Columbus Metropolitan Library has digitized collections online at their library website as well as online at Ohio Memory.

• My History – has many collections (yearbooks, directories, wills) can search by collection, area, etc.

• Columbus Obituary Request – request up to six free obituaries a month for residents, there may be a fee for non-residents

• Columbus Digital Collections Online

  • Alexandria Local History Collection – The Alexandria Local History Collection records the development (past and present) of St. Albans Township, Licking County, Ohio. This collection includes documents that describe early settlement, local commerce, traditions, folklore, cultural changes, religious ideals, medical practices, and military contributions. 
  • Bexley Collection – Welcome to The Bexley Collection, an online archive of the history of Bexley, Ohio that provides access to images, artifacts and primary documents about Bexley and its citizens.
  • Capital University – 
  • Central Ohio Building Index – The Central Ohio Buildings Index contains abstracts of articles about historic buildings in Columbus from local newspapers, books in the Ohio Collection at Columbus Metropolitan Library, and the Circulating Visuals collection of the Columbus Metropolitan Library which is now part of the Columbus in Historic Photographs collection. 
  • Central Ohio News and Subject Index –   The Columbus Dispatch is now available with full-text searching from 1871-current.  The Central Ohio News and Subject Index is an effort to combine news indexes and subject indexes held by the Columbus Metropolitan Library into one searchable collection. The first items to be digitized were the Ohio State Journal Indexes from 1913-1940, followed by Myron Seifert’s index of Columbus newspapers from 1811-1919. 
  • Churches of Union County, Ohio
  • City of Columbus – This collection consists of documents, photographs, and bound volumes of records concerning the city of Columbus, published by government entities and departments within city government.
  • City Directory Collection – This collection is still in-progess and will eventually include most of the library’s collection of city directories dating back to the 1840s. In addition to digitizing Columbus city directories we also have digitized early Franklin County telephone directories.
  • Columbus African American Collection – The Columbus African American Collection is an effort to digitize and archive the history of African Americans in Columbus. The collection includes newspapers, photos, pamphlets, directories, etc. 
  • Columbus Citizen Journal and Columbus Citizen Newspapers Collection – This collection contains nearly 30,000 photos of Ohio people, places, and events from the 1912 to 1984 issues of the discontinued Columbus newspapers,
  • Columbus City Schools – The Columbus City Schools collection is a digital collection of photographs, directories, and documents. 
  • Columbus Gay Men’s Chorus Collection – The Columbus Gay Men’s Chorus is a non-auditioned tenor-bass chorus open to all people regardless of vocal talent, musical ability, race, gender, gender identity, gender expression, religion, age, physical ability, sexual orientation, or economic means.
  • Columbus in Historic Photographs – The collection includes over 20,000 images of people and places showcasing the rich history of Ohio’s capital city held by the Local History and Genealogy Division.
  • Columbus Historical Society – Photographs, historic postcards and other digital images. The Thomas Root Aerial Collection consisting of areal images of  Franklin county between 1970 and 1980, and the Ameriflora’92 collection from the international floral exhibit held at Franklin Park Conservatory in 1992.
  • Columbus Memory – Columbus Memory is an online archive of thousands of images & documents about Columbus. Contributing institutions include: the Columbus Jewish Historical Society and the Kelton House Museum and Garden.
  • Columbus Metropolitan Club – 
  • Columbus Metropolitan Library Archives – The Columbus Metropolitan Library Archives consists of press releases, multimedia, programming materials, photographs, and information about the library from the the founding of the library in 1873 to present day.  
  • Columbus News and Obituary Index – The index includes abstracts only of selected articles from 1960-1997. It also includes obituaries from 1931-1997.   
    • Search Only Obituaries and Deaths 1931-1997
    • Obituaries and Deaths 1913-1926,1940 Browseable A-Z
    • Obituaries and Deaths 1927-1939 Keyword Searchable
    • Birth Announcements 1915-1926 Browseable A-Z
  • Columbus and Ohio Map Collection – The Columbus and Ohio Map Collection is a selection of cartographic material from the Columbus Metropolitan Library that highlights the changes and growth in the city of Columbus and the state of Ohio.
