Local History Department

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Located on the third floor of the Main Library, accessible by either stairs or an elevator. 
Hours
As inventory of our extensive collection continues, we will require  appointments for Local History through December 31.  To make an appointment, email us at nflh@nioga.org or call 716-286-4899. Appointments may be booked between the following hours: 
​Monday: 5pm - 8pm 
Tuesday: 9am - 4pm
Wednesday: 1pm - 4pm
Thursday: 9am - 4pm
​We apologize for the inconvenience and thank you for your patience!​

Viewing Archive Items
To view any items in our archives, requests must be made 2 business days in advance.  
Please note: Requests will be processed during local history department operating hours only (Monday: 5pm - 8pm; Tuesday: 9am - 4pm Wednesday: 1pm - 4pm; Thursday: 9am - 4pm).  For example, a request submitted on Friday would be fulfilled by end of Tuesday.)

Please place all requests with the Local History Department: 716-286-4899 or email: nflh@nioga.org

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Local History Department News
Our oral history digitization project, “Memories of Niagara Falls,” will be completed and available in the New Year. This grant was funded by Humanities for New York. The “Memories of Niagara Falls” exhibit will showcase the digitized videos from the Niagara Falls Public Library’s Local History Department’s Collections. These videos consist of a series of local history interviews and presentations that discuss differing perspectives on the history of Niagara Falls and the community. The exhibit will be available on our website and also in person via a freestanding kiosk at both Main and LaSalle libraries. 

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About the Local History Department
Local History is a research library containing extensive collections of books, photographs, maps, newspapers, videotapes, scrapbooks, and clipping files about Niagara Falls, both city and the cataract.  These materials document the history of the Niagara Falls area from before the founding of the villages of Niagara Falls (1848), Niagara City (1854), (Suspension Bridge) and the present day Niagara Falls.

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Print Versions of Photographs Available for Purchase
The Local History Department will now be offering patrons the option to purchase a printed version of photographs. Prices are on the Image Policy Form, and will range from $10-$30. Click here to view the Image Policy Form.

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Local History Links

Ancestry Library Edition
During the Covid crisis, access to Ancestry Library Edition has been temporarily expanded to Niagara Falls Public Library cardholders working remotely, courtesy of ProQuest and its partner Ancestry.
Password to enter site is: READ (all caps)
By entering password, you are certifying that you are a​Niagara Falls Public Library cardholder.
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Niagara Gazette: 1854-1896
Niagara Gazette: 1893-1918
New York Heritage Collection
Includes:

• Daredevils of Niagara: Photos and Writing from the Orrin E. Dunlap Colledtion
• Niagara Falls City Directories
• State Reservation at Niagara

NYH collection digitized with funds from the WNYLRC Regional Bibliographic Data Bases and Interlibrary Resources Sharing Program program.
Buffalo History Museum
David Rumsey Map Collection
Digital Books Related to Niagara
Historic Niagara Digital Collections from the Niagara Falls, ON Public Library
Monroe Fordham Regional History Center
New York Heritage
New York State Geological Survey
Niagara County Historical Society: Articles on Niagara County's Rich History
Niagara Falls (ON) Heritage Portal
Old City Views of Niagara Falls
Old Fort Niagara
Preservation Buffalo Niagara
St. Joseph Cemetery Records
University at Buffalo Love Canal Collections