The Texas State Library and Archives Commission (TSLAC) has recently awarded funding to the University of Texas at Arlington Libraries under its TexTreasures Grant program. This grant will enable UTA Libraries to digitize 5,000 images contained within negatives from the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, taken between 1960 and 1969. The digitization process began in September, and 1,379 images have been successfully processed. 

Upon completing the digitization project, these images will be accessible to the public online through the Libraries’ new institutional repository and archive hub, MavMatrix, and the UTA Libraries Digital Gallery. 

Kera Newby, Director for Special Collections and Archives, expressed her enthusiasm about the project.  

“This grant will open the archive even more, allowing people to explore, conduct research and learn about their community. This project lets us showcase and curate a selection of images from those years to tell the story of Fort Worth’s history,” Newby said. “Right now, those negatives are stored in our cold storage vault, which is frozen for preservation.” 

Newby also highlighted the invaluable partnership with TSLAC, which has previously enabled the Libraries to digitize negatives containing 45,000 images taken by the newspaper’s staff during the 1940s and 1950s.  

“TSLAC has been an incredible partner, allowing Special Collections to share more local history captured by Star-Telegram photojournalists,” she said. 

This project is one of more than 40 grants made possible this year by a grant from the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services (Grant #: TXT-25012) to the Texas State Library and Archives Commission under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act. (2024) 

Gloria Meraz, TSLAC Director and Librarian, stated, “TSLAC is pleased to recognize and support the important work of Texas libraries in delivering innovative information services that strengthen local literacy, workforce and digital opportunity efforts.” 

TSLAC awards competitive grants annually, as funding allows. For the 2024 grant cycle, TSLAC has awarded approximately $1.2 million in competitive grants. The TexTreasures Grant will provide assistance and encouragement to eight libraries to provide access to their special or unique collections and to make information about those collections available to library users across the state, including UTA Libraries’ project to digitize Fort Worth Star-Telegram negatives from 1960 to 1964.