Austin Allison
Cataloging and Metadata Librarian
Southwest Collection/Special Collections Library | Texas Tech University
Education
Master of Science | Major: Library Science
Bachelor of Arts | Major: History | Minor: Classics
Academic and Professional Positions
Assistant Librarian | Bibliographic Services | Tenure-Track
June 2021 – PresentManage and supervise cataloging, metadata, and digitization projects for bibliographic services department. Supervise two exempt unit managers who oversee staffed units within the SWC/SCL, including conservation, reception, and bibliographic services. Work with internal and external stakeholders to ensure proper and ongoing access to physical and digital resources.
Unit Manager | Bibliographic Services
August 2014 – June 2021Managed cataloging and digitization projects for SWC/SCL bibliographic services department. Supervision of one non-exempt staff member.
Specialist IV | Bibliographic Services
November 2013 – July 2014Cataloged incoming items for SWC/SCL bibliographic services department. Performed specialized duties to create bibliographic records for online access.
Part-Time Reference Assistant | Reference
June 2010 – October 2013Assisted reference staff with duties to serve incoming students and researchers.
Teaching and Instruction
- LIBR 1100 — Guest lectureSpring 2026
Contracts, Grants and Sponsored Research
| Year | Funding Entity & Project Frame | Amount | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Helen Jones Foundation | Principal Investigator Grant awarded to replace an aging microfilm scanner at the SWC/SCL to support newspaper digitization program. | $72,000 | Awarded |
| 2020 | Helen Jones Foundation | Principal Investigator Grant awarded to replace aging flatbed scanners at the SWC/SCL. | $24,400 | Awarded |
| 2018 | National Endowment for the Humanities, National Digital Newspaper Program | — | Not awarded |
| 2017 | National Endowment for the Humanities, National Digital Newspaper Program | — | Not awarded |
| Total awarded | $96,400 | ||
Intellectual Contributions
Journal Articles
- Allison, Austin. “Surveying the Capitol Land Reservation in Texas.” Southwestern Historical Quarterly 129, no. 3 (January 2026): 335–364.
- Allison, Austin. “‘Opportunity Knocking’: The Vaughan Land Company and Early Bailey County Development.” Panhandle-Plains Historical Review 96 (2025): 40–65.
- Allison, Austin. “A Spring Sprung It: Tracing and Understanding the True Genesis of North America's Longest River.” Journal of the West 58, no. 3 (2019): 6–21.
- Allison, Austin. “Maps and Newspapers in the Southwest Collection.” Archivation Exploration 3, no. 2 (2018).
- Allison, Austin. “Notes, Documents, and Sundries: Newspapers, Oil, and Railroad Land.” West Texas Historical Review XC (2014): 129–135.
- Allison, Austin. “Notes, Documents and Sundries: JA Cattle Company.” West Texas Historical Association Year Book LXXXVIII (2012): 173–175.
Manuscripts in Review
- Allison, Austin. “The Digitization of Edwards Plateau Newspapers.” Edwards Plateau Historian.Under review; submitted October 2025
Book, Chapter in Scholarly Book
Allison, Austin. “Tahoka Lake.” In Caprock Chronicles: More Tales of the Llano Estacado, edited by John T. (Jack) Becker and David J. Murrah, 55–56. Charleston, South Carolina: The History Press, 2021.
Magazines / Trade Publications
- Allison, Austin. “Lipscomb County Courthouse: A Prairie Landmark with Enduring Presence.” Authentic Texas, Issue 33, Summer 2025.
- Allison, Austin. “Albert Pike and His Journey to Ransom Canyon.” Lubbock Avalanche-Journal, November 29, 2024.
- Allison, Austin. “The Remnants of the Southwest Conference: The Story of a Landmark Archival Collection.” Authentic Texas, Issue 27, Winter 2024.
- Allison, Austin. “The Sharps rifle, buffalo hunting, and the South Plains.” Lubbock Avalanche-Journal, January 28, 2024.
- Allison, Austin. “Tumbleweed Smith and the Sounds of Texas.” Authentic Texas, Issue 25, Spring 2023.
- Allison, Austin. “Comfortably Lodged: Transforming historic county jails into silos for historical and cultural heritage.” Authentic Texas, Issue 22, Fall 2021, 40–42.
- Allison, Austin. “Unusual Annotations in Stephen F. Austin's 1835 Map of Texas Tell Early Texas History.” The Southwestern Archivist 42, no. 1 (2019): 19.
Edited and Compiled Works
- Compiler, “Publications in West Texas History.” West Texas Historical Review, West Texas Historical Association, 2014, 2016–2026.