  • Columbus and Ohio Yearbook Collection – The Columbus and Ohio Yearbook Collection is a collection of Columbus and Ohio yearbooks older than 39 years. The yearbooks are full-text searchable.
  • Columbus Rotary Collection – The Columbus Rotary Collection documents the history of Columbus Rotary (CR) over the last century. It includes photographs, letters, plaques, certificates, etc. 
  • COSI Collection –  COSI, Columbus, Ohio’s dynamic Center of Science and Industry, inspires the scientists, dreamers, and innovators of tomorrow. When complete, the collection will include images, artifacts, programs, brochures, exhibit information and primary documents.
  • David Lucas Collection – David E. Lucas became the photographer for the city of Columbus in 1972. His photos were used in city slide shows, brochures, publications, and reports.
  • The Davis Chair Company – Marysville, Ohio – The Davis Chair Company was founded by Charles E. Davis, a music instructor, in 1892 after he patented his idea of the perfect piano chair. 
  • The Dawes Arboretum – The Dawes Arboretum archives’ collecting scope includes four areas: Dawes family history; The Pure Oil Company history; The Dawes Arboretum records and history; and items relating to our Tree Dedicators. Items include but are not limited to images, correspondence, journals and diaries, maps, and newspapers. 
  • Decorative Arts Center of Ohio – The Decorative Arts Center of Ohio’s Wiley/Peters/Bolton Family Digital Archive is a collection of  materials, encompassing over a century of personal and community history through the lens of one of the most prominent local families in Lancaster, Ohio. 
  • Dublin Memories – A collaboration between the Dublin Historical Society, the Dublin Branch of the Columbus Metropolitan Library, and the City of Dublin, the Dublin Memory Project was awarded a grant from the City of Dublin in 2009 to help celebrate the Bicentennial in 2010. The grant allows the partners to gather and promote, research and catalogue, digitize and preserve Dublin’s history for in-person and on-line access. We are assembling Dublin’s digital “scrapbook.” The partners are applying their complementary skills, abilities and resources to this project. Dublin Historical Society members lend perspective, expertise and connections to uncover and identify items. It also collects the physical materials at the Fletcher Coffman House and Barn, 6659 Emerald Parkway. Library experts in digitizing and cataloguing mount and describe the images in the Ohio Memory database. The City of Dublin provides additional leadership, grant funding, and resources to support Dublin’s Bicentennial and in this project.                                      
  • Early Marysville and Union County Directories – Early Marysville and Union County Directories is a digital collection of early Marysville and Union County Directories dating back as early as 1877.
  • Edmund Arras Collection – Edmund F. Arras (7/7/1875-10/19/1951), a prominent Columbus businessman and entrepreneur, founded one of the city’s first property rental agencies in 1892.  These photographs include images of Chicago, Denver and western National Parks. 
  • Fairbanks Local School District – Panther Tales Yearbooks – This collection of Fairbanks Local School District Panther Tales yearbooks, 1960-201*, were digitized from the Fairbanks High School Collection.  More recent annuals will be available online after 5 years of pub
  • Fairfield County Heritage Association Collection – The Fairfield County Heritage Association Collection consists of photographs, newspapers, and documents pertaining to Fairfield County history. Subjects include, but are not limited to, pioneering families, businesses, historic houses, schools, and significant events. 
  • Fairfield County, Ohio Historic Photo Collection – 
  • The Finding Aid Collection – The Finding Aid Collection is a collection of Finding Aids created by staff at CML that describe in detail the collections that we have in our archives that are not cataloged in the traditonal manner like our book collection. 
  • First Community Church – First Community Church traces its roots to 1910, when it was established as Grandview Heights Congregational Church.
