MLA '05: San Antonio

San Antonio Library Guide

Like most cities, San Antonio has a wide variety of libraries. Many of these, such as those on the area's four military bases and at private research institutions, are not open to the public. The libraries listed here are all open to the public and most are near downtown. They are listed by proximity to the Henry B. González Convention Center area. Please call before visiting; many academic libraries observe intersession hours in May, which may not be reflected in the hours listed.

The Daughters of the Republic of Texas (Alamo) Library
300 Alamo Plaza (located in the Alamo Compound)
Hours: Monday–Friday, 9:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.
210.225.1071
www.drtl.org
Run by the Daughters of the Republic of Texas, who are also the caretakers of the Alamo (www.thealamo.org), the library collects materials related to Texas history, particularly the period 1836 to 1846, when Texas was an independent republic. As with many historical and rare collections, the library's stacks are closed and strict usage guidelines are in place. All personal items must be checked with the staff on duty, and all visitors must sign in. Use of computers and cameras must be authorized by the staff.

Institute of Texan Cultures Library
801 S. Bowie (Downtown, near the Tower of the Americas)
Hours: Monday–Friday, 10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.
210.458.2381
www.texancultures.utsa.edu
The Institute of Texan Cultures opened as the Texas Pavilion during HemisFair, the 1968 World's Fair. Now a component of the University of Texas-San Antonio, its displays and events feature the twenty-six ethnic and cultural groups that contributed to the history of Texas. The institute's library collects books, oral histories, and other materials, and the photo archives include three million images reflecting everyday life and special events in Texas from the nineteenth century to the present.

UTSA Archives
2nd floor of the Institute of Texan Cultures, 801 S. Bowie (Downtown, near the Tower of the Americas)
Hours: Monday–Friday, 1:00 p.m.–5:00 p.m.
210.458.2381
lib.utsa.edu/Archives/
The UTSA Archives acquires, preserves, and provides access to primary source materials that document the history of San Antonio and South Texas. Collections include private papers and organizational and institutional records documenting economic, social, cultural, and political trends of significance to San Antonio. Special collections, all relating to the population of San Antonio and South Texas, include the Archives for Research on Women and Gender, the Mexican American Archives Project, and the Science, Technology and Innovation Project.

San Antonio Public Library Central Library
600 Soledad (Downtown)
Hours: Monday–Thursday, 9:00 a.m.–9:00 p.m.; Friday–Saturday, 9:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.; Sunday, 11:00, a.m.–5:00 p.m.
210.207.2500
www.sanantonio.gov/library/
The "enchilada red" Central Library was designed by renowned Mexican architect Ricardo Legorreta and opened in 1995. The atrium showcases Dale Chihuly's colorful, 21-foot tall "Fiesta Tower," which was installed in 2003 to commemorate the San Antonio Public Library's centennial. (Chihuly's "Persian Ceiling" is permanently installed at the San Antonio Museum of Art.) The 6-story Central Library features a 5,000-volume Latino Collection emphasizing works depicting the Mexican-American experience and an extensive collection of Texana. The San Antonio Public Library system also includes 20 branch library locations, with 4 more branches currently under construction.

The University of Texas–San Antonio (UTSA) Downtown Library
Buena Vista Building, 501 W. Durango (Downtown, west of I-35)
Hours: Monday–Thursday, 7:30 a.m.-10:30 p.m.; Friday, 7:30 a.m.–6:00 p.m.; Saturday, 9:00 a.m.–9:00 p.m.; Sunday, 1:00 p.m.–10:30 p.m.; closed Saturday–Sunday, May 14–15
210.458.2440
www.utsa.edu/dtcamp/
The new 19,000-square-foot UTSA Downtown Library supports over 6,000 students in the 17 undergraduate and 6 graduate degree programs available on the campus. Originally designed as a "virtual library" relying heavily on electronic resources, the Downtown Library now has a growing collection of physical holdings that support the programs offered on the campus, including public administration, architecture, and criminal justice. The Downtown Library is a branch of the John Peace Library (see separate listing) located on the UTSA main campus near Loop 1604 and I-10 West in northwest San Antonio.

San Antonio College Library
1300 San Pedro Avenue (North of Downtown)
May Hours: Monday–Friday, 8:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.
210.733.2477
www.accd.edu/sac/lrc/
Established in 1925 as University Junior College, San Antonio College now serves as the main campus for the Alamo Community College District and is the largest single-campus community college in the State of Texas, enrolling more than 22,000 students. Health-related programs include nursing, emergency medical technicians, and medical and dental assisting. The Alamo Community College District's other campuses are Northwest Vista College, Palo Alto College, and St. Philip's College (see separate listing for St. Philip's College).

St. Philip's College Learning Resource Center
1801 Martin Luther King Drive (East of Downtown)
Hours: Monday–Friday, 8:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. (intersession hours)
210.531.3359
www.accd.edu/spc/lrc/
St. Philip's College was founded in 1898 by Bishop James Steptoe Johnston of St. Philip's Episcopal Church of the West Texas Diocese as a day school for girls. Artemisia Bowden, a teacher and daughter of a former slave, later assumed leadership of the school. Under her direction over the next fifty-two years, St. Philip's was transformed into fully accredited two-year college and became affiliated with San Antonio College in 1942.

