Closed for Labor Day

Austin Public Library is closed Saturday, Sunday and Monday for Labor Day.

Labor Day is one of the few national holidays to mark the contributions of a particular segment of the population to society. In addressing the special nature of the holiday, Samuel Gompers, founder and longtime president of the American Federation of Labor, said: "All other holidays are in a more or less degree connected with conflicts and battles of man's prowess over man, of strife and discord for greed and power, of glories achieved by one nation over another. Labor Day ... is devoted to no man, living or dead, to no sect, race, or nation." The establishment of Labor Day reflected the growing power of organized labor in Gilded Age America. The first Labor Day was celebrated Sept. 5, 1882, in New York City, when close to 20,000 working people marched to demand an eight-hour workday and other labor law reforms. The parade was repeated annually without interruption, but not always on a Monday, until several states and then Congress in 1894, settled on the first Monday in September.

The Library will be open again on Tuesday. We will return refreshed and ready to serve you tomorrow.

No Library materials are due on dates the Library is closed for holidays, but overdue fines do accrue during holidays.