  • From Attics to Archives – The History Collection at Southwest Public Libraries (SPL) documents the social, cultural, political, religious, military, medical, industrial, and technological history (as well as the daily lives) of the people of southwest Franklin County, Ohio. 
  • Gahanna History – The Gahanna Local History Collection is a collection of photographs and documents from the Gahanna Historical Society archives that describe early settlement, local commerce, traditions and institutions of the City of Gahanna.
  • Garnet A. Wilson Public Library of Pike County Digital Collection – The library’s digital collection contains primarily historical items of local interest. Included in the collection are documents, newspapers, local court records, and photographs. 
  • Genealogy Collection – The Genealogy Collection contains materials that relate to Ohio and are primarily of interest because they include names of people who lived here, or to the ancestors of Columbus citizens.     
  • German Farm Histories – This is a collection of farm histories (hofgeschicten) compiled from original documents about farms and families in the Bersenbrück district (Osnabrück area), Hannover (now Niedersachsen) Germany.  Included is genealogical information about the families who oftentimes took on the name of the farm as their surname. In some cases there are photographs of people and buildings, many of which were taken during the 1960’s.  This collection is part of the Palatines to America Society (German) Genealogy collection at Columbus Metropolitan Library.
  • Grandview Heights High School Centennial Commencement Oral History Project – Alumni share their memories of growing up in Grandview Heights over the past decades – going to school, living in a small town, and reflecting on how things have changed.  
  • Grandview Heights High School Yearbooks – The Grandview Heights High School Digital Yearbook collection contains nearly 12,000 pages of images from 1915 to 2005. 
  • Grandview Heights – Marble Cliff Historical Society – This collection is an ongoing project consisting of pamphlets, photographs, and other documents.
  • Green Lawn Cemetery – Its 330 acres include 30 family mausoleums, a 1904 chapel with Tiffany designed windows, eight monuments on the Smithsonian Register, and over 155,000 interments. Once a premier Victorian cemetery for the wealthy, Green Lawn is a living public cemetery, reflecting Columbus’ settlement patterns, migrations, and natural disasters throughout its 175-year history.
  • Grove City Yearbooks – Southwest Public Libraries strives to maintain a complete collection of yearbooks from all schools, past and present, in southwest Franklin County.
  • Historical Marysville Public Library –  In January 2015 the library received a call from a person in Kentucky who had found the cornerstone box at a yard sale 8 to 10 years ago.  He wanted to return it back the community where it belonged.  This collection contains images of the box and its contents that were received at the Marysville Public Library on January 10, 2015. 
  • History of Union County, Ohio, its People, Industries and Institutions – Written by W.L Curry and Published in Indianapolis, Ind. by B.F. Bowen and Co., 1915. This work contains the history and biographical sketches of representative citizens and genealogical records of many of the old families of Union County, Ohio.  
  • Irvin Chamberlain Henry World War I Collection – The personal collection of Irvin Chamberlin Henry’s memorabilia as a soldier of Company E, 166th Infantry, 42nd (Rainbow) Division was generously donated by his family in 2009. 
  • Jackson City Library – Collection of newspapers and yearbooks from the Jackson City Library.
  • King Arts Complex – The Martin Luther King Jr. Performing and Cultural Arts Complex connects community through the arts. The King Arts Complex archive includes Call and Post images and articles from approximately 1962 to 1995.
  • Kojo Kamau Collection – Columbus photographer Kojo Kamau (1939-2016) worked as the chief medical photographer in The Ohio State University’s Department of Medicine and taught photography at Columbus State Community College. This collection is primarily comprised of Kamau’s photography, but also includes images of the artist as well.
  • Lancaster High School Yearbook Collection – This collections conatins a selection of Lancaster High School Yearbooks held by the Fairfield County Library. 
  • Life Histories in Union County – Life histories in Union County collection captures the memories of growing up in Union County with a mixture of audio, photos, and print materials. Mary E Babcock Library
  • Mary E Babcock Library
  • Marysville High School Yearbooks – The Marysville High School Digital Yearbook collection contains more than 9,000 images of the The Key, for years 1936-to 5 years current.
