Special Collections often collaborates with local educators and historical institutions to provide educational programming to students. Our collections include many primary and secondary resources that may be used in planning lessons related to our community’s history. Highlights of our collections include:

  • History of Akron and Summit County
  • Rubber and related industries
  • Lighter-Than-Air
  • Canal era
  • Akron neighborhoods
  • Buildings and architecture
  • Sports and recreation
  • Arts and culture

For more information, visit our Local History page. Here you will find links for Summit Memory, our digital collections website, and our Archives Catalog, great places to start for local history research. We are also available for classroom visits. Contact us to learn more.

Family History Resources For Teachers And Students

Interested in learning more about genealogy and how it can be incorporated in your classroom? We can help. Special Collections maintains one of the largest and most comprehensive family history collections in our state. To learn more, visit our Genealogy page. We can also visit your classroom. Contact us to learn how we can assist with your research or lesson planning.

Our Mission: The Akron-Summit County Public Library provides resources for learning and leisure, information services, meeting spaces, and programs for all ages that support, improve, and enrich individual, family, and community life.