Physical Collections
- Books: The collection offers a wide variety of historical texts focused on local history, culture, and notable figures from New Britain.
- Maps: It includes both historical and contemporary maps, providing visual context to the development of New Britain and its surrounding areas.
- Directories: City directories are available, containing detailed information about residents and businesses from various years, which are crucial for genealogical research and understanding local demographics.
- Historical Records: A diverse range of documents and records related to local interest helps paint a fuller picture of the community’s past.
Microfilm Collection
- New Britain Herald: This collection includes microfilm editions of the New Britain Herald, offering access to historical newspaper articles that chronicle local events and developments.
Digital Collections
- Elihu Burritt’s Handwritten Journals: These journals are digitized for browsing, allowing users to explore the insights and reflections of Elihu Burritt, although they are not searchable.
- Symonds, Hanna, and Klingberg Scrapbooks: Digitally available, these scrapbooks contain local news articles and obituaries, serving as a window into the community's historical narratives.
Special Collections
The Local History Room houses several special collections that highlight significant local figures and themes:
- Elihu Burritt "The Learned Blacksmith": This collection features journals, written works, biographies, and papers of Elihu Burritt, a notable local figure recognized for his contributions to literature and social reform.
- Rev. John Smalley: Contains speeches and writings dating back to 1767, offering historical context and insights into early American life and thought.
- High School Yearbooks: Yearbooks dating from 1904 provide a glimpse into the local educational community and the experiences of students through the decades.
Online Genealogy Research
Ancestry
This database is great for anyone who is doing genealogical research. This can only be used in the library and is available on all public internet computers.
Family Search
This database is great for anyone who is doing genealogical research. This can only be used in the library and is available on all public internet computers.
More Research Resources
- CT State Library Digital Collections : Connecticut State Library's Digital Collections materials come from the Connecticut State Library, and the State Archives, and include court documents, law and legal materials, photographs of buildings and structures, farms, roads and bridges, and more. The documents and photographs are representative of the history and genealogy of Connecticut, and the business of state government and range from 1631 to the present day.
- CT Digital Newspaper Project : The Connecticut Digital Newspaper Project is an initiative of the Connecticut State Library. The National Endowment for the Humanities has awarded the Connecticut State Library six two-year National Digital Newspaper Program (NDNP) grants to digitize historically significant Connecticut newspapers for the Library of Congress database Chronicling America.
- City of New Britain Assessor’s Office : The primary duty of the Assessor's Office is to discover, list and value all real estate, motor vehicles and personal property located within the City of New Britain.
- ResearchIT CT: Genealogy :ResearchIT CT and State Library resources that are useful for genealogical research.
- ResearchIT CT: Newspapers ResearchIT CT and State Library list of historical newspaper databases.