Wayne County Public Library
Genealogy and Local History Department
The origin of the Genealogy and Local History collection of the Wayne County Public Library can be traced back to 1953 when the Wooster-Wayne Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution was looking for a project to celebrate their 50th anniversary. Miss Mary Merritt, Librarian of the Wooster Public Library, suggested to the organization that if it could furnish a bookcase, the library would find a home for the bookcase and the organization’s growing collection of family histories, county histories, Ohio histories, and books about genealogy. Before long, a second bookcase was needed.
The bookcases and the collection moved from place to place for a while. In October 1967, the DAR collection found a home on the main floor in the Reference area. As the general library collection grew, the genealogy and local history collection (formerly the DAR collection) migrated to the mezzanine of the library. In 1985, as part of a library remodeling project, the genealogy collection moved from the mezzanine to a small room located on the lower level. In 2003, as part of a library reorganization project under the directorship of Greg Lubelski, the genealogy collection switched rooms with public meeting room, almost doubling the square footage. In June 2007, with the opening of the new building located in downtown Wooster, the genealogy collection was moved once again. Currently, we are located at 220 W. Liberty St., Wooster on the second floor of the Main library.
Wayne County Public Library
Genealogy and Local History Department
The origin of the Genealogy and Local History collection of the Wayne County Public Library can be traced back to 1953 when the Wooster-Wayne Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution was looking for a project to celebrate their 50th anniversary. Miss Mary Merritt, Librarian of the Wooster Public Library, suggested to the organization that if it could furnish a bookcase, the library would find a home for the bookcase and the organization’s growing collection of family histories, county histories, Ohio histories, and books about genealogy. Before long, a second bookcase was needed.
The bookcases and the collection moved from place to place for a while. In October 1967, the DAR collection found a home on the main floor in the Reference area. As the general library collection grew, the genealogy and local history collection (formerly the DAR collection) migrated to the mezzanine of the library. In 1985, as part of a library remodeling project, the genealogy collection moved from the mezzanine to a small room located on the lower level. In 2003, as part of a library reorganization project under the directorship of Greg Lubelski, the genealogy collection switched rooms with public meeting room, almost doubling the square footage. In June 2007, with the opening of the new building located in downtown Wooster, the genealogy collection was moved once again. Currently, we are located at 220 W. Liberty St., Wooster on the second floor of the Main library.