State Library of Ohio

United States Ohio Archives and Libraries State Library of Ohio

State Library of Ohio Contact Information E-mail: refhelp@library.ohio.gov Address: 274 East First Avenue Columbus, OH 43201 Telephone: General Information: 614-644-7061 Circulation Services: 614-644-6950 Research Services: 614-644-7051 Fax: Research Services: 614-644-7004 Hours and holidays: Monday - Friday 8am - 5pm Closed for State Holidays: New Year's day, Martin Luther King day, President's day, Memorial day, Independence day, Labor day, Columbus day, Veterans' day, Thanksgiving day, and Christmas day. Directions, maps, and public transportation:  The State Library of Ohio is located in the historic Jeffrey Manufacturing Building within Italian Village, the Short North Arts District, and just north of downtown Columbus. Directions by car. The library has easy access no-cost parking. Map Central Ohio Transit Authority - City Bus Trip Planner Internet sites and databases: State Library of Ohio Home page. The website offers Contact Us, What's New, Find a Library, Catalog, Search Digital & Special Collections, Government Documents, The Ohio eBook Project, Sources for Genealogists - links to the digital collections for genealogists. State Library of Ohio Catalog by keyword, author, title, and subject. Also available on WorldCat. Collection Description The State Library of Ohio has good records of Ohio, and of states like Pennsylvania, New York, and the states of New England which all contributed early immigrants to Ohio. They also have a good list of nationwide genealogical Internet database links, digitized material from around Ohio, government documents, censuses, wills, military records, county and local histories, church and cemetery records. Their website includes: Sources for Genealogists Sources for Digital Content Ohio Newspapers Sources for Government Documents. You may also search the Rare Book Collection of 8,000 items by keyword, author, title, or subject. Tips The State Library of Ohio and OhioLINK search boxes utilize a special system to help you find materials in our collections. If you can’t find what you are looking for, check out these Search Tips to improve your results. Guides For more help with searching, check out these Quick Start Guides: OhioLINK Central. The State Library of Ohio is one of 88 OhioLINK Libraries. This is a group of mainly university libraries in Ohio who share electronic resources and physical materials. Anyone with a library card from the State Library of Ohio can request and check out these materials. State employees can have these materials delivered to their desk. These materials include books, videos, DVDs, ebooks, eaudiobooks, government documents, journals and microfilm. You can also find and access many of our electronic journals through OhioLINK. Guide to Using the State Library of Ohio Catalog Pathfinder (Subject Guides): Genealogy. A pathfinder is an expert guide for finding information on a subject on the web and within a library. It provides enough basic resources to get started, strategize for future searching, and saves time. The guide typically includes suggested search terms, book titles with call numbers, and websites. Pathfinders are not comprehensive bibliographies. Alternate Repositories If you cannot visit or find a source at the State Library of Ohio, a similar source may be available at one of the following. Overlapping Collections National Archives I, Washington DC, census, pre-WWI military service & pensions, passenger lists, naturalizations, passports, federal bounty land, homesteads, bankruptcy, ethnic sources, prisons, and federal employees. Includes Northwest Territory (Ohio) papers. National Archives Great Lakes Region (Chicago) old federal court and agency records for Ohio, U.S. federal censuses 1790–1940; military service and pension indexes, passenger lists, naturalizations, Ancestry.com, HeritageQuest, Fold3. Allen County Public Library, Fort Wayne, Indiana, premier periodical collection, including Ohio genealogies, local histories, databases, military, censuses, directories, and passenger lists. Newberry Library, Chicago, Illinois, a large repository with genealogies, local histories, censuses, military, land, indexes, vital records, court, and tax records mostly from the Mississippi Valley, eastern seaboard, Canada, and the British Isles. Ohio Historical Society, Columbus, serves as the state archives. Excellent collection of manuscripts for government, land, and military records. Also has biographies, genealogies, and vital records. Similar Collections Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County, a top genealogy and local history collection of early Ohio sources. This