Exhibits

now on display online

View high-resolution digital photos, interviews of former library staff, original documentation, and more capturing the legacy of the Cincinnati & Hamilton County Public Library.

Featured Exhibits

Once known as one of 19th century America's most celebrated writers, including such company as Edgar Allan Poe, Robert Louis Stevenson, and Mark Twain, Lafcadio Hearn spent nearly a decade living in Cincinnati.

Using original newspapers, photographs, handwritten letters, and rare books, this exhibit follows the literary, spiritual, and geographical journeys of this restless and complicated spirit. Online exhibit, opens a new window

From 1997 to 2017, Cincinnatians tuning in to Local 12 WKRC-TV each week saw the familiar face of host Dan Hurley on the set of “Local 12 Newsmakers.” View full, unedited episodes in this engaging virtual experience about our local civic landscape. Online exhibit, opens a new window | View Episodes, opens a new window

Between 1872 and 1894, five inclined plane railroads were constructed in Cincinnati, lifting residents of the city were eager to escape the industrial smog and cramped living conditions of the basin to the city's scenic hilltops. Get a new view of Cincinnati and the iconic "inclines" through an interactive online experience featuring rare photos, interviews, and more sourced from CHPL's Digital Library. Online exhibit , opens a new window

Past Exhibits

Exhibits

The 1937 Ohio River Flood

View the impact of the historic 1937 flood through an interactive online experience featuring rare photos, interviews, and more.

Veterans History Project

Coordinated by the Library of Congress (LOC), view hundreds of first-hand accounts of those who defended the United States during wartime.

Panorama of Progress

View eight separate daguerreotype plates forming panorama taken in 1848 of the nation's sixth largest city at the time, Cincinnati.

Audubon Birds of America

The Cincinnati & Hamilton County Public Library is fortunate to own one of the few intact copies of John James Audubon’s Birds of America.

Innovation Through Collaboration

Explore the ideas & partnerships of Steve Jobs, Albert Einstein, Benjamin Franklin & Leonardo da Vinci through CHPL's Rare Books Collection.

Browse Hundreds of School Yearbooks on the Digital Library

Help complete CHPL’s digital collection of local and regional high school yearbooks by donating yours today.

Lincoln Memorabilia on Exhibit at Downtown Main Library

The Library is exhibiting its collection of Lincoln letters and memorabilia in the Cincinnati Room.

19th Century Black Cincinnatians you should know

19th Century Black Cincinnatians you should know

Women's Suffrage in Ohio

Ohio Women Vote: 100 Years of Change, an exhibit about women's suffrage in our region, is on view at the Downtown Main Library.

8 things about Cincinnati’s cinematic history

8 things you probably didn’t know about Cincinnati’s cinematic history

Birds of a Feather exhibition at Cincinnati Museum Center

In the Audubon Tradition: Birds of a Feather exhibition at the Cincinnati Museum Center

‘Unbound’ exhibit at Main Library extends run into 2020

Unbound exhibit, featuring the writings and art of people who have experienced incarceration and are re-entering society, continues in 2020.

Hidden Gem: The Library’s USS Cincinnati exhibit

Hidden Gem: The Library’s USS Cincinnati exhibit

Unbound exhibit is writing, art by those re-entering society

Unbound exhibit features the writings and art of people who have experienced incarceration and are re-entering our communities.

Unbound: Writing & Art from Cincinnati’s Returning Citizens

The Office of Reentry and Volunteers of America Ohio & Indiana host this powerful exhibit of art by people who are or were incarcerated.

Real Art for Young Artists: Rosemary Wells Exhibition

Real Art for Young Artists: The Art of Rosemary Wells Exhibition

Meet With Library Experts

Get free, one-on-one help from library staff. View materials to research your home's history at the Joseph S. Stern, Jr. Cincinnati Room at the Downtown Main Library. Make an appointment today.

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