The Windsor Public Library has received an Award of Merit from the Ontario Genealogical Society (OGS) for the LOCAL HISTORY CENTRE at Central Library, which opened in April 2016. Windsor Mayor and WPL Board Chair Drew Dilkens was present at the September meeting of the Essex Branch of OGS to accept the honour.  The Local History Room is located on the second floor of Central Library (850 Ouellette Avenue).

Windsor Public Library has been acquiring, preserving and making available historic records of the City of Windsor, its boards and commissions for many years but with the opening of the LOCAL HISTORY CENTRE, we succeeded in bringing them all together and making them available at one location.

The centre showcases the heritage and culture of Windsor as it exists today and in the past. It is particularly attractive and popular with local authors, historians and others interested in the Windsor and Essex County area.

There over 7,500 photographs and 20,000 sets of architectural drawings, maps and plans available for viewing by customers. Records date back to the late 1700’s, although records for Windsor start in 1854, the year Windsor was incorporated as a village. Documentation on communities that became part of Windsor (Ford City/East Windsor, Ojibway, Riverside, Sandwich, Walkerville and the Townships of Sandwich East, West and South) are included and available for viewing. The multi-media collection includes paper documents (journals, letters, diaries), posters, audio tapes and ephemera.