If anyone has any plans to visit or conduct research in Austin, Travis County Texas, you may want to read and respond to the following. I'm not sure how many researchers on this list use the Austin History Center, but the staff and the collection are worth saving. Shelly Henley Kelly Assistant Archivist Galveston & Texas History Center Galveston TX Researching Kelly line in MO circa 1820-1880 Researching Connally line in TX circa 1840-1900 ----------------------------------------------------------------- Shelly Henley Kelly shelly.henley@utmb.edu Assistant Archivist, Rosenberg Library, Galveston TX ----------------------------------------------------------------- ---------- Forwarded message ---------- Date: Fri, 10 Jul 1998 13:49:11 -0500 From: kinga perzynska <cat@ONR.COM> To: ARCHIVES@cwisserver1.mcs.muohio.edu Subject: Proposed Cuts to the Austin History Center FYI to all Texas archivists and others who may be interested. What follows is some information from the Austin History Center Association [a non-profit citizen group whose mission is to support the Austin History Center] regarding proposed budget cuts to the Austin History Center in Austin, Texas. As the local history collection of the Austin Public Library, the Center's mission is to collect and preserve materials about Austin and Travis County, making them available to local citizens and other interested individuals. The following document describes the situation and outlines the means by which concerned individuals can make their opinions known. Susan Eason, Assistant Archivist Catholic Archives of Texas Here is the text of the information sheet that has been distributed by the Austin History Center Association: __________________________________________________ PROPOSED BUDGET CUTS TO THE AUSTIN HISTORY CENTER What's Happening? The City Manager's Draft Budget for 1998-99, released 6/24/98, proposed cutting the Austin History Center's budget by more than 40%, reducing the Austin History Center's public service hours from 72 to 30 hours per week, and cutting its staff from the equivalent of 14.05 to 8.5 FTEs. Under the Draft Budget, the Austin Public Library will receive a $2.2 million increase to its overall budget, from $12.3 million to $14.5 million. But, $211,410 of this increase would come at the expense of the Austin History Center. The Austin History Center is currently underfunded and understaffed. The Austin Public Library's Operating Support Task Force so concluded and recommended adding $217,633 the the Austin History Center's current budget. What does that mean for the Austin History Center? For the Austin History Center's customers, it means: -Significantly reduced access to irreplaceable and one-of-a-kind collections; -Significantly reduced reference help from the trained and knowledgeable reference staff; -increased time in answering customers' reference questions; -Greatly reduced weekend and evening access to AHC's exhibits and public meeting rooms; and -An irretrievalbe slowdown in documenting our community's history and the loss of our heritage for future generations. For the Austin History Center, it means: -Highly reduced staff time for cataloguing, processing, and conserving collections; -Significantly reduced hours contributed by volunteers; -Transferring 8 AHC staff positions elsewhere in the library system; -Transferring portions of AHC's irreplaceable materials to the Central Library; and -Dismantling one of the foremost local history collections in the nation. For the Austin History Center's supporters, it means that City Hall does not value our community's heritage and does not recognize and value our: -Raising of $4.38 million to save, restore and furnish the Austin History Center building; -More than 50,000 hours of volunteer time donated to the collection over the past 20 years; -Donations of millions of items of irreplaceable archives , books, maps, architectural drawings, recordings, periodicals and archives of local businesses, families, neighborhood organizations, churches, and civic organizations to be preserved at the Austin History Center. What is the Austin History Center Association asking? That the Austin History Center's budget be fully restored and that it be increased by $217,633 in accordance with the recommendations of the library's operating support task force. What can I do about it? -Write letters to and email the City Manager and City Council [addresses below], asking the same; -Attend the City Council's public hearings on the city budget this summer, urging the same; -Inform neighborhood groups, churches, civic organizations, and the media about these devastating proposed cuts and ask them to contact the City Manager and the City Council, urging the same; -Send copies of all letters written on behalf of the Austin History Center to the Austin History Center Association at P.O. Box 2287, Austin, TX 78768. Call the Assocation at 499-7383 for more information. AUSTIN HISTORY CENTER SUPPORTERS, PLEASE CONTACT: Mailing Address for Mayor, Council Members, City Manager, and Assistant City Manager: P.O. Box 1088, Austin, Texas 78767-1088. City of Austin Elected Officials June 15, 1997 - June 15, 1999 Mayor's Office - Mayor Kirk Watson 512-499-2250 Internet Address:kirk.watson@ci.austin.tx.us Fax: 512-499-2337 Chief of Staff: Jill George Executive Assistant: Roger Arriaga Executive Assistant: Larry Warshaw Executive Secretary: Katinya King-Lilly Place 1 - Council Member Daryl Slusher 512-499-2260 Internet Address:daryl.slusher@ci.austin.tx.us Fax: 512-499-2337 Executive Assistant: Robin Cravey Executive Secretary: Ramona Perrault Place 2 - Mayor Pro Tem Gus Garcia 512-499-2264 Internet Address:gus.garciaAci.austin.tx.us Fax: 512-499-1887 Executive Assistant: Paul Saldana Executive Secretary: Cindy Garcia Place 3 - Council Member Jackie Goodman 512-499-2255 Internet Address:jackie.goodmanAci.austin.tx.us Fax: 512-499-1888 Executive Assistant: Susan Sheffield Executive Secretary: Alta Ochiltree Place 4 - Council Member Beverly Griffith 512-499-2258 Internet Address:beverly.griffith@ci.austin.tx.us Fax: 512-499-1888 Executive Assistant: John Gilvar Executive Secretary: Suzie Harriman Place 5 - Councel Member William Spelman 512-499-2256 Internet Address:bill.spelmanAci.austin.tx.us Fax: 512-499-1884 Executive Assistant: Kristen Vassallo Executive Secretary: Frank Kopic Place 6 - Coucil Member Willie C. Lewis 512-499-2266 Internet Address:willie.lewisAci.austin.tx.us Fax: 512-499-1890 Executive Assistant: Dwight Burns Executive Secretary: Adana Barry City of Austin Staff City Manager - Jesus Garza 512-499-2200 Internet Address:jesus.garza.ci.austin.tx.us Fax:512-499-2832 Assistant City Manager Overseeing Austin Public LIbrary - Marcia Conner 512-499-2200 Internet Address:marcia.conner.ci.austin.tx.us Fax: 512-499-2964 _________________________________________________________ Kinga Perzynska Archivist Catholic Archives of Texas P.O.Box 13124 Capitol Station Austin, TX 78711 (512) 476-6296 Fax: (512) 476-3715 cat@onr.com http://www.onr.com/user/cat A posting from the Archives & Archivists LISTSERV List! 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