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BULLET History and Genealogy Department


The History and Genealogy Department, located on the second floor of Central Library, is responsible for service in subjects which include history, genealogy, heraldry, travel, biography, and geography. It contains over 25,000 volumes and 270 periodicals.

Nationally recognized as one of the major genealogical collections in the country, the genealogy and heraldry sections contain materials covering Missouri, Illinois, and those states east and south of Missouri whose population had the most influence on Missouri’s population. Most of the genealogy collection is for reference use only and cannot be checked out.

Also in the History and Genealogy Department is a collection of maps of countries, regions, and cities around the world which may be circulated. In addition, there are reference sets of large-scale Missouri and Illinois topographic maps, St. Louis and Missouri historical maps, and medium-scale European maps for the genealogists, as well as numerous atlases. Another 100,000 maps are located in the Map Room in the basement, and have to be retrieved by staff in this department or Government Information. Identifying the maps is easy using MapFind, an electronic database of the Library’s cartographic holdings, which will be searched by the staff for the customer.

St. Louis Area Studies Center

The Center, located in the North end of the History & Genealogy Department, centralizes historical material on the city of St. Louis and its metropolitan area. Among the most used materials are a complete set of St. Louis city directories, 1821 through 1980 when discontinued, and a set of the Sanborn fire insurance maps, both on microfilm. Maps and atlases for the area, a clipping file and a card index on St. Louis history are also located in the Center.



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