Visit Us - Austin History Center

AHC Reading Room. 2021

AHC Reading Room. 2021

Plan Your Visit

We are located in the beautiful historic former Central Library building.

810 Guadalupe Street, Austin, Texas, 78701
512-974-7480

Hours: Open for remote reference service Monday-Friday 10am-6pm, and for in-person research Thursday & Friday 10am-6pm. Closed Saturday and Sunday.

What to Expect

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we have limited capacity and rearranged furniture to accommodate social distancing. To ensure the security and preservation of our community's historical materials, when you arrive at the Austin History Center, we will ask that you:

  • Sign in at the Welcome Desk in the foyer.
  • Place all bags and personal belongings in the lockers provided. Exceptions are provided for cameras, phones, and laptops, as long as you lock up the case.  You may also bring in up to five (5) loose sheets of your own notes.
  • Use pencils, not pens, while in the Reading Room. We provide pencils and note paper.
  • Work with Reference staff to fill out a call slip to request materials. Staff will retrieve materials for you.
  • Use all of our materials in the Reading Room. Items may not be checked out.
  • During this time Austin Public Library requires that all staff and visitors wear a mask when inside our buildings. If you prefer not to wear a mask, we can provide some services remotely. See our Reference Services page for more information.

Also available in our Reading Room:

  • Photocopier.  The rate is $.20 per page, payable by cash, check or credit cards when you are ready to leave.
  • Three microform reader-printers for accessing items from our collections. Two of our machines can scan microforms to a PC. The image files can then be either e-mailed via webmail or transferred to a flash drive. Unfortunately, the current computers cannot burn files to a CD.
  • One computer for accessing Austin History Center and Austin Public Library reference databases.
  • Televisions, VCRs, DVD players, record and audiocassette players for accessing items from our Audio-Video collections.
  • Adaptive equipment: Kurzweil reader, Jaws and Magic.

Driving Directions

Austin History Center
810 Guadalupe St.
Austin, TX 78701
512-974-7480

What to Expect When You Visit

From I-35 North: Exit 234C, make a right at E. 11st and head West. Make a left at Guadalupe. Park in the lot or at any available street parking.

From I-35 South: Exit 234C, make a left over E. 11st and head West. Go through the intersection at 8th and Guadalupe and make a right at San Antonio. The rear entrance to the parking lot will be just on the right.

From Mopac North: Exit Enfield Rd. Make a left onto Enfield Rd. Enfield becomes W. 15th at the bridge over Lamar Blvd. Continue on and make a right onto Guadalupe St. Make a right into the parking lot just after 9th St.

From Mopac South: Exit 5th St./Lake Austin Blvd. Make a right onto 5th St. Continue on and make a left at Lavaca St. (same if you accidentally get on Cesar Chavez Blvd). Make a left onto W. 8th St. Go through the intersection at 8th and Guadalupe and make a right at San Antonio. The rear entrance to the parking lot will be just on the right.

Parking: Limited parking is available in the lot between the John Henry Faulk building (the former central library) and the Austin History Center. There is also ample metered parking in the area. Metered parking is free on Sundays.

 

View Austin History Center Driving Directions in a larger map

 

Public Transportation

The Austin History Center is conveniently served by numerous Capital Metro bus routes. Use the Capital Metro Trip Planner to find the best route for you.

The MetroRail Red Line also stops at 401 E. 4th Street.  This is an approximately 15-minute walk from the Austin History Center.

About Us

Austin History Center
810 Guadalupe St.
512-974-7480

Open for remote reference service Monday-Friday 10am-6pm, and for in-person research Thursday & Friday 10am-6pm. Closed Saturday and Sunday.