Sheffield Local Studies Library
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Sheffield Local Studies Library collects and preserves printed material relating to Sheffield and the surrounding area, and makes it available for study and research. The collection of over 30,000 volumes includes books, pamphlets, journals and reports on all aspects of the city's history and development and the lives of its people. Information on present day Sheffield includes statistics and special files on current issues.
The Local Studies Library is a joint service with Sheffield Archives. They are part of the Sheffield Libraries Archives and Information Service delivered by Sheffield City Council.
Opening Times
The Local Studies Library is open 6 days a week (Mon 10 am – 8 pm, Tues – Sat 9.30 am – 5.30 pm) and the service is free to use.
Contact details
1st Floor, Central Library, Surrey Street, Sheffield, S1 1XZ
Tel 0114 273 4753
Fax 0114 273 5009
Email localstudies.library@sheffield.gov.uk
Accessing material
The main way to access material is via the catalogues. There are two main catalogues:
For items acquired by the library prior to 1997 use the card index which is a simple A-Z index of people, places and subjects.
For items received since 1997 use the computer catalogue. This can be searched online via the internet and in the library on the catalogue terminal.
Once you have a reference to an item ask a member of staff and they will tell you how to access it. It may be freely available on the shelves or, if not, arrangements will be made to get the item from the strongroom for you. This may take about 20 minutes.
There are also a number of specialist catalogues and indexes which you may wish to use.
Visit us
You are free to visit and browse the bookshelves and catalogues. There is no need to fill in any forms or provide proof of identity. Please refer to a member of staff if you wish to use a computer, the photocopier or a microform reader
Services for students and teachers
We offer visits by groups of students and their teachers at all levels from primary through to post graduate). Group visits can be catered for your particular needs - we can ensure we introduce you to the main sources for your areas of study, along with hints and tips on how to make the most of your visits. Joint visits with Sheffield Archives can also be arranged. If you and your group are unable to visit the Library or Archives, we can arrange to visit you. We do highly recommend however a visit to us to get a full overview of the collections in our care and the full range of facilities we offer.
Copying Services
We offer a full range of reprographics services: photocopying, scanning and microfilming etc. Copies can be supplied in paper or electronic form.
Materials in the collections
Newspapers
Newspapers have been published in Sheffield for over 200 years. The main titles are:
• Sheffield Register 1787-1794
• Sheffield Iris 1794-1839
• Sheffield & Rotherham Independent 1819-1938
• Sheffield Daily Telegraph 1855-1986
• Star 1873-
• Sheffield Telegraph 1989-
• Green 'Un (sports) 1907-
Most newspapers, including modern free papers, are on microfilm. There are files of news cuttings, arranged by subject, from 1960. Some of these are on microfiche. Further information is available on our website [1]
Directories
Trade directories were issued from the mid 18th century until around 1945. Sometimes described as the ‘Yellow Pages’ of their day, they were commercial ventures which reflected the business and interests of their compilers. Sheffield street and trade directories from 1774 to 1974, also telephone directories from 1941. Further information is available on our website [2]
Census returns
Microfilm copies of 1841 -1881 for Sheffield and parts of South Yorkshire and North Derbyshire. The returns for 1891 & 1901 are held on microfiche. Street indexes are available for all years and full name indexes for Sheffield, for 1841 -1881. In addition there is a partial name index for 1891. Further information is available on our website [3]
Electoral registers
Registers of electors from 1841 to the present. Further information is available on our website [4]
Ordnance Survey maps
Past editions of 6 inch and 25 inch Ordnance Survey maps and some earlier non-Ordnance Survey maps.
Before the Second World War maps were produced as a ‘County Series’ at a scale of 6 inches to 1 mile (1:10,560) and 1:2,500 (25 inches to 1 mile). As Sheffield lies on the boundary of Yorkshire and Derbyshire and has extended its boundaries at various times, this sometimes leads to confusion.
Yorkshire:
six-inch maps for this area were first published 1853-55.
1:2,500 maps were published in 1890 and revised in about 1905, 1923 and 1935.
Derbyshire:
six-inch and 1:2,500 maps were first published in 1876 and revised in about 1898, 1923 and 1938.
There are also town plans of Sheffield (these do not cover the whole of the present city):
1853 at 1:1056 scale
1890-93/1903 at 1:500 scale
The National Grid survey began in 1949 and continues to the present day. Maps are available at 1:10,000, 1:2,500 and 1:1,250 scales. Coverage at the largest scales is restricted to Sheffield.
Local Studies also has small scale Ordnance Survey maps of the Sheffield area. National coverage at 1:25,000 and 1:50,000 is available in the Arts, Social Science and Sports Library (within the Central Library) and the maps may also available in the lending libraries.
Further information is available on our website [5]
Illustrations
Over 60,000 illustrations, mainly black and white photographs, of people, places and events in the Sheffield area. Further information is available on our website [6] See also separate Wikipedia entry for Picture Sheffield
Ephemera
Includes many miscellaneous printed items such as publicity leaflets, posters, trade literature, playbills and property sale plans.
Sound recordings
Recordings of local interest include all types of music and the spoken word. There is also a collection of oral history recordings in which Sheffield people talk about their lives. There are facilities for listening to cassette tapes but special arrangements are necessary for other formats.
Film and video
An important collection of archive film shows scenes of life in Sheffield. Access to the original films is restricted for preservation reasons but some can be viewed as DVD/video copies.
Can you help?
The Library is constantly adding to its collections.. If you know of a book, pamphlet, newsletter or any other item of interest, please let us know or send us a copy. Remember we collect DVDs, videos and sound recordings as well as all kinds of printed materials. If you have completed a thesis or special study on a local topic, please consider depositing a copy in the library. We also appreciate the generosity of people who donate or lend older material. Photographs, in particular, can be copied and the original safely returned.
Keep in touch
We produce a newsletter every two months – the Sheffield History Reporter. You can subscribe for just £2 a year and have it posted to you or you can pick up free copies in the library or at Sheffield Archives.
External Links
Sheffield Libraries Archives and Information
Picture Sheffield