The Texas and Local History department offers reference service and research materials in every subject relating to Houston and Texas. Users must register, and the staff works with researchers to suggest and locate sources of information. Magazines of both general and scholarly interest date from the 1800's to the present.
Newsletters represent a broad range of local and state organizations.
Nineteenth and early twentieth century newspapers from many Texas cities and towns can be viewed on microfilm. The department has long been a depository for Texas state publications. The collection also holds publications from the City of Houston, the Metropolitan Transit Authority, and other regional government agencies. More than 1,500 maps illustrate the development of Houston and Texas, some with special emphasis such as railroad development, flood prone areas, or land use. Texas maps begin with the Spanish colonial period.