Local History at the Main Library

The Launer Room

The Launer Local History Room is open Monday through Thursday 2-5 p.m. or by appointment. Please call 714-738-6342. The room is located on the fourth floor (mezzanine level) of Fullerton's main library.

The Launer Memorial Local History Room was established in 1973 when Fullerton's current library building opened. Lulu Convis Launer, in honor of her husband Albert Launer, donated funds for creating and organizing the room. The City of Fullerton, the Friends of the Fullerton Public Library and the Fullerton Public Library Foundation support the room.

The Launer Room Collection is a repository for materials on Fullerton and Orange County. The collection grows through donations of materials by individuals as well as organizations. The mission of the Launer Room is to preserve for future generations all materials collected or donated that document the history and evolution of Fullerton. There are currently three digitization projects underway, two for photographs and a third for city directories. These materials can be accessed through the library's catalog.

Access the Library Catalog Here!

The first photographic project involves the 1978 Architectural Building Survey, consisting of over 3,000 photographs taken by the city of Fullerton to document every building in Fullerton built before 1940. These photographs are being added to the Library's Catalog and can be searched by using either the address of the building, the street name, or the building name where applicable. For example: the Plummer Auditorium, the Chapman Building, or the Hetebrink House.

The second photographic project will add 200 historic photographs to the library catalog that were taken in Fullerton in the late 1800s and early 1900s. These photographs were designated "Centennial Collection" in honor of the 100th anniversary of the city's founding (1887/1987). To search the catalog for these photographs use the key word "Fullerton Centennial Collection" or by subject: for example, "Santa Fe Depot."

The third digitization project is the library's city directories collection. This project is made possible through a grant from the Fullerton Public Library Foundation. The Launer Room has city directories from 1899 to about 1980, however there are gaps. We also have the Haines Criss/Cross directories for all of Orange County from 1971 to the present; however the Haines are not part of the digitizing project. All the directories that are 75 years or older will be made available through the library catalog with remote access. Copyrighted directories will be available in-house only, unless permission has been granted by the publisher. The electronic copies will be in PDF format. Many of our directories are old and well-used, creating a scanning challenge; even though they were professionally scanned there may be a few pages that are not as legible as others. For an explanation and FAQ on city directories please click here.

Newspapers

The Launer Room collection houses the index to the Fullerton News Tribune and covers the years 1893-1984. The index is accessible only during the Launer Room hours of 2-5 Monday through Thursday, or by appointment.

FULLERTON NEWS TRIBUNE: The microfilm is located at the Fullerton Public Library's periodical desk and is available during regular library hours.

FULLERTON OBSERVER:The Launer Room has a complete run of the Fullerton Observer, generously donated by the Kennedy Family. In addition to the Launer Room copies of the Fullerton Observer, there are copies in the Library's periodical collection and are available during regular library hours.

Maps

The map collection includes a map of the original townsite, various early maps of Fullerton, and limited aerial maps. We also have Original Townsite facsimile Sanborn fire maps, for the years 1890, 1894, 1900, 1907, 1911, 1917 and 1927. The library does not have photocopying privileges for the Sanborn maps.

Photographs

The photograph collection contains 6000 predominately B&W 8X10 photos. Please read our photography regulations and photography borrowing policy before requesting materials.

Document last modified: Monday, 03-Mar-2008 19:47:21 PST