Ellis Little Local History Room

The Waterloo Public Library is committed to collecting and preserving the local history of the City of Waterloo. In our local history room you have access to:

• Books
• Business and Clipping Files
• Correspondence
• Genealogy and Census materials
• Government records
• Historical Atlases
• Journals
• Maps and Plans
• Memorabilia
• Newspapers
• Photographs
• Postcards
• Waterloo Historical Society annual volumes
• Special Collections
• Waterloo 150 project

We have a number of special collections including:

• The Ellis Little Papers
• The Globe Furniture Company
• Sunshine Waterloo
• Waterloo Board of Trade Minute Books
• David Bean Collection

We offer a number of genealogical and special local history services.

The Ellis Little Local History Room is available to researchers during regular Library hours. Please see Hours and Locations.

The room is located behind the Information Desk (Adult Department) in the Main Library.

Local History Resources for Sale

Researching An Older Home?

The City of Waterloo’s Heritage Resources Department has created a research guide for those trying to trace the history of their home. The brochure, available at the Waterloo Public Library’s Ellis Little Local History Room for $1.00 contains:

• Tips on getting started
• Visual clues
• Local resources
• A guide to archival resources
• City of Waterloo Designated Landmarks

This publication, created by L.A.C.A.C., is available at the Waterloo Public Library’s Ellis Little Local History Room for $6.00. L.A.C.A.C. will donate $1.00 of the purchase price from each book to the Library. This booklet contains photos of a number of Waterloo landmarks with the history of each.

For more details, contact our Local History Manager, Janet Seally at 519-886-1310 ext. 126 or email.