View new displays bimonthly outside the Community History Center on the second floor of the Santori Library or online at www.aurorapubliclibrary.org/CommunityHistory www.aurorapubliclibrary.org/CommunityHistory
G E N E A L O G Y & C O M M U N I T Y H I S T O R Y
COMMUNITY
HISTORYCENTER
The Aurora Public Library District identifies, preserves, and makes accessible materials of enduring value related to the City of Aurora, Illinois. The APLD Community History Collection supports research and education for the public whose work relies on primary source materials, including rare books, photographs, newspapers, media, digital files, and archival records.
All are welcome to use the Community History Center. Please see a staff member to gain access.
BASES
Online databases are free to use, available to anyone inside a library location, and can be accessed remotely with an APLD library card, unless otherwise noted.
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dress Conversion
ituary Index
ndex
#20 Deaths
ty Marriage Licenses
s Marriages
ans and Burials
of genealogy documents, including census, military, immigration, birth, and death records. In-library use only.
BeaconNewsCollection
Current and archived issues from 1997 to today. Archival issues prior to 1997 are available on microfilm.
ChicagoTribune-Historical
Provides access to digital reproductions of articles from 1849 to 1987.
ChicagoCommunityCollection
Search over 250 Chicago-area local newspapers.
HeritageHub
U.S. obituaries and death notices from 1704 to today.
HispanicLifeinAmerica
The experience and impact of Hispanic Americans as recorded by the news media from 1704 to today.
COLLECTIONS
Newspapers
This collection includes several local papers on microfilm, with the Beacon-News making up most of the collection, from 1848 to today.
CityDirectories
The City of Aurora directories contain residential and business listings from 1858 to today (with some gaps). Beginning in 1895, the directories include street listings which allow users to look up information by address. Aurora lots were re-numbered in 1928. The 1929 directory contains the conversion key for old and new addresses.
Yearbooks
This collection includes yearbooks from Aurora area colleges, high schools, and junior high schools. Our most complete collections are from East (1913–2015) and West (19012015) Aurora High Schools.
SpecialCollections
The Community History Collection contains a variety of small archival collections. Additionally, the Wilkinson Family Collection includes photographs, documents, and personal items from Marie and Charles Wilkinson, and their children, Sheila and Donald.
Andmore!
The Community History Center houses select collections of reference books, subject files, photographs, audio/video materials, a local author collection, atlases and plat books, and other microfilmed materials.
