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For more information please contact: Mike Miller | (512) 974-7436
July 31, 2009
Not a Museum ~ Your Story, Your Archive: An Exhibit About the Value of Archives
The Austin History Center, Austin Public Library, announces the opening of a new exhibit, Not a Museum ~ Your Story, Your Archive: An Exhibit About the Value of Archives on display in the Grand Hallway and Lobby of the AHC, 810 Guadalupe St., from August 11, 2009 to January 10, 2010. Not a Museum explores the inner workings of the Austin History Center and the importance of archives. The exhibit opening coincides with the Society of American Archivists Annual Conference being held in Austin August 11 through 16, 2009, www.archivists.org/conference/austin2009.
On Thursday, September 17 at 6:30 p.m. the Austin History Center will host an opening reception for the exhibit. Special guest speakers for the reception are Laura Dunn and Mattie Akers, Director and Associate Producer of The Unforeseen, http://theunforeseenfilm.com/blog/trailer, an award-winning documentary about the environmental impact of urban development on Barton Springs. Dunn and Akers will talk about the film and the value of archives in producing documentary film. Light refreshments will be served. The reception and exhibit are free and open to the public. Other programs will be offered in October and November, including the annual Archives Clinic, celebrating the value of archives.
Archive has different meanings for different people. From “dusty old books” to “files on my computer that I’m keeping”, it’s a word that can create confusion. What is an archive? What does it do? Why is it important? As the title of this exhibit states, an archive is not a museum. While archives and museums can have similar missions, an archive like the Austin History Center provides a tangible connection to the past through active engagement with historical records. This engagement is different for each person and gives new life and meaning to the documents each time they are used.
Archivists decide what is kept, they organize and describe records, and make those records accessible. Through this work, archivists provide connections between the past, present and future. They connect researchers, scholars, filmmakers, authors, genealogists, and the community at large to the records and collections in the archive. It is through these connections that history, our story, comes alive – allowing us to touch, read, experience, digest the past and make it relevant to our moment, often in ways that go beyond the initial intention of the record. The threads of these stories weave together and create the fabric of our community. In this way, the Austin History Center keeps our community’s history alive!
For additional information please visit www.cityofaustin.org/library.ahc or call 512-974-7480.
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Please direct press inquiries to:
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Public Information Specialist
Austin Public Library
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