The Austin History Center is a part of the  Austin Public Library The Austin History Center's mission is to procure, preserve, present and provide the historical records that make up Austin's unique story.

The History Center changes lives everyday through their services and efforts to collect, preserve, and present the stories and materials that document Austin's unique history. As a research institution, the Austin History Center offers reference services to any person or group interested in exploring and researching the historical and ethnic heritage of Austin’s people, communities, and places. The Library’s History Center introduces these services widely through collaborative community outreach events and fulfills archival reference requests in person and through online resources.

The data for this measure includes in-person, over-the-phone, video remote, and online research and reference-related questions and consultations. The data is for a fiscal year October 1  through September 30, and is an annual year-end total.

Typically, on average, the History Center handles over 5,000 reference-related inquiries each year.  The data shows the significant impact of COVID-19 to this core service offered by the Austin History Center.  Library locations closed in March 2020. The History Center reopened with reduced hours in June 2021 to offer remote reference and research services.

Note: to see the underlying data for this chart, please select the "View Source Data" link.