Presentations
2026
Allison, Austin. “Early maps of Lubbock and Lubbock County at the Southwest Collection.” West Texas Historical Association 2026 annual meeting. Lubbock, Texas.
2025
Allison, Austin. “Opportunity Knocking: The Vaughan Land Company, Virginia City, and Early Bailey County Development.” 31st Annual Center for Big Bend Studies Conference. Alpine, Texas.
Allison, Austin. “Navigating the Southwest Collection: Accessing Digitized Archives for Genealogy and Research.” San Angelo Genealogical and Historical Society Speaker Series. San Angelo, Texas.
Allison, Austin. “Digitizing West Texas: How a Small-Scale Effort Evolved to Become the Largest Archive of Digitized West Texas Newspapers.” Society of Southwest Archivists Workshop. Online.
2024
Allison, Austin. “Surveying the Capitol Land Reservation in 1879 and 1880.” 30th Annual Center for Big Bend Studies Conference. Alpine, Texas.
Allison, Austin. “Preserving the history of the Edwards Plateau region through newspaper digitization.” Edwards Plateau Historical Association conference. Ballinger, Texas.
Allison, Austin. “Digital Newspapers.” Texas Tech University Digital Humanities Working Group Symposium. Lubbock, Texas.
2022
Allison, Austin. “The upper northwest Comanche Trail: using maps and drones to trace the trail.” Center for Big Bend Studies 28th annual conference. Alpine, Texas.
Allison, Austin. “Using drone technology to evaluate sites near and on the Comanche Trail.” West Texas Historical Association 97th annual conference. Lubbock, Texas.
2021
Allison, Austin. “Missing Links: Attempting to Reconcile Old Maps of the Llano Estacado.” Center for Big Bend Studies 27th Annual Conference. Alpine, Texas.
2019
Allison, Austin. “Drones for Historic Preservation.” West Texas Trails Association annual conference. Graham, Texas.
Allison, Austin. “Drones for Historic Preservation.” Texas Plains Trail Region Board Meeting. Wheeler, Texas.
2018
Allison, Austin. “Sandoval Plaza: Utilizing drone technology to survey pastores sites in West Texas.” Canyonlands Archaeological Society. Matador, Texas.
Allison, Austin. “Southwest Collection newspaper digitization.” West Texas Historical Association. San Angelo, Texas.
2017
Allison, Austin. “From Wagon Trails to Flight Paths: Drone Technology in Surveying Historic Sites along the Yellow House Draw.” West Texas Historical Association. Lubbock, Texas.
2016
Allison, Austin. “Drones to identify trails and historic locations.” West Texas Trails Association. Wheeler, Texas.
Allison, Austin. Southwest Collection Digital Newspaper presentation and exhibition, Texas Plains Trail meeting. Spearman, Texas.
2015
Allison, Austin. “Texas Tech University, Southwest Collection/Special Collections Library, Newspaper Digitization Project.” Panhandle Press Association, 105th Annual Convention. Amarillo, Texas.
Allison, Austin. “Sifting through the Dust: The Process of Digitizing West Texas' Aging Newspapers.” West Texas Historical Association, 92nd Meeting. Amarillo, Texas.
Program Exhibits and Outreach
Allison, Austin. Southwest Collection Digital Newspaper program booth, Texas Press Association. Denton, Texas.
Allison, Austin. Southwest Collection Digital Newspaper program booth, Texas Press Association. San Marcos, Texas.
Artistic and Professional Performances and Exhibits
Exhibit curated to showcase award after SWC/SCL received “Award of Excellence in Preserving History” from the Texas Historical Commission in April 2024.
An exhibit honoring the impact and influence of minority-owned newspapers in West Texas.
Cataloging and Metadata Projects
Map Digitization Project (DSpace)
| Year | Maps digitized | Growth |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 335 | 30% |
| 2024 | 245 | 45% |
| 2023 | 109 | 27% |
| 2022 | 138 | 47% |
| 2021 | 63 | 27% (from baseline) |
| Total | 890 |
Cataloging Projects Volume
- Map cataloging
- 2025: 526 | 2024: 505 | 2023: 370 | 2022: 538 | 2021: 110
- Mary McClurg Project (2026)
- 328 periodicals | 137 books
- Frederick Suppe Collection (P1 & P2)
- 2025: 614 books | 2024: 281 books | 2021: 22 boxes
- Oral history cataloging
- 2023: 78 in OCLC | 2022: 166 in OCLC
- Bruce Mitchell Collection (2023)
- ~1,500 records altered
Newspaper Digitization Projects
57,670 issues across 21 titles since 2022, at the largest archive of digitized West Texas newspapers.
