelerated with the use of the internal app. The benefit to patrons is the ability to download requested images as soon as they become available through an automated download link.
“The enhanced service was built upon existing practices and technology that we have here in the library,” said Drew Krewer, digitization services coordinator. “It’s also unique in that we customized the most ideal workflow for the two departments, keeping in mind that we needed to streamline things to receive the requests as soon as possible and send the images to the users as soon as possible.”
The project is nearing the end of its pilot phase and the team has received positive feedback. Next steps involve identifying the best mode of access to the collection and materials. The team hopes future users will be able to benefit from imaging work already completed, perhaps through an access system such as the UHDL.
#IAMUH Libraries
Diversity and inclusion are core values of the University of Houston Libraries. We respect all aspects of diversity and create an inclusive virtual and physical environment, for all learners, researchers, and library staff. We are responsive in providing spaces, services, programs, and resources that promote and value diversity.
#IAMUH because diversity and inclusion are values embraced by me, by our University Libraries, and by our wonderful university.
In celebration of diversity and to show UH pride, Dean of Libraries Lisa German participated in the UH Center for Diversity and Inclusion’s #IAMUH campaign, and encouraged librarians and library staff to share their #IAMUH story.
View photos of #IAMUH Libraries.
UH Librarians in ALA Elections
Two UH librarians were chosen in the 2016 ALA elections.
Three University of Houston librarians were chosen in the 2016 American Library Association (ALA) elections.
Annie Wu, head of Metadata and Digitization Services, was elected to be a councilor-at-large for a three-year term (2016-2019). The Council is the governing body of ALA, delegating authority to the divisions of the Association in implementing programs and activities with policy established by Council.
Ariana Santiago, instruction librarian, will be on the Executive Board of the New Members Roundtable (NMRT) as the outreach director for a tw0-year term (2016-2018). The mission of the NMRT is to help those who have been association members less than ten years become actively involved in the association and the profession.
Rachel Vacek, head of Web Services, was elected to be a Games and Gaming Round Table (GameRT) member-at-large for a two-year term (2016-2018). The GameRT provides a venue for librarians interested in the use of games and gaming in libraries of all types.