Online Reference Tools

The following databases and online research tools may be helpful to your research.

Our books, periodicals, and much of our media collection are listed in the Austin Public Library's Catalog, and most of our archival collection finding aids have been posted to Texas Archival Resources Online and/or our ArchivesSpace catalog.

Our Online Collections page features links to digitized print materials, including City Directories, Pease, Graham, and Niles Family Papers, the O. Henry Collection, some periodicals, and 60 books.

Grouped by photographer or subject, our Online Photo Collections showcase digitized images.

The Austin History Center hosts over 8,000 assets on the Portal to Texas History. The portal also features digital archival collections from across Texas.

We host over ### digital assets on Preservica for public access.

Ancestry - For genealogy research, use the Library's subscription to Ancestry, a comprehensive online source of information with billions of names in over 6,000 databases.

Austin American-Statesman Databases - The Library subscribes to several databases for searching local news articles.

Book Lists include resources about Austin history, genealogy, and more. Some items can be checked out from the Library. Others are available at the Austin History Center.

City of Austin Public Records - Access public records found in the Office of the City Clerk, including:

• Council-Approved Records (Council Meeting Agenda and Minutes, Ordinances, Resolutions, and more)
• Municipal Election Documents (Ballot Applications, Contribution and Expenditure Reports, and Campaign Treasurer Appointments)
• Municipal Utility District (MUD) Documents

Texas Archival Resources Online (TARO) - Online finding aids (collection inventories) for our archival collections are searchable in this database, which is hosted by the University of Texas at Austin.

Travis Central Appraisal District - Find general information about the Appraisal District and the ad valorem property tax system in Texas, as well as information regarding specific properties within the district.