Local History Room Information

The Local History Room opened its doors in 1973 thanks to a $3500 donation from Lulu Launer as a tribute to her late husband Albert’s many years of community service. The first order of business was to organize the many boxes of historical documents that had been stored in a sliver of space under the stairs at the WPA library. Tucked in the corner of the new library at 353 W. Commonwealth, the local history collection soon outgrew its cramped quarters and commandeered additional library real estate on the third floor. Greater visibility led to more donations and as part of the 2011 library renovation, the collection moved into its new state-of-the-art, climate-controlled facility that doubled the square footage of the old room, thanks this time, to a donation from Jim Blake.

The collection has changed a lot since 1973, moving from the self-serve, browsing model to more of a rare materials, special collection archive. Advanced digital technology has allowed the library to make the collection available to researchers near and far, while protecting the original documents for generations of Fullertonians to come. Patrons can now research their family history using the city directories that are available through the library’s website, 3rd graders can pull pictures of historic people and places from our Pinterest page and history buffs can follow us on Facebook, inquiring and commenting on new additions to the collection.