Getting to Know the Libraries at the University of Texas at Austin

I have always loved going to the library. As a kid it was a place of wonder and amazement. Now, as a graduate student and scholar, I have an entirely new respect for libraries as repositories of our culture and history – in all of forms. Before I started my M.A at the University of Texas I knew I would be entering a world-class research institution, but what I did not know was the full extent of the university’s archival holdings. It’s Texas’s Fort Knox of historical documents, manuscript collections, map collections, legal documents, and just about any type of media you can think of. There are 17 libraries on the UT Austin campus, more than half are relavent to humanities scholars while the other half are science and engineering libraries. For the humanities scholar (which I am) the wealth of information can be quite overwhelming. Where do you go first to look up government records? The Briscoe Center, the Benson, or the Tarlton Law Library?

Well it depends.

This is where the online catalog becomes crucial to the start of any research process involving the UT Austin libraries. Being prepared and knowing what you will be looking for in a specific collection will speed up the process for both you and the librarian assisting you. You can always start by visiting Lib.UTexas.edu to go directly to the library’s main page. Let’s say you’re looking for archival documents and primary research materials on Chicana feminist Gloria Anzaldúa whose papers are housed in the Nettie Lee Benson Latin American Collection.

Click Here to find the Libraries, Centers, and Museums Page

From the main UT Libraries page you want to click on the About the Libraries link in the navigation bar at the top of the screen and select Libraries, Centers, and Museums from the drop-down menu. On the Libraries, Centers and Museums page you’ll see a link to the Nettie Lee Benson Latin American Collection where you can get a finding aid to the Anzaldúa Papers.

The fastest way to find this info, however, is to search the Texas Archival Resources Online database. This is a comprehensive database of all public archives in the state of Texas. You can pick from the drop-down menu on the main page to choose the archive you want or search all archives at the same tame. I’ve used it consistently since I did my first primary source research project as an undergrad. That project required me to use the archival collections at the Houston Metropolitan Resource Center housed at the Houston Public Library in Downtown Houston. TARO is an incredibly valuable resource to researchers of all backgrounds.

Texas Archival Resources Online

As I get to know the UT libraries and archives more intimately, I’ll do my best to share my experiences with you. Are there any resources you think I should know about? Drop me a line in the comments section below and help me on my journey to know more about the libraries at UT Austin.