Cleveland Public Library

The People's University

We’d like to welcome the start of the New Year by reminding you of many of the things the Cleveland Public Library can do for you.  In addition to our most remarkable collection of books and magazines, including many in foreign languages, we have collections of maps, photographs, newspapers, government documents, music cds, dvds, and millions of other things!  The neighborhood branches offer outstanding children’s services, computers, textbooks, and a welcoming place to be on these chilly days. The Bookmobile is out and about in the city...

Our librarians and other staff can help you with resumes and preparing for interviews; you can take Microsoft Word, Excel, Access, and many other classes. We can help you find a poem, an old recipe, a stock quote, or the name of the restaurant that your grandmother used to take you to.  We can help you find industry trends, popular names for girls, and out of town phone numbers.

In times like these, more than ever, we’re here to help.

The Board of Trustees of the Cleveland Public Library has selected Felton Thomas as the new director of the library system with its renowned Main Library, a complex of neighborhood branches, and important regional and state-wide computer-based information services. Read the press release

An inventory of the Cleveland Public Library's extensive city directory collection is now available through the Library's online genealogy research page.  A treasure-trove of information for genealogists and historians, city directories can be used to research addresses and occupations of ancestors, historical advertising, property listings and brief information on companies. Someone wanting historical information about his or her street could, for example, use the 1936 city directory to look up the names and professions of everyone on the street in that year. The Library's collection is one of the largest in the country and includes all directories published for Cleveland and suburbs, as well as an extensive collection of directories for other cities in Ohio and throughout the United States.

As a member of the Federal Depository Library Program the Cleveland Public Library houses a wide variety of publications from all agencies of the federal government. Since it began participating in the program in 1886, the library has consistently selected a high percentage of all available publications, making it one of the more comprehensive collections in the Cleveland area.

In a new video produced by the Government Printing Office, "Easy As FDL: Free Information, Dedicated Service, and Limitless Possibilities,” people familiar with this program were interviewed and asked to express their opinions about what makes these depository libraries so unique and essential to the American public. To watch this short video and learn more about the U.S. Government Printing Office, the Federal Depository Library Program please click here:

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Historians, genealogists and anyone curious about Cleveland history can now search the full text of all issues of the Call and Post (1934 to the present) instantly. The research possibilities are endless and amazing: newspaper research that would have formerly been extremely time-consuming, if not totally impossible, is now done in a matter of seconds! Do you remember reading about a family member or an old neighbor in the Call & Post? Now you can find the article instantly, as long as you remember the name. Search features allow you narrow your search by date and document type (article, obituary, marriage, editorial, etc.)  To search 1934-1991, use the Call and Post database. To search 1992 to the present, use the Ethnic Newswatch database. Remote access available to CPL cardholders.

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Visual Stories is an exhibit of fifty-one paintings by the renowned artist and children’s book illustrator, James Ransome, that depicts an extraordinary array of African American experiences, particularly from the Black South. The selected paintings span decades of collaboration with major publishers and numerous children’s authors, and reflect themes of emancipation from slavery, segregation and the Jim Crow era, and the strong family traditions that were necessary to maintain and keep the African American family together. Ransome’s paintings embody the powerful strength of family, faith, and fortitude that gives these people the courage to face difficult social and political conditions.

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On January 20, 2009, President-elect, Barack Obama, will be sworn in as the 44^th President of the United States.  To provide information about the transition process and his forthcoming administration, Barack Obama has launched the website Change.gov.  The transition from one administration to another is a complex process, taking several weeks to complete before the President is inaugurated in January. The U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) is charged with providing for the smooth transition as set forth in the Presidential Transition Act of 1963.  The Transition Directory explains how the various divisions and agencies of the federal government operate and provides resources to help the new administration "hit the ground running." 

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While there have been numerous efforts over the years to digitize much of the world's information, the Cleveland Public Library still maintains various hard copy resources of interest to local history.  Most of the library's subject departments have maintained, to some degree or another, a clipping file. Clipping files contain articles, photos, and other bits of information that have been "clipped" from newspapers, magazines and other sources.  Many of the clipping files housed at the Cleveland Public Library contain items of local interest, such as the Biography Clipping File located in the Microform Center, which consists of newspaper clippings of prominent and noteworthy Clevelanders.  This particular clipping file was originally put together by the History & Geography Department, but was later transferred to microfiche.  For a complete list of the library's extensive clipping files please contact the General Reference Department. 

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Huge collection of Cleveland postcards

The Photograph Collection at the Cleveland Public Library is home to over 3,500 Cleveland Postcards. The postcards date from the late 1800`s through the 1900`s. Landmarks, recreation spots, buildings, and bridges are highlighted in the collection.