This paper gives an overview of the history of bibliometrics in Austria and reports on its level of awareness and its acceptance. For this purpose an online survey addressed to Austrian scientists was conducted and its results analyzed. In spite of emergent and increasing activities in this field, the uptake of bibliometric knowledge is slow and has much room for improvement in the Austrian scientific community. The majority of responders agree on the need for a more sophisticated bibliometric education and also indicate a willingness to use existent bibliometric services.