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Learn about the many local resources available to you in the Special Collections Division and at your Main Library.
Researching the history of your house? Interested in old photographs of downtown Akron? Want to know more about a local business, club, church or park? The Special Collections Division can help you with all of these and much more! Genealogy is just part of what we do. Join us to learn more about the many local history resources that we preserve for researchers near and far. Time permitting, we’ll take a tour of the Special Collections Division on the third floor at the end of the class. If you have any questions or would like any other information, please contact the Special Collections Division by phone at 330.643.9030 or by email at speccollections@akronlibrary.org.
In the meantime, don't forget to check-out the many local history books and materials we have in our collections!
Main Library, located in the heart of downtown Akron, combines compelling public space with meaningful and relevant public library services for all members of our community. Since opening in 2004, the downtown library welcomes more than one million visitors each year.
Subject divisions include: Business, Government & Science, Culture & AV, Magazines & Newspapers, Special Collections (local history & genealogy), TechZone@Main, Teen, and a 12,000 square feet Children's Library.
Special services available at Main Library include: a Patent & Trademark Resource Center; U.S. Passport and Notary services; a Microbusiness Center; a Maker Space; a resource lab for early childhood educators; and regularly scheduled computer training classes. Also available at Main Library are more than 125 public access computers, color photocopiers/printers, laminating, scanning, faxing, and free Wi-Fi.
Specialized spaces include a 425-seat auditorium, public meeting rooms, and a used bookstore. An interior glass block walkway leads to a 600-space parking garage owned by the City of Akron. An outdoor amphitheater and landscaped park complete the complex.