About Us
We occupy 10,000 square feet on the Central Library's sixth floor with 58,000 microforms, 50,000 books, 110 drawers of archival files and 275 cubic feet of archival collections.The Department was established in 1995 when the new Central Library was opened, but its collections began with the opening of the Carnegie Library in 1903.
Our Mission
As the primary location in San Antonio for preserving local history, we seek to acquire, preserve, and make available important local resources.
Archival Collections
. Some of the archival collections maintained by the Department are:
* City-County Government Committee
* Papers of Thomas P. Fox, Darryl Engle, Martin Giesecke, L. E. Wolfe, Lila Cockrell, Martin Giesecke
* Scrapbooks of Walter McAllister, M. M. Harris, Battle of Flowers Association, Maury Maverick, and others
* City planning materials of Victoria Wing, Catherine Powell, Frank Perry, Margaret Lecznar, and others
* Archives of Temple Beth-El and Congregation Agudas Achim
Catherine H. Powell Collection - Urban Planning
San Antonio Development Agency materials
Selected Microform Collections
Records of Ante-bellum Southern Plantations - Series A, pt. 2; Series B; Series C, pt. 1; Series E pts. 2 & 3;Series F, pt 1; Series G, pt. 1 & 2; Series I, pt. 3; Series J, pt. 7; (microfilm)
Civil War Unit Histories (microfiche) complete
Draper Manuscripts (microfilm)
Collection strengths:
San Antonio and Texas History
North American Genealogy
Documents Compiled By Texana/Genealogy:
| Reference Books for Genealogists | List of City Officers | Microform Holdings |
| Preserving Your Family Heritage | San Antonio Chronology | |
| Preserving San Antonio's History |
Periodicals/Databases
The general library collection includes texana and genealogy periodicals. Search our main database page under Biography and Genealogy, History, Magazines and Newspapers, Texas, Trial Databases or Public Data.
Friends of Texana/Genealogy Support Group
A support group which meets four times a year for programs on local history or genealogy. Proceeds of their annual book sale are used to purchase materials or equipment not provided for in the Library budget.
News
The South Texas Researcher is published monthly "to keep librarians, historians, archivists, genealogists, archaeologists, and those in other allied fields" apprised of relevant events.South Texas is being broadly defined as beginning in Val Verde County in the west; moving east to Austin (Travis County); and then southeast through Caldwell, Lavaca, Jackson, and Calhoun counties to the Gulf of Mexico. We include important events or acquisitions from other areas that are of particular usefulness to our readers. News from the Mexican states of Tamaulipas, Nuevo Leon, and Coahuila is also welcome. If you have items you or your organization would like others to know about, please e-mail us at genealogydesk@sanantonio.gov. Also available is The Explorer...
You can search past issues of "The Explorer" and "The South Texas Researcher" here.
Classes
4 August: Preserving Family Treasures
8 September: Genealogy Seminar at Windcrest Family History Center
6 October: Beginning Hispanic Genealogy
3 November: Civil War Research
Classes are free and from 2:00 to 3:30 p.m. on the above Mondays on the 6th floor of the San Antonio Central Library.
To register (so we have enough handouts) or for information please call the Texana/Genealogy Department at (210) 207-2500 (ask for Texana) or e-mail us at genealogydesk@sanantonio.gov.
All programming is subject to change--Please call ahead to register and verify dates and times
Events
Our annual lock-in event this summer was a great success! Thanks to everyone who came out to see us.
