In 1981, the Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux Archives Center initiated the process of leasing a site on the campus of Nicholls State University. Construction began shortly after the lease was signed, with the new Archives building completed by November 1983. 

Dedicated on November 11, 1983, the Historical Research Center was opened to protect the history of local Catholic churches and organizations, preserve the memory of the diocese's distinct bishops, and document the sacramental history of the local Catholic Faithful. 

Our first archivist, Monsignor Roland Boudreaux, was instrumental in establishing the Historical Research Center with Bishop Warren L. Boudreaux. Msgr. Boudreaux led the Archives until he died on November 20, 1998. The Historical Research Center worked to build a collection of sacramental registers and to assist individuals with their genealogical research. 

Sister Miriam Mitchell, as Chancellor of the diocese, assumed control of the Archives, continuing the mission begun by Msgr. Boudreaux is tasked with collecting and protecting sacramental records and focusing on genealogical research. 

Upon Miriam Mitchell's retirement, Kevin Allemand began working at the Historical Research Center, assisting his mother-in-law, Barbara Boudreaux, who was leading the Archives until her retirement in 2013. The archives focused solely on genealogical work and the preservation of donations from faithful Catholics, including clothing from Bishop Boudreaux and his extensive collection. Mrs. Boudreaux, along with Kevin Allemand, applied for a Lorio grant that helped restore and preserve over 300 sacramental registers, some dating back to the earliest church parishes in the 1800s. 

Kevin Alleman served as the Archives Administrator from 2013 until his retirement in June 2022. Kevin designed an access database that helps church parishes and the Office of Archives locate records for individuals seeking their sacramental records. Mr. Allemand also worked closely with church parish secretaries to preserve their records. 

Michelle LeBlanc, the first diocesan (civilian) Archivist, was hired in April of 2022. LeBlanc was tasked with transforming the Historical Research Center into a diocesan Archives and Records Center. The mission of Archives and Records had evolved with genealogy becoming a vital focus, but also involved organizing the collection, introducing an electronic records management program, and training parish staff on sacramental records. LeBlanc and Jason Bilello, the Archival Technician, have assisted many parishes in calibrating their records to align with the records management policies written in 2018. Michelle LeBlanc led the archives' first I Give Catholic campaign in 2022 to fund the digitization of the microfilm. ​

The Office of Archives and Records Center is focused on assisting Catholic church parishes, organizations, and administration (including the Office of the Bishop) in preserving the history of the diocese and all of its encompassing parts, training parish staff and volunteers in sacramental registers, and assisting researchers, especially those interested in exploring their family genealogical history through sacramental records. 

Our primary purpose is to serve the different Catholic organizations, local Catholic church parishes, administration, and the people of the diocese of Houma-Thibodaux through preserving our Catholic history in our collections, making that information available to researchers, and helping train church parish staff on how to care for and administer to the parish sacramental registers.