University of the Incarnate Word (UIW) Mabee Library
4301 Broadway (North of Downtown)
Hours: Monday–Thursday, 8:00 a.m.–midnight; Friday, 8:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m.; Saturday, 10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.; Sunday, 2:00 p.m.–midnight
210.829.3835
www.uiw.edu
UIW is a private, Catholic university founded in 1881 as a college for young women by the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word. The Sisters of Charity first came to San Antonio in 1869 and established the city's first hospital, Santa Rosa Infirmary. Now coeducational, UIW offers undergraduate and graduate degrees in a wide array of fields, including nursing and kinesiology. A School of Pharmacy will open in the fall of 2006.

Trinity University Coates Library
One Trinity Place (North of Downtown)
Hours: Monday–Thursday, May 16–19: contact the library; Saturday, May 14, 10:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m.; Sunday, May 15, closed
210.999.8126
lib.trinity.edu
Founded by Presbyterians in 1869 in Tehuacana, TX, Trinity moved to Waxahachie, TX, in 1902. Forty years later, Trinity relocated to the near west side of San Antonio at the invitation of the city and moved to its permanent campus in 1952. Although primarily an undergraduate university, Trinity offers several master's degrees, include one in health care administration.

Our Lady of the Lake University (OLLU) Sueltenfuss Library
411 S.W. 24th Street (West of Downtown)
Hours: Monday–Thursday, 8:00 a.m.–9:00 p.m.; Friday, 8:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m.; Saturday, 10:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m.; Sunday, 10:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m. (intersession hours)
210.434.6711 x8236
lib.ollusa.edu
OLLU was founded in 1895 by the Sisters of the Congregation of Divine Providence. Originally a 2-year college for women, OLLU expanded to 4 years in 1919 and became fully coeducational in 1969. The graduate program, begun in 1942, was coeducational from its inception. OLLU offers 58 undergraduate degree programs, 48 graduate degree programs, and 2 doctoral degree programs. OLLU's Worden School of Social Service, begun in 1942, was the first school of social work in Texas.

St. Mary's University Blume Library
One Camino Santa Maria (Northwest of Downtown)
Hours: Monday–Friday, 8:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m. (interterm hours)
210.436.3441
library.stmarytx.edu/acadlib/
The oldest and largest of San Antonio's three Catholic Universities, St. Mary's is a Marianist institution founded in 1852 as a college for men. It first admitted women as full-time students in 1963. Special collections in the Blume Library include the Spanish Archives of Laredo, which document the growth and development of the city of Laredo from its founding in 1755 under Spanish rule to 1848 when it came under US jurisdiction. In 1934, St. Mary's took over the San Antonio Law School, making it the only Catholic law school in Texas. In addition to the library, St. Mary's has a separate law library, the Sarita Kenedy Law Library.

The University of Texas Health Science Center–San Antonio (UTHSCSA) Briscoe Library
7703 Floyd Curl Drive (Northwest area)
Hours: Monday–Thursday, 7:00 a.m.–midnight; Friday, 7:00 a.m.–midnight; Saturday, 9:00 a.m.–10:00 p.m.; Sunday, 10:00 a.m.–midnight
210.567.2450
www.library.uthscsa.edu
The UTHSCSA is a young health sciences center. The first medical school class was admitted in 1966 and housed, along with the fledgling library, on the campus of Trinity University. In 1968, the campus opened on the then-remote northwest side of San Antonio. The Briscoe Library opened in 1984 and supports more than fifty health-related degree specialties from the Schools of Medicine, Dentistry, Nursing, and Allied Health; the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences; and several affiliated programs, including branches of the UT-Austin School of Pharmacy and the UT School of Public Health. The library also serves the needs of health professionals and the general public in Bexar County. A small branch library, the Brady/Green Library, is located at the University Health Center-Downtown.

The UTHSCSA Library is known for its outreach activities in 38 counties covering more than 50,000 square miles in South Texas. The RAHC Medical Library, located at the UTHSCSA Regional Academic Health Center, was 1 of 4 libraries selected nationwide in 2004 to receive the National Award for Museum and Library Service, presented annually by the Institute of Museum and Library Services. The Briscoe Library also serves a new branch campus in Laredo.

The University of Texas–San Antonio (UTSA) John Peace Library
6900 N. Loop 1604 West (Far Northwest area)
Hours: Open continuously (24 hours) from Sunday, 1:00 p.m., through Friday, 9:00 p.m.; Saturday, 9:00 a.m.–10:00 p.m.; closed Saturday–Sunday, May 14–15
210.458.4570
lib.utsa.edu
Founded in 1969, UTSA is the second-fastest growing component of the University of Texas System. With 3 campuses (see separate listings for UTSA-Downtown and the Institute of Texan Cultures), UTSA enrolls over 26,000 students in 107 undergraduate and graduate programs. With a collection of more than 550,000 volumes, the library also serves as a state and federal depository. Special collections include original manuscripts donated by the Sons of the Republic of Texas documenting Spain's administrative and bureaucratic activities in Mexico during the seventeenth to eighteenth centuries, the John Peace Collection of Texana, and the personal library of San Antonio architect Ralph Haywood Cameron.