3Titles
Explore publications and collections from the past.
Community History Archive Partner
Westland Area Library
Columbus, Ohio
Explore this community history collection to discover the people, places, organizations, and events of Columbus.
1977 to 2012Dates represented
See individual titles for available dates.
72,254Archive pages
Historical pages reported for this collection.
Explore local history
Discover the people, places, and stories of Columbus, Ohio.
Explore the past of Columbus, Ohio through newspapers in the Westland Area Library's digital archive. Its three titles include material from 1977 to 2012.
Opens in a new tab.
-
Selected titles
The collection from Westland Area Library includes “Lincoln Village Railsplitter” and “West Columbus Messenger”.
-
Free and open access
No subscription or payment required.
-
A closer look
A familiar name or event takes on another dimension in the newspaper coverage of its time, alongside the stories that mattered to the readers of that issue.
Reporting from the time can reveal how people described the events, work and concerns of their day, placing a local story within the history unfolding around it. Whether you are tracing a family connection, exploring a local event or sharing history with a class, there is more to discover than names and dates alone. Explore the archive online for free, without a subscription.
Explore the collection
Titles in this collection
Browse three titles and 72,254 digitized pages, with material from 1977 to 2012. This collection is shared through Westland Area Library's partnership with Advantage Archives. Some years or items may be missing between the dates shown.
Explore the titles below for a closer look at the places, people and everyday life of earlier generations.
Lincoln Village Railsplitter
1,658 pages from 1991 to 2012
The Westside Messenger
55,574 pages from 1982 to 2005
West Columbus Messenger
15,022 pages from 1977 to 1982
Opens in a new tab.
About the Archive
About The Westland Area Library’s History Archives
Explore the Westland Area Library ’s digital archives, made available through a partnership with Advantage Archives . These archives provide free access to a vast collection of historical newspapers, capturing the rich history of the Westland, Ohio area. The archives are invaluable for research, genealogy, and community engagement.
About the Library
About The Westland Area Library
The Westland Area Library , located in Ohio, serves the vibrant communities of Westland by providing access to a wide range of materials, programming, and services. The library is committed to enriching the lives of its patrons through opportunities for lifelong learning, information access, and community engagement.
Library History
The History Of The Westland Area Library
Since its founding, the Westland Area Library has grown into a cornerstone of the community, offering extensive collections and supporting local history efforts. Through the library’s digital archives, residents and historians can explore the area’s rich past, making it an essential resource for genealogists and researchers alike.
Partner Story
Mission Statement
Our mission is to connect the community to learning, creativity, and discovery through quality programs, resources, and services that meet the needs of Westland’s diverse population.
More ways to explore and share local history
Research Guidance
Trace a name across nearby issues
A family name, a familiar street or a story passed down through generations can lead to a closer look at the history of Columbus. The digital archive shared by the Westland Area Library offers a place to begin. When using historical newspapers, try alternate spellings and nearby dates, then read the surrounding page to place a local story in its time. Compare later reporting or another available title to explore different perspectives rather than treating one account as the whole story.
If a name does not appear, try an alternate spelling or a related term, then read around any match. Note the issue date and page so a result stays connected to its context. Use those details to follow a story without treating one search result as a complete answer.
Build a trail through the past that someone else can follow: record the title, date, page or item reference, and a link when available. Keep historical quotations distinct from your own interpretation. If accounts disagree, note what each source supports before deciding how the details fit together in a family or community story.
Community Partnership
Keeping local history a community resource
This community archive is made possible by the collaboration of the Westland Area Library, its community, and Advantage Archives. Together, these partnerships preserve local sources and give people a way to explore, learn from, and share the history around them.
Advantage Archives covers ongoing archive hosting, storage, development, and maintenance. The institution and its community do not pay a subscription, seat license, annual support contract, or other recurring archive-service charge. Local history remains a community resource, not a subscription to maintain.
Would you like to see more of your community's history preserved and accessible? Start a conversation with your library, newspaper publisher, historical or genealogical society, museum, or school about the materials they would like to share and a possible partnership with Advantage Archives.
Learn about partnerships
Stories, research tips, and archive news
Read All About It connects archive research with the people and institutions preserving local history. Explore partner and community stories, project updates, research ideas, and perspectives on digitization, education, and working with primary sources. Use the articles as a starting point for your next question or a new way to share a discovery.
May 7, 2025
Why Microfilm is still important in 2023
Preserving documents on microfilm has been a popular method of storage for many years, and it still holds many benefits today. Here…
Read article
May 7, 2025
Don’t Search For An Obituary By Only Searching For An “Obituary”
In the quest to trace our roots and understand our heritage, obituaries often serve as a crucial starting point. Obituaries are undoubtedly…
Read article
April 9, 2025
Unveiling the Hidden Mysteries: Exploring Cold Cases and Unconventional Clues
Even the most esteemed police forces in the county encounter perplexing cold case files. These unsolved mysteries often leave investigators and genealogists…
Read article
April 1, 2025
This Week in History: March 31st through April 6th
Discover History in The Community History Archives. This week in history, there is absolutely nothing to talk about… April Fools! April…
Read article
March 24, 2025
This Week in History: March 24th through March 30th
Discover History in The Community History Archives. It has officially been a year since I started writing This Week in History,…
Read article
March 18, 2025
It’s Your Community’s History, So Why Rent Something You Own?
We believe that history belongs to the communities where it was made - not locked behind paywalls or inaccessible due to budget restrictions. Subscription-based services and large content aggregators are generally more concerned with "content" and less concerned with the history that content contains. Their models typically involve a reoccurring charge for a plan that renews annually or licensing agreements with the library based on population served or circulation numbers. You are essentially Renting Access To YOUR History.
Read article