| Newspaper | Years | Issues | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | |||
| Wichita Falls Times Record News | 1920–1929 | 2,725 | Ongoing |
| Snyder Daily News | 1941–2004 | 14,782 | Complete |
| Midland Reporter-Telegram | 1981–2018 | 10,757 | Complete |
| Lubbock Avalanche-Journal | 1926–1930 | 2,819 | Ongoing |
| Colorado City Record | 5,135 | Complete | |
| Snyder Daily News | 1,238 | Complete | |
| Dawson County Courier | 874 | Ongoing | |
| Junction Eagle | 699 | Ongoing | |
| West Texas Baptist | 586 | Complete | |
| Subtotal | 39,615 | ||
| 2025 | |||
| Mitchell County News | 2,074 | Complete | |
| Perryton Herald | 1,848 | Ongoing | |
| Texas Live Stock Journal | 634 | Complete | |
| Portales Valley News | 554 | Ongoing | |
| Friona Star | 51 | Complete | |
| Subtotal | 5,161 | ||
| 2024–2022 | |||
| Talco Times | 2,890 | Complete | |
| Texas Christian Advocate | 2,543 | Complete | |
| Burkburnett Star | 2,336 | Complete | |
| Abernathy Review | 1,568 | Complete | |
| Neu-Braunfelser Zeitung | 1,487 | Complete | |
| Stanton Reporter | 1,209 | Complete | |
| El Mosquito | 861 | Complete | |
| Subtotal | 12,894 | ||
| Issues, listed projects | 57,670 | ||
Professional Service
Department / School
- University Research Committee (Chair 2026–2027, Member 2025–2027)
- Assistant Archivist Search (Chair 2024)
- Rare Books Search Committee (Member 2023)
- University Libraries' Executive Committee (Member 2022–2024, Secretary 2022–2023)
- Public Programming/Outreach (Member 2016–2024)
- HEB Fuel For Finals Volunteer (2022, 2024)
University
- Graduate School 3MT Competition Judge (2025, 2022)
- President's Faculty Book Award Reviewer (2024)
- Student Research Poster Competition Judge (2024, 2023)
- School of Art Search Consultant (2022)
Professional / Public
- WTHA Annual Events Coordinator (2017–Present)
- WTHA Rupert N. Richardson Book Award Committee (2017–Present)
- Texas Plains Trail Region Board Chair & President (2022–Present)
- Texas Plains Trail Region Board Member (2021–Present)
Fellowships, Scholarships, and Awards
Awarded to the digital newspaper digitization project team at the SWC/SCL.
Media Contributions
Interviewed for the segment; provided quotes and located the supporting material in the Southwest Collection.
Flew and delivered aerial video of the county landscape and the event for the centennial record.
- 2026
- GrantHelen Jones Foundation — $72,000Awarded
- ArticleSurveying the Capitol Land Reservation in TexasSouthwestern Historical Quarterly
- PresentationEarly maps of Lubbock and Lubbock County at the Southwest CollectionWest Texas Historical Association 2026 annual meeting, Lubbock, Texas
- TeachingLIBR 1100 — Guest lectureSpring 2026
- Newspapers39,615 issues digitized across 9 titles
- 2025
- Article‘Opportunity Knocking’: The Vaughan Land Company and Early Bailey County DevelopmentPanhandle-Plains Historical Review
- FeatureLipscomb County Courthouse: A Prairie Landmark with Enduring PresenceAuthentic Texas
- ManuscriptThe Digitization of Edwards Plateau NewspapersEdwards Plateau Historian
- PresentationOpportunity Knocking: The Vaughan Land Company, Virginia City, and Early Bailey County Development31st Annual Center for Big Bend Studies Conference, Alpine, Texas
- PresentationNavigating the Southwest Collection: Accessing Digitized Archives for Genealogy and ResearchSan Angelo Genealogical and Historical Society Speaker Series, San Angelo, Texas
- PresentationDigitizing West Texas: How a Small-Scale Effort Evolved to Become the Largest Archive of Digitized West Texas NewspapersSociety of Southwest Archivists Workshop, Online
- MediaKLBK News Segment: “On this day in 1891: Lubbock gets its first newspaper”
- Newspapers5,161 issues digitized across 5 titles
- Maps335 maps digitized
- 2024
- AwardAward of Excellence in Preserving History | Texas Historical Commission
- FeatureAlbert Pike and His Journey to Ransom CanyonLubbock Avalanche-Journal
- FeatureThe Remnants of the Southwest Conference: The Story of a Landmark Archival CollectionAuthentic Texas
- FeatureThe Sharps rifle, buffalo hunting, and the South PlainsLubbock Avalanche-Journal
- PresentationSurveying the Capitol Land Reservation in 1879 and 188030th Annual Center for Big Bend Studies Conference, Alpine, Texas