  • MLS Real Estate Cards – The MLS Real Estate Cards are a photographic collection of over 190,000 cards of Central Ohio houses and businesses that were sold between the mid 1950s to the early 1970s. The cards contain information about the building including number of rooms, sale price, selling realtor, and other valuable information regarding the history of the property.
  • Neuendettelsau- German Settlement in Union County – The German Settlement is a close knit community with it’s heart centered around St. John’s Lutheran Church. This collection captures the history of this strong community.  St. John’s Church records along with Trinity Lutheran records can be found in the Churches of Union County.  The book of Lebenslauf, which means “Life course” has been transcribed into English and is a great resource for genealogists.
  • Ohio Arts Council Riffe Gallery Archive – Established March 17, 1989, the OAC’s Riffe Gallery showcases the work of Ohio’s artists and the collections of the state’s museums and galleries. Inspiring art, engaging people, creating connections. 
  • Ohio Postcard Collection – The Ohio Postcard Collection contains over 9,000 early 20th Century postcards of Ohio cities and towns from Aberdeen to Zoar. 
  • Ohio Transportation Collection – The Ohio Transportation Collection is a collection with hundreds of images of Ohio streetcars, interurban railcars, trains, and canal boats. 
  • Ohio Online Visual Artist Registry 2000-2021 – The Ohio Online Visual Artist Registry is an archived collection of works up to March 2021. The new database is available at: https://www.oac.ohio.gov/Resources/Ohio-Online-Artist-Registry View the works of over 1,300 artists from Ohio and around the world, representing all kinds of art. In addition to viewing nearly 8,000 images in our database, you can obtain contact and biographical information for each artist. 
  • Outlook Magazine – Outlook Ohio Magazine is a free, monthly publication that is released on the first day of each month. Geared for the GLBT & allied community, it’s content  contains both locally and nationally focused features with a mix of columns, editorials, arts & entertainment, politics, sports, celebrity interviews and community news. 
  • Plain City Public Library – The Plain City Public Library Digital History Collection is currently in progress and will eventually contain searchable images from Jonathan Alder High School yearbooks, Plain City High School Yearbooks, and The Pictorial History of Plain City, Ohio. 
  • Pickerington Historical Photos – The Pickerington Collection contains digitized materials from the Pickerington Public Library Archive, featuring unique cultural and historical resources relating to the Pickerington, Violet Township and Fairfield County communities.  Subject focus includes, but is not limited to, early settlement, ethnic groups, family, business, prominent individuals, and significant events. 
  • Photos of Union County, Ohio – This collection contains various photos from around Union County submitted by the citizens of Union County. There are several unidentified photos included in this collection. The images in these collections may be copyrighted, contain trademarks, contain watermarks, or be subject to other legal restrictions, such as publicity rights.
  • Prizm Magazine – Prizm is an LGBTQ-focused lifestyle publication with coverage focused on current events, health, arts & culture, fashion, politics, news, travel and entertainment. 
  • Soldiers of the Great War Vol. II Ohio Section – The Soldiers of the Great War, published in a 3 Volume set, is a record of the fallen American soldiers in Europe during World War I. 
  • Union County Community Histories – The Union County Community Histories contain rich local histories of the towns located within Union County, Ohio. 
  • Union County Historic Postcard Collection – The Union County postcard collection contains over 450 postcards of Union County buildings, landmarks, cities and towns, tourist attractions, and other views. 
  • Union County Rural Schools – Union County Rural Schools collection is comprised of Graduation Commencement Announcements, School Souvenirs, and various  Union County School Annuals and yearbooks. 
  • VR3 Cruise Book 1964 – Made available by Grandview Heights Public Library, this pictorial essay of the 1964 VR3 Squadron of the Military Air Transport Service of the U.S. Naval Reserve was photographed, edited, and published by squadron member Alan E. Zink.

• Columbus Metropolitan Library Photos at Ohio Memory