Archives and Special Collections

The Ohio County Public Library Archives and Special Collections Department collects and preserves unique primary source material that documents the history of Wheeling and the Upper Ohio Valley region. Archives material includes photographs, scrapbooks, personal and corporate archives, journals, letters, maps, prints, pamphlets, brochures, and advertising ephemera. The library is committed to making these materials available to researchers, educators and the general public through collection guides, digitization, exhibits, and other outreach activities.

➤ Access our full collection policy here.

HOW TO FIND ARCHIVES MATERIAL:

Archives collections are organized by the person or organization that accumulated the records. Archivists organize the material and create finding aids, or indexes, which describe the creator of the collection and provide a detailed inventory of the contents.

➤ Finding Aids - Alphabetical by Creator
➤ Finding Aids - Subject Guide
➤ Finding Aids - Chronological [i.e. Wheeling in the 1920s]
➤ Wheeling Area Maps
➤ Archives Vertical Files
➤ Digitized Collections [Quick link to Flickr site]
➤ Catalog records [includes rare publications, books, etc.]

HOW TO GET STARTED:

Because of the unique nature of archival material, it is available for in-person examination by appointment only. Though we have digitized a substantial online collection, what you see online reflects a small portion of our physical collections. Whether you plan on visiting the library or conducting your research remotely, use these links to get started:

➤ Call 304-232-0244
➤ Email the Archivist
➤ Directions and library hours
➤ Registration form
➤ Use of Materials form