Lucius Beebe Memorial Library

MASSACHUSETTS

MIDDLESEX COUNTY

LUCIUS BEEBE MEMORIAL LIBRARY

Lucius Beebe Memorial Library Contact Information Address: 345 Main St, Wakefield, MA 01880 Telephone: (781) 619-1100 Email: email@wakefieldlibrary.org Website: https://www.wakefieldlibrary.org/ Hours of Operation and Directions/Parking Map: https://www.wakefieldlibrary.org/visit/ Tips for Your Visit The building is closed to the public until further notice due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Remote reference services are available by phone and email. Staff in the building can photocopy library material. Visit the library's website for the most current information about access. Description of Collections The local history material at the Lucius Beebe Memorial Library focuses on Wakefield, Massachusetts and the surrounding area. Certain collections have been digitized and placed on the Internet Archive thanks to a grant administered by the Boston Public Library and federally funded with LSTA funds through the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners. Other materials are available for photocopying and staff can send photocopies to individuals who cannot come to Beebe Library in person. Further information about Beebe Library's local genealogy collection can be found on the library's website. Digitized Death Records – An online database includes basic death record information for people whose deaths were registered in Wakefield. Information is taken from published town annual reports. The database currently includes almost 31,600 deaths from January 1850 through December 2016. Street Lists - Street lists list all residents age 17 and over alphabetically, as well as by street. Online copies of the street lists are available back to 1919 with some gaps. Town Reports Online copies of Annual Reports of the Town of Wakefield are available back to 1875. Yearbooks High school yearbooks from Wakefield are available online from 1907 to 2014 with some gaps. Maps - Wakefield was the first public library in Massachusetts to add its historic maps to the Boston Public Library’s Norman B. Leventhal Map Collection. The maps are also included in the library catalog with links to online versions. In-Library Use Only Newspapers – Microfilm of the Wakefield Daily Item from 1891 to the present, the Reading Chronicle (Wakefield Edition) from December 1996 to the present, the Wakefield Observer from January 1998 to the present, and the Wakefield Citizen & Banner from 1872 to 1911. Please note that there are no indexes to any of these newspapers. Town Reports before 1875 - The library owns town reports back to the mid-19th century, including those of South Reading. City Directories - Prior to 1919 the library owns a collection of city directories that include lists of residents back to the early 1870s, but with some gaps. Wakipedia Wakipedia is an online wiki encyclopedia of current and historical information about the town Wakefield, Massachusetts. It is not currently open to public editing. Those interested in contributing can call or email Reference.