Special Collections

About the Division

The Special Collections Division houses the Library's genealogy and local history materials. Our goal is to collect, preserve, and provide access to the history of Summit County and to continue to maintain one of the area's most extensive genealogy collections.

Our genealogy collection includes books, microfilm, periodicals, databases and more. While our collections are focused primarily on Ohio and surrounding states, we also actively collect materials for the states of the Eastern Seaboard, New England and the South.

Our local history collection includes a variety of materials pertaining to all aspects of Akron and Summit County history including the archival and photograph collections of the Summit County Historical Society. Sharing and providing access to these materials is our goal.

Summit Memory

The Summit Memory project is a countywide, collaborative effort to make available some of the remarkable local history collections maintained by our partner institutions. If your organization is located in Summit County and would like to participate in Summit Memory, please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. at 330.643.9030.