UHCL Archives & Special Collections

The University Archives consist of records, photographs, publications, periodicals, oral histories, broadsides and subject files document the founding and development of UHCL. Search select finding aids in the HawkWorks.  

Finding aids for all university records, photographs, periodicals, broadsides and oral histories exist in paper format within UHCL Archives.

The Clear Lake Area Collection contains records documenting individuals and organizations contributing to the development of the Clear Lake area, including local organizations and neighborhoods like Timber Cove.

The Timber Cove Collection was created in 2008 for the 50th anniversary of the Timber Cove neighborhood. It contains records of the Taylor Lake Development Company and Timber Cove Recreation Association, oral histories, scrapbooks and assorted memoirs.  

Finding aids can be searched in the HawkWorks .

The Human Space Flight Collection contains personal papers collected from individuals involved in the space industry and related to the support of human space flight. Finding Aids can be searched in the HawkWorks.

These records cover more than 40 years of NASA-manned spaceflight. They include Apollo, Skylab, Apollo-Soyuz Test Project (ASTP), Shuttle, Space Station Freedom, Center Records, General Reference, and the JSC Oral History Project. This collection is housed at UHCL through an agreement with NASA and the National Archives and are open to all researchers.

Two NASA databases are available to search collections:

History Search Index

The History Search Index searches to the document level within the chronological files of Apollo, ASTP, Skylab, Early Shuttle, General Reference, and the Oral History series.

• Database
• User Guide

Archives Search Index

The Archives Search Index searches to the folder level within the Center, Shuttle, Station, Skylab, General Reference, and ASTP Series. 

• Database
• User Guide

• Reference requests may be submitted by email at archives@uhcl.edu (preferred), telephone (281-283-3962), or in person (appointment required).
• UHCL Archives staff will make every effort to acknowledge remote reference requests within one business day; actual turnaround time for reference requests varies depending on the scope of inquiry and Archives workload; no rush requests please.
• Due to staff limitations, archives staff cannot perform document scanning requests of more than 30 documents at 50 pages each; photograph scanning requests are handled on a case by case basis and may require additional time.
• Any reference request that requires research assistance beyond one hour of staff time will require a proxy researcher. Requests that involve extensive searches through a variety of sources are considered extended research.
• Archives staff cannot perform extended research, interpret information nor provide appraisal of books, artifacts, manuscripts, or other material.

Use of the Reading Room

• All patrons must complete a research registration form and sign the visitor's log daily.
• Food, drink, gum, and tobacco products are not permitted in the Archives.
• Use of cellular phones is not permitted; please take calls outside of the reading room.
• Any personal belongings not essential to research must be stored in the designated location. Researchers may use loose paper, index cards, or mobile computing devices (cases must be stored) for taking notes. Photographic equipment may be used on a case-by-case basis.

Use of Materials

• Only pencils may be used. Do not mark, fold, lean on or mutilate documents in any way.
• Only one box may be on the study table at a time and only one folder may be removed from the box at a time. Keep all material in the order in which you receive it.
• Photocopying is permitted unless the item is fragile, exceptionally valuable, or too large and limited to single copies for the patron’s reference use only. Photocopying decisions will be made on a case-by-case basis by the Archives staff. Do not separate material you wish to have reproduced; please consult a staff member about the way you should identify material for photocopying.
• The records and other materials do not circulate; they must remain in the Archives reading room.
• Theft, destruction or mutilation of these materials is a crime.
• The reference collection in the reading room is available for researcher access. Please do not re-shelve books after use.
• The reading room computer is for archives reference only.
• These materials are provided for reference use only. The patron agrees to publish no portion of them without the written permission of the copyright holder and the patron assumes sole responsibility for any infringement of the literary rights, copyrights, or other rights which pertain to these materials.
• The patron agrees to give the department a copy of any publication which relies heavily upon its collections.
• University records citations should follow this format:
  [Item description], Name of Collection, #collection number, University of Houston-Clear Lake Archives.
• JSC History Collection records citations should follow this format:
  [Item description, Box number, Series Name], JSC History Collection, University of Houston-Clear Lake Archives

• Guide to Deeds of Gift
• Guide to Donating Your Personal or Family Papers
• Guide to Donating Your Organizational Records

• Society of American Archivists
• Society of Southwest Archivists
• Archivists of the Houston Area

• JSC History Portal
• University of Houston Libraries Special Collections
• Rice University - Woodson Research Center
• University of St. Thomas Archives
• Houston History Research Center
• Harris County Archives
• Rosenberg Library - Special Collections
• Rosenberg Library - Galveston and Texas History Center
• Brazoria County Historical Museum
• Herzstein Library - San Jacinto Museum of History
• HAM-TMC Library - McGovern Historical Collections and Research Center
• MD Anderson Cancer Center Historical Resources Center
• The Museum of Fine Arts Houston Archives
• Menil Collection Archives

Associate Director:
Matthew M. Peek, MA, CA

Archivist:
Robert Nañes, MLS, CA

Archives Assistant:
Tamatha Brumley

Phone: 281-283-3962
Email: archives@uhcl.edu

Alfred R. Neumann Library
2700 Bay Area Blvd.
Houston, TX 77058-1002

The collection welcomes materials from individuals documenting roles at NASA Johnson Space Center or involvement in the growth and development of the Clear Lake community. These can include:

• Personal papers.
• Photographs.
• Brochures.
• Correspondence.
• Drawings.
• Newsletters.
• Journals.
• Designs.

Information can be from neighborhood associations, clubs, boards, charities, and other organizations.

Materials to be donated should be pest-free and packed in a clean box. If you live in the greater Houston/Galveston area, the UHCL Archives staff will be happy to pick up the donation from you. After donation, all records will be arranged, re-housed into acid-free boxes, and described in the UHCL Archives online database for researchers to find.

Contact UHCL Archives to make an appointment or to discuss a donation. Walk-in donations cannot be accepted at this time.

Donating Your Personal Records

The Society of American Archivists (SAA) provides information on how to donate your personal or family records to a repository, including what information should be donated.