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On November 13, 1925, Grace Delano Clark persuaded the Austin Branch of the American Association of University Women to take on the project of establishing a library for Austin. On February 16, 1926, the Austin Public Library opened in a rented room at 819 Congress with 500 donated volumes. Grace Delano Clark served as volunteer Librarian. On December 23, 1926, the first Austin Public Library building opened at West 9th and Guadalupe, with 1,800 square feet, at a cost of $4,190 (since moved to become the first branch library and currently the Carver Museum).
In 1933, a second 36,000 square-foot structure replaced the building at 9th and Guadalupe at a cost of $145,000 (currently the Austin History Center). Miss Darthula Wilcox was appointed the first Library Director. In 1944, Mary Rice became the second Director, in 1967 David Earl Holt the third, and in 1991 Brenda Branch the fourth. In 1979, the current Central Library opened adjacent to the 1933 structure with 110,000 square feet at a cost of $6 million. In 1994, the City Council voted to rename the Central Library after John Henry Faulk, well-known Austin writer and humorist. In 2001 the Austin Public Library celebrated 75 years of service to the Austin community. On November 7, 2006 Austin voters overwhelmingly approved Bond Proposition 6 to build a new Central Library. Projected opening date of the new Central Library is 2013/2014. On December 11, 2008 City Council selected Lake/Flato Architects and Shepley Bulfinch Richardson to design the new Central Library on the Seaholm Substation site, 704 W. Cesar Chavez St.
- The Austin Public Library has 20 branches, the John Henry Faulk Central Library, and the Austin History Center.
- The Library's current budget is $24.9 million, with 350 FTE staff members employed throughout the System.
- 524,187 people are registered card holders.
- Systemwide holdings are 1,447,004.
- Customers visited the Austin Public Library 3,739,997 times last fiscal year and checked out a total of 3,791,515 items.
- 16,220 volunteer hours were donated in 2007/2008.
- 11,794,607 virtual visits were made to Austin Public Library's Web site in 2007/2008.
The Library supports its motto of "Lifelong Learning" by offering citizens the information and material necessary in a variety of formats to enable them to continue their learning experiences. In addition to books and magazines, services available through the Library include:
- Videos, audio cassettes, CDs, CD-ROMs and DVDs
- Reference assistance at the Faulk Central Library and the Austin History Center
- Telephone Reference: (512) 974-7400
- Spanish Information Hotline: (512) 974-3637
- Business Information Center at Faulk Central Library
- Adaptive equipment for people with disabilities
- Tax forms available electronically at all locations; in paper format at some locations
- Online reference assistance
- Computer training centers at Faulk Central, Little Walnut Creek, and Ruiz branches
- Public Internet computers and wireless Internet access at every location
- Youth programming (puppet shows, storytimes, summer reading programs)
- VICTORY homework centers (Carver, Cepeda, Ruiz, Southeast Austin Community, Twin Oaks, and University Hills Branches)
- Online databases (searchable databases on all subjects)
- ebooks (online books)
- Book clubs for Teens and Adults
- Adult programming (author programs, film screenings, musical performances)
- Laptop computers available for check-out at Ruiz Branch and 10 Connected Youth Teen Centers
- Large type books
- Magazine exchange tables at many locations
- Online reserves and renewals
- Interlibrary loans
- Free meeting rooms for non-profit organizations
- Local history collection and archives
- Reproduction of historical photos
- New Immigrants Centers at Faulk Central, Little Walnut Creek, Cepeda, Ruiz, St. John, and Terrazas branches
- World language collection at Faulk Central
- Library tours and Speaker's Bureau (512) 974-7400
- Ongoing Book Sales at most locations
- Proctoring by appointment at some locations (512) 974-7400
- Everything Austin: selected links to key Austin topics
- Austin Treasures: online exhibits of historical Austin topics
- Self-heck Out machines at Faulk Central Library and 4 branch locations
- Recycled Reads the Library's Used Bookstore, 5335 Burnet Rd. (512) 323-5123
- The Austin Public Library Foundation raises funds from individuals, community groups, foundations, and corporations to support Library programs that would otherwise be out of reach. Recent successes include the Buy One for the Library campaign, the Storytime outreach program, and the Michael & Susan Dell Wired for Youth Centers.
- The Austin History Center Association is the citizens' support organization for the Austin History Center.
- The Library Commission is an advisory board appointed by the City Council. The Library Commissioners advise
City Council and the Library Director on matters relating to the library.
For information on how to join these groups, call (512) 974-7528.
Recent awards include:
- 1993
- Library Journal recognizes Austin Public Library as the second National Library of the Year.
- 1994
- Texas Library Association Project of the Year for "Pepe's Magic Tales" Saturday morning television show about books, a joint venture between KVUE-TV, Fiesta, and the Austin Public Library.
- 1994
- VICTORY Program is recognized by the American Library Association as one of 50 outstanding programs for youth in schools and public libraries in the U.S.
- 1995
- Texas Library Association Project of the Year to VICTORY Program, an after-school tutoring program using VISTA volunteers.
- 1999
- VICTORY Program Finalist for Governor's Volunteer Awards.
- 2000
- Highsmith, Hotho, and Mora Awards for Día de los Niños/Día de los Libros Program.
- 2000
- L. PeRCy Award for Web Page design.
- 2000
- Giant Step Award for Youth Star Card outreach.
- 2003
- Wired for Youth selected by YALSA (Young Adult Library Services Association) as an Excellence in Library Service to Young Adults Project.
- 2004
- Texas Library Association Project of the Year for “The Blue Bellies are in Austin: Readings from the Travis County Slave Narratives”
- 2005
- Texas Library Association Hotho Award for Second Chance Books: Gardner Betts Outreach Program
- 2006
- Texas Library Association Project of the Year Award for Second Chance Books: Gardner Betts Outreach Program
- 2006
- Texas Library Association Public Relations Branding Iron Award for “Best Outdoor Advertising,”
and “Best Broadcast Advertising.”
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