Local History Room

The mission of the Durham Public Library Local History Collection is to preserve documents of historical relevance to Durham, Connecticut and its residents and institutions. The Local History Collection promotes the understanding and exploration of Durham’s history, culture, and architecture by current residents, students, and historians. Patrons may request access to the Room during regular business hours.

Types of Materials: The collection consists of books, pamphlets, brochures, diaries, letters, scrapbooks, notebooks, oral histories, photographs and other materials that constitute source material for local history research.  Other geographical areas are added only if they include important information relevant to Durham’s history.

Books and manuscript collections may be found by searching the library catalog by title or author. Further details on the contents of the various manuscript collections are documented in finding aids, below.

Gifts: The library welcomes donations to its Local History collection that fit our selection criteria. Materials that do not fit within our collecting policy will be referred to local historical societies. The library reserves the right to decline gift offers. See our Local History Room Collection Policy for more information.

Manuscript Collections: