Selected Investments – Phase II

(Please contact us for leadership giving and naming opportunities.) Phase II fundraising will go toward specialized imaging equipment and custom exhibit cases to display the Archives’ treasures—maps, documents, flags and artifacts that tell the story of Texas.

• Custom-made, secure display cases for on-site exhibition of the Travis letter and other Texas treasures, fixed and mobile exhibit cases for historic flags and documents, and cases designed for traveling exhibits that will allow Texans outside of Austin to see  these valued pieces of history.

• Imaging equipment for maps and drawings, walk-up book scanners, which are gentle alternatives to copiers; and laptops for moving among work stations.

• Conservation education video modules (in-library and online) to teach visitors about the fragility of historic materials, environmental concerns related to preservation  and the complexities of conserving documents that tell the tale of Texas.

• Touchscreen displays in the lobby, Archives Reading Room, Texas Family Heritage Research Center (Genealogy) and Reference and Information Center to provide visitor orientations to the agency and its collections.

Your contribution will directly impact your State Archives, home to the Travis Letter from the Alamo; the Matamoros Battalion flag, captured at the Battle of San Jacinto; and other priceless and unique documents and artifacts of Texas history.

Background

The Lorenzo de Zavala State Archives and Library Building, the Texas State Library and Archives Commission headquarters, has undergone a remarkable transformation, the first update  in its 50-year history. In 2005, the Texas Legislature committed $15.5 million to provide mechanical, electrical and other infrastructure upgrades, asbestos abatement and basic furnishings, and provided a supplemental appropriation in 2009.

In 2008, the Friends of Libraries & Archives of Texas undertook a $10 million capital campaign, chaired by Governor Dolph Briscoe, to enhance this effort.

Please help us finish the job! All funds raised through the campaign enhance preservation and conservation of rare archival collections, expand public access and strengthen TSLAC's on-site and distance-learning continuing-education programs for the state's public, academic and medical librarians.

The Campaign has already reached $3.6 million, which has purchased:

• Specialized movable and fixed shelving to maximize available storage for historical documents, records, books and artifacts;

• Indirect lighting throughout the de Zavala building to protect materials from damaging UV rays;

• A state-of-the-art conservation lab to preserve and restore fragile and damaged documents, and

• National Library Service-certified recording booths for TSLAC’s Talking Book Program, which serves blind and physically handicapped Texans.

Funds raised for equipment investments in phase II of the campaign will help TSLAC exhibit one-of-a-kind documents, photographs and artifacts on-site and online, allowing us to provide many more opportunities for Texans to interact with history and information in an intimate and personal way.

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