The Public Administration Library (PAL) is a department of the Cleveland Public Library located in City Hall.
Established in 1912, it is one of the oldest municipal reference libraries in the country. The department serves the reference and informational needs of city government officials and the public through a comprehensive collection of books, documents, periodicals, and serials on every phase of municipal government. The Public Administration Library is the official depository of all city publications and reports, and houses the most complete collection of material on Cleveland city government available anywhere.
As a Federal Depository Library, public access to the government documents collection is guaranteed by public law (Title 44 United States Code).
- Government Documents materials are available to all patrons regardless of age by contacting staff in-person or via email, phone, or correspondence.
- Out-of-state patrons may view materials in-house and should contact the department prior to arrival to ensure that specific titles are readily available or can be requested from storage.
The Collection
For a selection of digitally available material from the Public Administration Library, visit our digital gallery.
City Government Functions
City planning, community development, history of Cleveland, housing, municipal finance and law, police and fire protection, public employees, public works, traffic engineering, transportation and urban economic development, parks and recreation, municipal administration.
Model Cities Collection on Microfiche
The Model Cities program, President Lyndon B. Johnson`s answer to the urban riots of the 1960`s, was geared towards solving the problems of America`s inner cities: rising crime, inadequate housing, declining education, and high unemployment. Included in this microfiche collection are Model Cities program applications to HUD, and various studies and reports from approximately 250 United States cities.
Municipal Ordinances
The Department contains the most extensive collection of municipal ordinances available in the city. The collection concentrates on Cuyahoga County cities and villages, and ordinances from major cities in Ohio.
City Codes
Codified Ordinances of the City of Cleveland with weekly supplements from the City Record, the official publication of Cleveland City Council, City Record and Council Proceedings and various editions of the ordinances of the City dating from its incorporation in 1836.
Periodicals
The Public Administration Library`s collection of periodicals covers all aspects of municipal services. Topics covered include community and economic development, city planning, municipal finance, public safety, land use, preservation, public administration, and zoning. The Library subscribes to local and national newspapers.
State and Federal Laws & Regulations
The Hannah Capitol Connection database provides current and retrospective information on the Ohio State Legislature. Federal laws and administrative rules are covered by the United States Code, Code of Federal Regulations, Federal Register, and Congressional Record.
Urban Documents on Microfiche
This series indexes and provides full-text access to local government reports collected from more than 350 jurisdictions in the United States and Canada. PAL owns the print version of this title for the period 1982-2003/4 (vols. 10-32). Coverage ranges from budgets and financial reports to architecture & planning documents, master plans and board proceedings. The reports were collected from local government agencies, civic organizations, academic and research organizations, public libraries, and metropolitan and regional planning agencies. The index is helpful in tracking down information on topics that affect cities, from hazardous waste disposal to arts in the community. (Note: Reports collected from 2000/2001 (v.29) to the present are included in the Index to Current Urban Documents database.)
Publications published and distributed by the United States Government Publishing Office
As a congressionally-designated federal depository, the department selects a small percentage of publications originating from the federal depository program’s basic collection of documents that are readily-available.
Events and Exhibitions
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Wednesday, September 11 | 12 pm
Lunchtime Knitting Circle
Public Administration Library
Please join us for our monthly meetings inside Public Administration Library, Room 100, City Hall. This knitting group is in association with Warm Up Cleveland and knitters of every skill level are welcome. To inquire about joining, please stop by or call 216-623-2919.
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Wednesday, October 9 | 12 pm
Lunchtime Knitting Circle
Public Administration Library
Please join us for our monthly meetings inside Public Administration Library, Room 100, City Hall. This knitting group is in association with Warm Up Cleveland and knitters of every skill level are welcome. To inquire about joining, please stop by or call 216-623-2919.