Drew Newman guides an Archives Awareness Week tour of the Sanchez y Haya building in Tampa, Florida on July 15, 2025. Credit: cityoftampa / X
Public records are important, and three women make the City of Tampa’s clerk operation go. Shirley Foxx-Knowles, City Clerk since 2003, and Suling Lucas-Harris, Deputy City Clerk, spearhead an operation that makes sure City Hall and the public have what they need to run, from agendas to city code updates, legal notices and more.
Another one, Jennifer Dietz, leads a team that makes sure the City of Tampa has all the tools it needs to understand its history.
A Salt Lake City native, Dietz holds a political science degree, but fell in love with archiving when she took a job with the Sundance Film Festival. She earned a master’s degree in library and information science with a focus on archives from the University of South Florida in 2022, worked at the Tampa-Hillsborough County Public Library, helped open the Tampa Bay History Center library, and landed at the city after its archives and records manager retired.
Now, her team handles tens of thousands of boxes of physical records and millions more electronic ones. A dozen years ago she revived Archives Awareness Week, which returns this month.
“My goal is to make everything as accessible as possible,” she told La Gacenta in 2017. “There are more things added every year. We’re doing our best as curators and keepers so [this information] is available to future generations.”
Running this year from July 12-18, Tampa’s Archives Awareness Week includes exhibits, events, and workshops at nearly a dozen venues including six events at public libraries.
From chasing down land records, street name seminars, a dive into the J.C. Newman Cigar Co. archives, and more, Archives Awareness Week is a local history nerd’s World Cup.
See a listing of the events below and get a link to the full brochure at tampa.gov.
City of Tampa Archives Awareness Week 2026 events
Guitars and Galleries Sunday, July 12. 10:30 a.m. No cover. Tampa Bay History Center, Tampa
In Conversation with the Latin American Fiesta Association Sunday, July 12. 1 p.m. No cover. Henry B. Plant Museum, Tampa
Sacred Heart Catholic Church History Tour Sunday, July 12. 3 p.m. No cover. Sacred Heart Church, Tampa
Tampa in 1926 Monday, July 13. 3 p.m. No cover. City of Tampa City Council Chambers, Tampa
Cigarmaking: 140 Years of Excellence in Tampa Tuesday, July 14. 11 a.m. No cover. J.C. Newman Cigar Co., Tampa
Hillsborough Black Experience Collection: Be a Community Contributor Tuesday, July 14. 2 p.m. No cover. C. Blythe Andrew Jr. Public Library, Tampa
Preserving Your 2D Treasures: Materials Handling and Digitization Demonstration Tuesday, July 14. 3 p.m. No cover. C. Blythe Andrew Jr. Public Library, Tampa
Places That Matter Wednesday, July 15. 10 a.m. No cover. City Center at Hanna Ave., Tampa
The Tampa General Hospital Heritage Archive Wednesday, July 15. 1 p.m. No cover. Virtual (Microsoft Teams)
Unlocking the Shoebox Panel & Preservation Workshop Wednesday, July 15. 5:30 p.m. No cover. Tampa’s Black History Museum, Tampa
USF Libraries Special Collections Thursday, July 16. 9–11 a.m. No cover. USF Tampa, Tampa
Remixed: Florida Artists Look at Art History Friday, July 17. 11 a.m. No cover. Robert W. Saunders Sr. Library, Tampa
Curating the Tampa Bay Timeline Friday, July 17. 1:30 p.m. No cover. Tampa Bay History Center, Tampa
TPA Presents: The Story of Aviation in Tampa Bay Friday, July 17. 3–6 p.m. No cover. Tampa International Airport, Tampa
Land Records Saturday, July 18. 11 a.m. No cover. John F. Germany Library, Tampa
Downtown Tampa’s Revolutionary Streets: The Story Behind the Street Names Saturday, July 18. 1:30 p.m. No cover. Tampa Bay History Center, Tampa
Library Microform Saturday, July 18. 3 p.m. No cover. John F. Germany Library, Tampa
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