Learn About Local History Through Rodman Public Library
by Jack Weber
A library is full of resources to help its patrons connect with its community’s past.
Rodman Public Library is no different, but what you may not know is that residents of the greater Alliance area have access to historical data, records and artifacts right at their fingertips through the library and the Alliance Historical Society.
Website Links to Many Resources
On Rodman Library’s website, rodmanlibrary.com, there is a wealth of local history — much of it provided through the Historical Society — just waiting to be discovered and explored, including, but not limited to, old maps of Alliance through the Sanborn Fire Insurance maps produced between 1867 and 1970, city of Alliance ordinances and the minutes from public meetings held between 1854 and 1924, and full recordings of Carnation Festival parades for select years between 1983 and 2002. The Alliance Review Collection includes searchable digitized copies of The Alliance Review — nearly every edition produced between 1905 and 1925 — is available through Ohio Memory. The Recreational News, a weekly Alliance newspaper published from 1925-1927 that aimed to supply reliable information for every recreational activity in the interests of healthy sports and athletics, clean amusements, better homes and civic improvement is also available as are select copies of The Red and Blue, the student newspaper of Alliance High School.
Alliance Memory Offers Over 6,000 Images
One of the popular local history offerings found on rodmanlibrary.com is alliancememory.org, Featuring sights, sounds, and recollections of the Alliance community, Alliance Memory offers more than 6,000 images, documents and interviews (both written and digitally recorded) through the Alliance Oral Histories Project. A full list of available oral histories is available on the library’s website.
Full digitized editions of the Alliance High School yearbook, The Chronicle, from 1910 through 2017 can also be searched and browsed.
But Wait, There’s More!
To access the full local history resources available online, visit rodmanlibrary.com and click on the Genealogy and History tab in the blue navigation bar.
Of course, patrons are always welcome to visit the Main Library at 215 E. Broadway Street to explore physical materials such as books and microfilm.
Those wishing to talk to a librarian concerning historical and genealogical research, or those who need help accessing online material, should call 330-821-2665, ext. 217.
Reprinted with permission from Rodman Public Library’s Buzz newsletter, February 2022.