The Lee Road Local History Room is available to all users of the library. Located on the second floor in the Adult Services department, it offers an array of resources to assist in researching the history of Cleveland Heights, University Heights, Cleveland, and the State of Ohio. The Local History Room also has a wealth of genealogy resources, including access to many online databases.

The Local History Room is staffed most weekdays from 2:00 – 4:00 p.m. Appointments are available outside those hours. Library users are welcome to make use of the Local History Room without staff, but to get the most out of your visit, please call or email the Local History Librarian to schedule an appointment (contact info is below). Make sure to describe your question, what resources you are interested in, and your desired time. We would love to help, no matter what stage your research is in!

Helpful Hints

  • Local history reference/genealogy reference books are for use only within the library. This includes city directories and yearbooks. Library users are welcome to make copies, take photographs, or scan images. Please ask for assistance with cumbersome or fragile items.
  • A large format scanner (Bookeye) is available in the Heights Knowledge and Information Center. It is perfect for scanning images from city guides!
  • We will be happy to demonstrate how to use the microfilm reader, including how to save and print images.
  • If you plan to save images from the microfilm reader, an online database, or from the Bookeye, you will need to bring a USB drive or use a cloud service such as Microsoft OneDrive or Google Drive.
  • Interested in learning about your family history? Make an appointment to learn how to use databases such as Ancestry.com (Library Edition), African American Heritage, Fold3, and JewishGen.
  • If we do not have the resource you are looking for, we will do our best to help you find it!

The Lee Road Local History Room contains the following:

  • Cleveland and East Suburban City Directories
  • Heights High Caldron yearbooks and alumni directories
  • Local history reference book collection
  • Sun Press and Cleveland Press microfilm
  • Local history lectures and Cleveland Heights city council meetings on dvd
  • Archival photographs, blueprints, and other documents chronicling the history of Heights Libraries
  • Microfilm reader ScanPro 2200
  • Book scanner KIC Bookeye 4v2
Image of the Book Scanner Bookeye 4v2
Book Scanner Bookeye 4v2
Image of the Microfilm Reader Scan Pro 2200
Microfilm Reader Scan Pro 2200

Questions? The fastest way to reach us is by emailing our local history librarian at localhistory@heightslibrary.org. You can also reach us by phone at (216) 932-3600 Ext. 1248.