Visit the George and Helen Jackson Heritage Room on the second floor of the Library to browse our unique collection of local history resources. Our collection includes local documents, family records, maps, cemetery guides, municipal publications, artifacts and much more.
Digital Collection
The Library has recently launched this new digital collection to provide access to a variety of items including vital statistics, newspaper articles, photographs, and more. We are continually adding new records on a regular basis.
For complete instructions on how to search and locate items in the digital collection, please see our handy Local History Resource Guide. Additional information about our Local History Collection and terms of use may be found in our Local History Brochure.
Newspapers: Print and Microfilm
We have a hard copy collection of local, national and international newspapers for the past 6 months, including the: Bradford Topic, Barrie Examiner, Era, Huronia Business Times, Toronto Star, Globe & Mail, National Post, and Guardian (weekly).
The library has an incomplete collection of local newspapers on microfilm, as well as census records from as far back as 1861. You can check this material out of the collection for use on our microfilm reader, located in the Local History room. The microfilm reader will also print copies for a fee of 10 cents per black and white page (30 cents for colour).
The newspaper records date back to 1854 with the Bradford Chronicle, South Simcoe Times (later News), Herald, Witness, Witness and South Simcoe News, Bradford Witness, Bradford Weekly, Bradford Gazette, Bradford Times and Bradford Topic all accessible. To check if a specific issue is available, please ask an Information Services staff member or look through our Microfilm Index Collection for a complete record of our microfilm holdings.
Vital Statistics
The digital collection includes over 2,500 vital statistics records comprising birth, death and marriage notices from local newspapers and other official sources. You may access, and search directly by visiting the Vital Statistics Collection.
A number of items are also available in digital format and can be found using the search function at the top of this page. Local History Collection material can be found within this local history database or by using the Library catalogue. Archival items such as the Family Files, information on settlements, and maps are not listed in the catalogue, but can be accessed with the assistance of a staff member.
Due to the irreplaceable nature of the material found in our Local History Collection, you will need to leave ID with the librarian to use this material in the library. These items are not available for loan. Staff at the Information Services Desk on the 1st floor will assist you with accessing the Local History Collection.
Personal Use Only
Patrons are welcome to use the information contained within the database for personal research and study. Commercial use of items found within is strictly prohibited. Reproduction of any digital content contained in our database must be requested through the submission of a Request for Reproduction Form . The completed form may be sent via email to lhistory@bradford.library.on.ca or dropped off at the Borrower Services Desk.
System Availability
Please note that the digital archive will be unavailable each morning between 12:00 am and 1:00 am for regularly scheduled maintenance. We apologize for any inconvenience.