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    Friday, 22 August 2008   |  12ºC – Light Rain   |  Telephone: 02 9777 1000

Local Studies

Willoughby Heritage - Main Page The Local Studies department of the Library is the place to find current and historical information about the Willoughby local area, including books, photographs, newspapers, Council minutes, and maps. There are several special areas of interest that Local Studies can help with, such as finding out about your house or family. Local Studies also produce fact sheets about aspects of Willoughby.

In the Local Studies section there is a card catalogue to help find items on shelves, in the Local History File and in the Photo File. There are also microfiche and microfilm readers, and a CDROM drive. Material from this section cannot be borrowed but can usually be photocopied.

Local Studies is open any time during normal borrowing hours, but for specific research questions a phone call to the Local Studies Librarian on 9777 7900 is advised.

Image Library

The image library is an extensive collection of mostly black and white photos of the local area. The images date from the 1890s to the present day and each is presented with a description and explanatory historical note. To access image library click here.

Fact Sheets

These fact sheets on aspects of Willoughby's history have been written by the Local Studies team. To access these fact sheets click here.

Your House
The Library holds most Willoughby Council Valuation and Rate books from 1872 to 1984. These can help you find out when your house was built, if it had a name, and who used to live there. There are some information brochures;  House Trace Brochure,  House Trace Form.

Your Family
We have a selection of shipping lists, convict lists, pioneer registers, births, deaths and marriages indices, electoral rolls, early telephone directories, census records, Sands Directors and cemetery transcripts which can be used for family history research. A  Guide to Family History (PDF) can be downloaded or found in print at the library.

Your Council
Most of the minutes of Willoughby Council from the first Council Meeting in 1865 onwards are held here. Current minutes are available on open access. A selection of publications and miscellaneous reports issued by Council are held in the archives.

Gore Hill Cemetery
Willoughby City Library is the repository for all Gore Hill cemetery records. For more information about Gore Hill Cemetery and to access the Gore Hill Cemetery Mapping Database click here.

Walter Burley Griffin
Since Castlecrag was planned and named by Walter Burley Griffin, there is a lot of information held at Willoughby on the American. There are books, photos, maps and plans of the Castlecrag subdivision as well as material on the Griffin Incinerator. See also the website of the Walter Burley Griffin Society.

Heritage Walks
Willoughby City Library have prepared a series of Heriatage walk brochures. Heritage walks are a great way to spend a weekend afternoon strolling a neighbourhood and discovering its past. You can visit:

Donations
If you have photographs of the Willoughby area - people, places, houses, parks, occasions etc - the Local Studies team at the library would love to have them to add to their collection of 5,000 photos of past and present Willoughby. If you are able to date the photographs and add a caption, even better. If you do not wish to donate the photos, the Library can copy them and return them to you. Contact the Local Studies team on 9777 7900.

For any enquiries please phone the Local Studies section on 9777 7900 or email library@willoughby.nsw.gov.au.