includes the Inland Waterways Library of Ohio River (and its tributaries) riverboat traffic between Pittsburgh, PA and Louisville, KY. Neighboring Collections Columbus Public Health Office of Vital Statistics birth and deaths since 1908. Franklin County Clerk of the Courts, civil, and criminal cases. Franklin County Coroner deaths. Franklin County Recorder land records, DD-214 military discharges, veterans graves. Franklin County Probate Court adoptions, birth, guardianships, mental commitments, name changes, probates and wills. U.S. District Court, Southern District of Ohio, Columbus, recent civil and criminal cases. Ohio Historical Society, Columbus, serves as a state archives. Primarily collects manuscripts including government, land, and military records. Also has biographies, genealogies, and vital records. Columbus Historical Society memory project, recommended reading, and links. Archives of Ohio United Methodists history of Methodism in Ohio and generally, manuscripts, photos, local church histories, church records, ministers, and newspapers. Columbus Jewish Historical Society genealogies, oral histories, local histories, digital collections. Columbus Metropolitan Library Internet history and genealogy, Sanborn maps, newspaper indexes, Columbus Historical Society, and images. (Genealogy section moved until Aug 2016). Franklin County Genealogical and Historical Society, Grove City, research services, obituaries, and pioneer families. Hillard Historical Society Library, Hillard, papers, books, photographs, maps, and other historical materials. Palatines to America German Genealogy Society Resource Center, Columbus, has an extensive collection of German immigrant ancestor files. Their books are at the Columbus Metropolitan Library. Repositories in surrounding counties: Delaware, Fairfield, Licking, Madison, Pickaway, and Union. Ohio Genealogical Society, Bellville, has the best collection of family folders in Ohio. They also have county record guides, biographies, genealogies and unique indexes to various Ohio records. Bowling Green State University Jerome Library local government records, and newspapers. Dayton Metro Library, the Dayton Room  has one of Ohio's best genealogical collections including books, periodicals, indexes, genealogies, and biographies. Erie Lackawanna Historical Society, Cleveland, history of the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad, Erie Railroad, Erie Lackawanna Railway, and related lines. No employee records. Ohio University Alden Library, Athens, their excellent manuscript collection includes church records, and business records. They also have county histories, biographies, and newspapers. It is like a second state archives. Public Library of Youngstown and Mahoning County, a good solid genealogy collection with oral histories, state and county histories, biographies, and genealogies. Youngstown was a portal for immigrants from Pennsylvania and New England entering Ohio. Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Center, Fremont, is strong on Ohio history and genealogy, as well as Sandusky River and Great Lakes history, U.S. history and Black studies. Toledo‑Lucas County Public Library, this is the place to come if you are looking for early Ohio settlers who entered Ohio via the Great Lakes and Toledo. They have Great Lakes traffic records. University of Akron Libraries Polsky Building one of six regional centers of Ohio records such as newspapers, printed materials, and local government records. University of Cincinnati Blegen Library one of six regional history centers of Ohio for records such as newspapers, printed materials, and local government records. Western Reserve Historical Society, Cleveland, The Western Reserve was a large part of Ohio settled by Connecticut Revolutionary War refugees. This important collection includes original land records, as well as many genealogies, biographies, histories, and Bibles of Pennsylvania and New England. Wright State University Dunbar Library, Dayton, one of six regional centers of Ohio records such as newspapers, printed materials, and local government records. Youngstown Historical Center of Industry and Labor one of six regional history centers of Ohio for records such as newspapers, printed materials, and local government records. Repositories in surrounding states: Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Pennsylvania, West Virginia; and in Canada: Ontario. Library and Archives Canada, Ottawa, Ontario, millions of books, newspapers, periodicals, and photos about genealogy and family history, biographies, censuses, citizenship, immigration to and from Ohio and the USA, settlement, births, marriages, deaths, and divorces. Sources