- PresentationPreserving the history of the Edwards Plateau region through newspaper digitizationEdwards Plateau Historical Association conference, Ballinger, Texas
- PresentationDigital NewspapersTexas Tech University Digital Humanities Working Group Symposium, Lubbock, Texas
- ExhibitDigital Newspapers Permanent ExhibitGlobe Room Rotunda
- Newspapers12,894 issues digitized across 7 titles2024–2022
- Maps245 maps digitized
- 2023
- FeatureTumbleweed Smith and the Sounds of TexasAuthentic Texas
- Maps109 maps digitized
- 2022
- PresentationThe upper northwest Comanche Trail: using maps and drones to trace the trailCenter for Big Bend Studies 28th annual conference, Alpine, Texas
- PresentationUsing drone technology to evaluate sites near and on the Comanche TrailWest Texas Historical Association 97th annual conference, Lubbock, Texas
- ExhibitBlack and Brown in PrintEast Rotunda Rotating Exhibit Case
- MediaHockley County Centennial Celebration
- Maps138 maps digitized
- 2021
- AppointmentAssistant Librarian | Bibliographic Services | Tenure-TrackTexas Tech University | Southwest Collection/Special Collections Library
- ChapterTahoka LakeCaprock Chronicles: More Tales of the Llano Estacado
- FeatureComfortably Lodged: Transforming historic county jails into silos for historical and cultural heritageAuthentic Texas
- PresentationMissing Links: Attempting to Reconcile Old Maps of the Llano EstacadoCenter for Big Bend Studies 27th Annual Conference, Alpine, Texas
- Maps63 maps digitized
- 2020
- GrantHelen Jones Foundation — $24,400Awarded
- 2019
- ArticleA Spring Sprung It: Tracing and Understanding the True Genesis of North America's Longest RiverJournal of the West
- FeatureUnusual Annotations in Stephen F. Austin's 1835 Map of Texas Tell Early Texas HistoryThe Southwestern Archivist
- PresentationDrones for Historic PreservationWest Texas Trails Association annual conference, Graham, Texas
- PresentationDrones for Historic PreservationTexas Plains Trail Region Board Meeting, Wheeler, Texas
- OutreachSouthwest Collection Digital Newspaper program boothTexas Press Association, Denton, Texas
- 2018
- GrantNational Endowment for the Humanities, National Digital Newspaper ProgramNot awarded
- ArticleMaps and Newspapers in the Southwest CollectionArchivation Exploration
- PresentationSandoval Plaza: Utilizing drone technology to survey pastores sites in West TexasCanyonlands Archaeological Society, Matador, Texas
- PresentationSouthwest Collection newspaper digitizationWest Texas Historical Association, San Angelo, Texas
- 2017
- GrantNational Endowment for the Humanities, National Digital Newspaper ProgramNot awarded
- PresentationFrom Wagon Trails to Flight Paths: Drone Technology in Surveying Historic Sites along the Yellow House DrawWest Texas Historical Association, Lubbock, Texas
- 2016
- DegreeMaster of Science | Major: Library ScienceUniversity of North Texas
- PresentationDrones to identify trails and historic locationsWest Texas Trails Association, Wheeler, Texas
- PresentationSouthwest Collection Digital Newspaper presentation and exhibitionTexas Plains Trail meeting, Spearman, Texas
- OutreachSouthwest Collection Digital Newspaper program boothTexas Press Association, San Marcos, Texas
- 2015
- PresentationTexas Tech University, Southwest Collection/Special Collections Library, Newspaper Digitization ProjectPanhandle Press Association, 105th Annual Convention, Amarillo, Texas
- PresentationSifting through the Dust: The Process of Digitizing West Texas' Aging NewspapersWest Texas Historical Association, 92nd Meeting, Amarillo, Texas
- 2014
- AppointmentUnit Manager | Bibliographic ServicesTexas Tech University | Southwest Collection/Special Collections Library
- ArticleNotes, Documents, and Sundries: Newspapers, Oil, and Railroad LandWest Texas Historical Review
- 2013
- AppointmentSpecialist IV | Bibliographic ServicesTexas Tech University | Southwest Collection/Special Collections Library
- 2012
- DegreeBachelor of Arts | Major: History | Minor: ClassicsTexas Tech University
- ArticleNotes, Documents and Sundries: JA Cattle CompanyWest Texas Historical Association Year Book
- 2010
- AppointmentPart-Time Reference Assistant | ReferenceTexas Tech University | Southwest Collection/Special Collections Library
Austin Allison — Curriculum vitae — updated September 2026 — austinlallison.com/cv