Central Library Field Trips for Kids and Teens: General

FREE Library Field trips are a wonderful structured way for kids to learn about and explore the Central Library. Groups should be prepared to share the space with others in this busy, working library. Activities are prepared by Library staff but are enjoyed under the supervision of teachers, parent chaperones, and camp counselors. Field trips are not available for individual families.

Students age 3-12 (max 2 hours)

• Field trips are offered Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays from 9:30-11:30am. They are 2-hours max and include time for lunch.
• Field trips are limited to 50 students
• Field trips offer a structured experience appropriate to the age of the group

Children's Field Trip Schedule:

• 9:30-10am       Unload buses and Orientation
• 10-11am  Three Exploration Stations (Rotate every 20 minutes)
  • Books - Find a great book, reading time, assignment tasks
  • Crafts - Coloring sheets, souvenir bookmarks, scavenger hunt
  • STEM Bins - Hands-on STEM activities in our 3rd floor Atrium
• 11-11:30am   Lunch (optional), otherwise field trip ends at 11am
• 11:30am  Load buses and depart

Teens Age 13-18

• Field Trips are offered on Tuesdays, Wednesdays & Thursdays
• Teen Field Trips are 2 hours in length, including time for lunch.
• Teen Field Trips may be as large as 100, provided there is a 1:10 chaperone/teacher to student ratio
• Field Trips offer a warm and welcoming environment and space for teens to explore their interests and talents, as well as time to explore the building in smaller groups. 
• Let us know early if you have any special requests and we will do our best to accommodate. 
• See Photos before you visit at the Teen Central page of our Teen Services Hub

Teen Field Trip Schedule

• 9:30-10 AM - arrival and welcome
• 10-11 AM - Explore Teen Central and it's activities, including:
  • 12 Alienware Gaming Computers
  • Art & Zine making station
  • Drums, Keyboards, Guitars & Bass
  • 6 Music Creation Macs
• 11-11:30 AM - Lunch or explore the building with our photo scavenger hunt

Teacher Preparation: Visit the Library ahead of the visit. This will help you get a feel for the scale of the building and resources. Bring library cards and book bags if checking out. Bring wagons/carts to transport lunches. Plan for a limit of 1 chaperone per ten students. For groups of 30 or more, create an rotation (sample here) among our three Exploration Stations so students can explore in smaller groups. Have a plan for students who are easily overwhelmed by noise or crowds. Use classroom time to review assignment and research skills. Teacher Prep Checklist

Parent Chaperones: Teachers and chaperones are in charge of student behavior. This means use walking feet, indoor voices, and no jumping on furniture, even when on the outdoor porches. Chaperones will lead their students through the activities, assist with assignments, and follow teacher expectations. Chaperone Handout

Assignments: Our Librarians can offer assignment/research support with advance notice. Research skills should be covered in the classroom.

Useful Links: Library Visit FAQ, Central Library info, Children's Area Map.

Library Cards & Book Checkout: If checking out books, bring your library card and a way to transport books back to school. Complete check-outs at least 15-minutes before leaving. Contact Jenny.Stirrat@austintexas.gov with student card questions.

Buses & Parking: For safety reasons, buses and vans must pull up on 2nd Street facing east. Do not idle buses. Circle the block if needed. A Youth Librarian will meet you on 2nd Street. We do not provide parking for school buses. Chaperones parking in the library garage (7' height limit) may pick up parking validation at the 3rd floor Children's Desk.

Lunch: 3rd Floor Reading Porch (seats 55+). Bring a wagon/cart to transport your lunches.

Special Requests: We'll do our best to tie-in the visit to any area of study so give us a heads up. Same goes for any accommodations.

See you at the Library!

Field Trip Length: 2 Hours max (includes lunch)

Welcome/Orientation: 30 minutes

What Happens Next?:

Youth will explore the Youth Spaces, find their next favorite book, participate in activities like the scavenger hunt and STEM games. If they are teens they may make zines, use the gaming computers, or play the instruments in the Music Lab.

Most Important Things to See/Do:

Explore the Youth Floor (3)

If Time Allows:

Explore the rest of the building (Floor 2: Gallery, Gift Shop, Floor 6 butterfly rooftop garden)

1. Escape from the Library!

Share our virtual Central Library Escape Room! with your Elementary students, parents, and caregivers. Central Library info is here.

2. Classroom Preparation

Allow classroom time for students to explore our catalog and online Virtual Tour.  Share assignments with Youth Staff ahead of time so we can pull resources for students.

3. Library Cards

If your group would like to check out books, please have students bring their Library card. We cannot issue cards during field trips. Students attending a school in Travis County qualify for a Student Card, and can get a card with their guardian at any library location prior to their visit; find application information here.

4. Lunch

Lunch seating is all outdoors so plan accordingly. Outdoor lunch spots include the 1st floor Shoal Creek Plaza plus 3rd floor Reading Porch (seating 50) and 6th floor Reading Porch (seating 60). We also have about 20 seats in our 2nd floor food court. 

5. Computers

Teachers will want to decide if computer use is a part of the visit prior to arrival. We have 24 computers for ages 0-12, and 20 more for 13-18 year olds. Larger groups will want to plan to rotate students through the computers available for their age group.