Welcome to the Canaday Center

We support research through the preservation of history.

The Ward M. Canaday Center for Special Collections collects and preserves the institutional memory of the University of Toledo as well as the personal and organizational records of the people and industries of Toledo and Northwest Ohio. Our collections are available to University faculty, staff, students, and alumni and anyone else with a desire to explore our University's and region's history.

Black and white image of file boxes and old books on a shelf.

Hours

Monday - Friday

8 am - 4:30 pm*

Closed daily from 12 - 1 pm.

Closed all major holidays.

*Access to our collections is by appointment only. If you're interested in researching our collections, you can call, email or complete our webform to schedule an appointment.

Click on the buttons below to learn more about who we are, what we do, what we have, and how you can explore it all.

NEWS

CENTER CLOSURE

The Canaday Center will be closed on Thursday, May 15, 2025 and Friday, May 16, 2025 for staff development. Access to the exhibit will be unavailable.

EXHIBITION ANNOUNCEMENT

Arrivals and Departures: The History of Transportation in Toledo and Northwest Ohio

Opening date: April 17, 2025, 3 p.m.

Location: Ward M. Canaday Center for Special Collections, 5th floor, William S. Carlson Library

At the heart of the country, Ohio was a geographically isolated state until the start of the nineteenth century. In the 200-plus years since, it has emerged to be a center for travel and industry, especially in Northwest Ohio. This is in large part due to innovations in transportation, which served as an aid to settlement and to increase commerce.

“Arrivals and Departures” illustrates those innovations by exploring the historical development of the main modes of transportation: canals; maritime; railroads; automobiles; airplanes; and public transportation (specifically trolleys, streetcars, and interurbans) with a focus on that development as it occurred in the northern Ohio region.

A joint effort of the Canaday Center and Bowling Green State University’s Center for Archival Collections, the exhibition will be on display from April 18 until December 11, Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Image of woman with car

Poster for exhibit

Trolley and trolley operators

Find rare books, theses and dissertations, and more at the Canaday Center

Search the University of Toledo Digital Repository

Search Toledo's Attic

Featured Resources: Essays | Resources | Digitized Historical Newspapers | Genealogy Resources | Toledo's Attic Social Media