Your Austin-area colleagues represent a variety of diverse and exciting repositories—many of which are offering special behind-the-scenes access for
ARCHIVES*RECORDS 2019 attendees on Thursday, August 1, and Friday, August 2. Register directly with the repository.
Harry Ransom Center, The University of Texas at Austin | 2:00 pm - 3:30 pm
Contact: Steve Mielke | scmielke@austin.utexas.edu | 512-471-8609
Capacity: 12. Please make reservations in advance. The Ransom Center is an internationally renowned humanities research library and museum at The University of Texas at Austin. Its extensive collections provide unique insight into the creative process of writers and artists, deepening our understanding and appreciation of literature, photography, film, art, and the performing arts. Visitors engage with the Center's collections through research and study, exhibitions, publications, and a rich variety of program offerings including readings, talks, symposia, and film screenings.
The South Austin Museum of Popular Culture (SouthPop) |Open 1:00 pm - 6:00 pm
Contact: Megan Stillman | megan@southpop.org | 512-440-8318
The South Austin Museum of Popular Culture (SouthPop) collects, conserves, and exhibits Austin music related art and ephemera, to tell the story of Austin's live music history. We have a large repository of posters, handbills, photographs, newspapers, albums and artwork, as well as a large collection of other prints, drawings, and paintings that exhibit in our gallery space throughout the year, along with on-site live music and free concerts that bring our community together to celebrate local Austin bands from yesterday and today.
TxDOT Photo Library | 9:00 am or 2:00 pm
(Duration: 30 minutes)Contact: Anne L. Cook | anne.cook@txdot.gov | 512-486-5838
Capacity: 12 to 15 per tour. Please make reservations in advance. The Texas Dept. of Transportation Photo Library contains over 600,000 images on film. The majority of the still photos taken before 2005 have not been digitized but are well organized. Digital photos and scanned archival images are housed on an internal database of over 260,000 images of travel and transportation in Texas.
Nettie Lee Benson Latin American Collection | 10:00 am or 1:00 pm
(Duration: 60 minutes)Contact: Ryan Lynch | drlynch@austin.utexas.edu | 512 495 4581
Capacity: 15 per tour. Please make reservations in advance.The Nettie Lee Benson Latin American Collection is one of the premier libraries in the world focused on Latin America, Latin@ Studies, and the Black Diaspora in the Americas and Caribbean. In partnership with the Teresa Lozano Long Institute for Latin American Studies (LLILAS), the Benson Collection is a global destination for research and study, featuring over a million volumes as well as a wealth of original manuscripts, photographs and various media related to Mexico, Central and South America, the Caribbean and Latina/Latino presence in the United States.
Briscoe Center for American History | 1:00 pm or 2:30 pm
(Duration: 60 minutes)Contact: Carol Mead | carolmead@austin.utexas.edu | 512-495-4539
This tour has reached capacity and is no longer accepting RSVPs. As a leading history research center, the Briscoe Center for American History collects, preserves, and makes available documentary and material culture evidence encompassing key themes in Texas and U.S. history, and serves as the repository of the university archives. Please join us for a curated tour of our music exhibit, "Greatest Hits: The Briscoe Center’s Music Collections," and a look behind the scenes of the archives.
Texas State Library and Archives Commission | 10:00 am
(Duration: 45 minutes)Contact: Peggy Price | pprice@tsl.texas.gov | 512-463-9807
This tour has reached capacity and is no longer accepting RSVPs. The Texas State Library and Archives Commission (TSLAC) preserves and documents the shared heritage and culture of Texas by identifying, collecting, and making available the official archival records of Texas government. From historical treasures such as the first Texas Constitution to government digital records, TSLAC maintains and provides access to more than 200 million pages of archival documents and more than two million volumes of printed library materials.
Billie L. Turner Plant Resources Center | 1:00 pm
(Duration: 90 minutes)Contact: George Yatskievych | george.yatskievych@austin.utexas.edu | 512-471-5904
Capacity: 20. Please make reservations in advance. The herbaria at the University of Texas are among several biological resource collections under the umbrella of UT's Biodiversity Center, but the others are all housed at satellite campuses. These collections are used in research, education, and outreach activities, but do not have any substantial exhibit component. We curate about one million, dried, non-living plant specimens from around the globe, with a focus on floras of the southern U.S., Mexico and Central America. Our oldest specimens were collected in the 1760s, but we annually process up to 10,000 new accessions. The tour will highlight some of our accessions, review the Center's history and mission, and provide attendees a glimpse of the challenges of operating in an 82-year old building that started its existence as the university's central library.
Central Library/Austin Public Library | 2:00 pm
(Duration: 60 minutes)Contact: Molly Hults | molly.hults@austintexas.gov | 512-974-7382
This tour has reached capacity and is no longer accepting RSVPs. Austin's new Central Library opened in 2017 and has since garnered several awards for design and sustainability including being named one of TIME Magazine's World's Greatest Places 2018. The library provides access to knowledge through cutting-edge technology, extensive print and digital collections and dynamic and enriching programming for the entire community. The building is designed to adapt to new technology and the needs of future generations.Cozy areas for reading and shared learning rooms that can be used for classes and workshops, as well as expansive areas for community gatherings and events, have been incorporated into the design.
Austin History Center | 2:00 pm and 3:30 pm
Contact: Nancy Toombs | nancy.toombs@austintexas.gov | 512-974-7392
Capacity: 10 per tour. Please make reservations in advance.As the local history division of the Austin Public Library, the Austin History Center provides the public with information about the history, current events, and activities of Austin and Travis County. We collect and preserve information about local governments, businesses, residents, institutions, and neighborhoods so that generations to come will have access to our history.
LBJ Presidential Library and Museum | Open 9:00 am - 5:00 pm
Contact: Laura Eggert | laura.eggert@nara.gov | 512-721-0225
Capacity: 15 per tour group. Please make reservations in advance.Visit the LBJ Library exhibits an
