Library Services
Local History & Genealogy

The Library offers a variety of local history and genealogy resources for community members. Not sure where to begin? Browse our website to help get you started on your research, or contact our team via email for assistance.  

Print Collections

Richmond Hill Public Library is home to the largest genealogical collection in York Region, and many other unique, historically-focused materials about the city of Richmond Hill and surrounding communities, including:

  • The Helen Schwab Collection which contains over one hundred volumes of information on families from the regions of York, Durham, and Peel

  • Photographs, postcards, posters, and other ephemera

  • Atlases and Maps

  • Local newspapers (1857 - present)

  • Historical tax assessment records (1905 - 1957)

  • Microfilms and microfiche (including probated wills and other local newspapers)

  • Books and monographs

  • Magazines, journals, and newsletters

  • Family histories and scrapbooks

  • Unique and rare research and primary source materials

Learn More

Digital Collections

Our extensive digital collections include:

  • Photographs

  • Local newspapers and clippings from 1857 to 1979

  • Local history books and brochures

  • Rare documents

  • Vintage posters

 

Access to a number of additional digital resources are also freely available to members, and include: 

  • Ancestry Library Edition (in-library use only)

  • Toronto Star Pages of the Past (1894-2020)

  • The Globe & Mail Archives (1844-2019)

  • Early Canadiana Online

  • Our Ontario

Explore Our Digital Resources

History and Genealogy Programs

The library organizes programs on a variety of local history and genealogy-related topics. Review the latest edition of our program guide, In the Know, for upcoming programs. 

Browse Our Program Guide

York Region OGS Library

The Library also houses the collection of the York Branch of the Ontario Genealogical Society, which includes local cemetery transcriptions. The York Branch holds its meeting at Central Branch and are open to the public. Visit their website for a schedule of their upcoming programs.

The Mary Lou Griffin Local History Room

The Mary-Lou Griffin Local History Room is located on the 4th Floor of Central Branch. It contains an extensive collection of historically significant and unique resources about Richmond Hill, York Region, and beyond.

Find out more