Arts & Culture
Libraries and Cultural Centers
John Henry Faulk Central Library
The Austin Public Library opened in 1926. The present Central Library building was constructed in 1979. In 1995 the Central Library was renamed John Henry Faulk Central Library in honor of local writer and free speech hero John Henry Faulk. As the main library, Faulk Central serves as the reference and collection backbone for the entire Austin Public Library system.
800 Guadalupe
Austin, TX 78701
(512) 974-7300
Hours:
Mon-Thu: 10:00 a.m. – 9:00 p.m.
Fri – Sat: 10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.
Sun: Noon – 6:00 p.m.
Austin History Center
Part of the Austin Public Library system, the Austin History Center's local history collection provides information about history, current events, and activities in Austin and Travis County.
810 Guadalupe Street
Austin, TX 78701
(512) 974-7480
Center for American History
The Center for American History is a special collections library, archive, and museum that facilitates research and sponsors programs on the historical development of the United States. Exhibits are on view at the Collections and Research division in Sid Richardson Hall on UT campus as well as at Winedale, near Round Top, at the Sam Rayburn Library and Museum in Bonham. and the John Nance Garner Museum in Uvalde, Texas.
Sid Richardson Hall, Unit 2
The University of Texas
Austin, TX 78712
(512) 495-4515
Hours:
Mon-Sat: 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Sun: Closed
Admission: Free
Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center
The Harry Ransom Center houses one of the world's finest cultural archives with over 45 million items, including extensive collections of rare books, manuscripts, photography, film, art and the performing arts. The Ransom Center Galleries offer diverse exhibitions from the Center's holdings as well as a permanent display in its lobby of the Gutenberg Bible and the First
Photograph.
21st & Guadalupe Street
The University of Texas
Austin, TX 78712
(512) 471-8944
Hours:
Mon: Closed
Tue, Wed, Fri: 10:00 a.m.- 5:00 p.m.
Thu: 10:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m.
Sat - Sun: Noon - 5:00 p.m.
Admission: Free
Lyndon Baines Johnson Library & Museum
"It's all here: the story of our time with the bark off. This Library will show the facts, not just the joy and triumphs, but the sorrow and failures, too." This is how Lyndon Baines Johnson, 36th President of the United States, wanted the records of his life and his presidency to be viewed by the public. The LBJ Library and Museum takes visitors back in time through six decades of American history with emphasis on the turbulent 1960s. Visitors can see LBJ's 1968 Lincoln limousine, walk into a replica of the Oval Office and marvel at the life and accomplishments of Lady Bird Johnson in the First Lady's Gallery.
2313 Red River Street
The University of Texas
Austin, TX 78705
(512) 721-0200
Hours:
Mon - Sun: 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Closed December 25th
Admission: Free
Texas State Library & Archives
From Archives to Genealogy to fun facts about Texas and images of historical artifacts to Talking Books, the Texas State Library & Archives' areas of general interest serve the interests of an audience as broad and diverse as Texas itself.
1201 Brazos Street
State Capitol Complex
Austin, TX 78701
(512) 463-5455
Hours:
Mon - Fri: 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
(Genealogy Collection closed on Mondays)
German Texas Heritage Society
Promoting awareness and preservation of the German cultural heritage in Texas. Founded in 1978, the German-Texan Heritage Society is renowned for the books it publishes, its collection of immigrant and historical books, and the complete collection on microfiche of the German newspaper, Texas Vorwärts. In 1858 the German Free School Association opened the first chartered school in Austin in at this location. Today, 143 years later, you can learn German here, research German-Texan history in the Pioneer Library, participate in cultural events and personally preserve this historic structure for generations to come.
507 E. 10th Street
Austin, TX 78768
(512) 482-0927
Hours:
OFFICE: Mon - Thu: 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Library: Mon - Thu: 1:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. or by appointment
Building Tours: Thu: 1:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. or by appointment
George Washington Carver Museum & Cultural Center
The George Washington Carver Museum and Cultural Center has the distinction of being the first African American neighborhood museum in the state of Texas. Located in Kealing Park, the museum serves the needs of citizens of Austin through the collection and preservation of artifacts, which document the history of African Americans on city, county, state and national levels and promotes a climate in which african American artists can be recognized and appreciated for their culturally diverse heritage.
1165 Angelina Street
Austin, TX 78702
(512) 974-4926
Hours:
Mon, Wed & Fri: 9:30 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.
Tue & Thu: 9:30 a.m. - 8:00 p.m.S
Sat: 1:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. Closed Sunday
Admission: Free
Santa Cruz Center for Culture
1805 E. 7th
Austin, 78702
(512) 478-9717
Texas Folklife Resources
photo ©2004 Jody Horton
Texas Folklife Resources is a non-profit organization dedicated to
documenting, preserving and presenting the folk arts and diverse cultural
expressions to be found in the Lone Star State. Right here in Austin, TFR
presents exhibitions, produces the Folk Masters Series at the historic
Paramount Theatre, and offers education programs for children and adults.
1317 S. Congress Avenue
441-9255