The Cleveland Public Library

325 Superior Avenue
Cleveland, Ohio 44114
623-2800

The Cleveland Public Library stands as the singular most significant resource through which the public at large may examine the history and development of Cleveland’s neighborhoods. Of course, first and foremost the Library is a repository of books, and upon its shelves one may find hundreds of titles which relate to the city and its history. But in addition to books, the collections of the Library contain other kinds of materials which are equally important to the study of Cleveland’s neighborhoods.

The Public Administration Library, a division of the Cleveland Public Library located in City Hall serves as the official depository for documents issued by the various agencies of Cleveland’s city government. Special files maintained at the Public Administration Library cover topics such as the mall plan and public housing. Of special note to neighborhood researchers is a series begun in 1982 by the City Planning Commission entitled the Cleveland Neighborhood Data Book, which aims to provide current information on each of Cleveland’s thirty-five statistical planning areas.

The Library’s Map Collection includes an array of historical county atlases, bird’s eye views of the city, aerial photographs, topographical maps, ward maps and street maps. Real estate atlases and fire insurance aliases, which depict Cleveland neighborhoods from the 1880’s through the 1950’s, are of great interest and importance to the neighborhood researcher.

The Library’s Newspaper Room maintains retrospective collections of local newspapers on microfilm dating back to the mid-nineteenth century. Over the years there have been various attempts at indexing local newspapers. Notable in this regard are the Annals of Cleveland, published under the auspices of the Works Progress Administration, and the online Cleveland News Index which has been produced by the Cleveland Public Library since 1976.

An historical collection of Cleveland population reports issued by the U.S. Bureau of the Census is available for use in the Library’s Documents Collection. Films, videotapes and slide sets which illustrate aspects of local history may be borrowed from the Library’s Films Department. The Cleveland Picture Collection, a resource containing more than thirteen thousand photographs which pertain to Cleveland history is housed in the History and Geography Department, as is a complete retrospective set of the Cleveland City Directory published since 1836.

By virtue of the Library’s online public access catalog, a researcher may locate citations to such esoteric documents as theses and unpublished manuscripts within the Library’s holdings. In addition, almost every department at the main library maintains uncataloged (sic) files of clippings and pamphlets on topics such as business and industry in Cleveland, biographies of notable Clevelanders, churches of Cleveland, the desegregation of Cleveland’s schools and folklore in Cleveland.

Because of the diversity of the Library’s research materials it is recommended that anyone interested in delving into Cleveland neighborhood research seek the advice and assistance of the staff in order to maximize use of the Library’s collections.