Of particular importance are ranch gear, agricultural implements and regional costumes. Archival materials and artifacts should relate to the Museum's geographical area and mission. (See first paragraph of Institutional Essay ) No artifact category is excluded.

Approximately 1,000 cubic feet of documents, photographs, maps, institutional records, and library---focusing on the history of Texas south of the Nueces River, and Northeastern Mexico. No charge for on-site personal research. Photocopies 25 cents per page. Appointments are preferred. Over 100,000 photographs and negatives, 5,000 slides, 200 audiotapes, 50 videotapes. Collections and Exhibits department deals with rights and reproduction issues. Fees/duplication charges run: 5x7@ $7, 8x10@ $11; negatives $15; staff research $12 per hour; handling $5; 8.25% state and city taxes.

Guided tours are available for groups of all ages. School tours generally conform to developmental guidelines as well as to the Texas Essential Knowledge Skills (TEKS program) and special exhibits. Hands-on elements are included.Films may be requested and shown. Several local school districts have contracts to pre-arrange district-wide tours.

Approximately half of the Museum's tour guides are bilingual. About 20 per cent of tours are given in Spanish. Tour guides receive extensive one-on-one training as well as access to a tour guide library, special events, and meetings.

MOSTH's Teacher Guide and Activity Kit is provided to teachers prior to tours, and includes tour guidelines as well as topical, exhibit-specific activities in a multi-packet format. The Museum works closely with the Region One Educational Service Center.

Other educator services include In-Service Training in local history and curricular integration of the Museum with The University of Texas-Pan American, located less than a mile away in Edinburg. Educator Enrichment Packages---locally topical booklets---are available upon request. The MOSTH Museum Store contains the region's best collection of books, including many scholarly works not sold elsewhere in the Lower Rio Grande Valley, about the region's history and culture. Multi-topical in-school programs include traveling presentations and lectures are also available for outreach to schools.

Internships include cooperation with The University of Texas-Pan American through which students fulfill hours in history, anthropology and communications courses, graded on performance in Museum tasks and individual research. The Museum also works with South Texas Teacher Academy, a magnet school for future teachers. STAA 10th graders act as tour guides for fourth grade tours and thereby gain their first teaching experience.

Weekend programs include lectures, films, and large-scale events such as Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead, a traditional celebration in Mexico); Pioneer and Ranch Crafts Day; and the MOSTH Medieval Faire. These are often organized with help from local groups (e.g. the Society for Creative Anachronism, Texas Archeological Society, Cinesol Film Festival). Dia de los Muertos, for example, features community-built altar exhibits, a music and dance festival, lectures, and special school and local organization participation.

MOSTH also features an active museum theater program. Not only are regional-themed plays presented at the Museum, but in September, 2000, a new $30,500 grant to MOSTH from the Inland Container Foundation will enable MOSTH to produce professionally assisted plays about regional history in schools and performances throughout South Texas. This "History Alive" program expects to reach at least 30,000 seventh grade students within the next two years.