Preservation Assessment: Border Studies Archive and Museum of South Texas History

FAIN: PG-52196-14

University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (Edinburg, TX 78539-2909)
Margaret E. Dorsey (Project Director: May 2013 to February 2016)

A preservation assessment and staff training in the preservation of audiovisual materials for the Border Studies Archive and Museum of South Texas History. The assessment would focus on five major collections of historical materials on the lower Rio Grande Valley, including photographs, moving image materials, and sound recordings in English and Spanish. The collections are particularly strong in oral histories, many of which preserve unique and irreplaceable documentation of the history of the border region. Collections serve the local communities as well as researchers.

The collections of the Border Studies Archive (BSA) and the Museum of South Texas History (the Museum) document the unique history and contemporary culture in South Texas/North Mexico. The BSA houses collections focused on the folklore, culture, histories and lives of people living along the U.S.-Mexican border in South Texas, with an emphasis on gathering high quality, in-depth narratives using digital audio and visual media. The Museum collects, preserves, and exhibits historical material relating to the borderland heritage of South Texas and Northeastern Mexico. The preservation assistance grant will engage Joshua Ranger as a preservation consultant to conduct preservation needs assessments of the institutions' audiovisual collections as well as recommend and provide training for the future preservation and storage of both collections and their digital preservation programs. This assessment, thus, helps secure a promising future for both institutions' unique collections.