Government Documents

The Benton Harbor Public Library receives selected state and federal documents for use by the members of the public, regardless of where they reside. Many materials, including CDs, are available for checkout. Patrons also may use the library's Internet terminals to access state and federal web pages for the latest electronic information available. For information, contact the library's reference department. Also, check out the library's Links Page. You can access the federal government's official web portal at USA.gov. State government sites on the Web may be accessed through the Michigan Electronic Library or directly through the Michigan state government homepage.

Since February 2000, our new federal documents are being added to our Online Card Catalog. Some of our records contain links to online documents; simply copy and paste the link into your browser's address box to access the document. ~~If the library does not own a particular document, we may be able to obtain it through interlibrary loan.~~

BHPL also has access to a number of paid online services to access legal and government reference materials. These databases are available for our patrons' use free of charge, but can only be accessed at the library.

National Climactic Data Center Online Document Library
Provides access to monthly climactic data for the world, storm data, and local climatological data.

STAT-USA
This product of the U.S. Department of Commerce provides comprehensive economic, business, and social/environmental data. This includes online access to the State of the Nation, Globus, NTDB, and the National Export Directory.

WestLaw
Westlaw is a web-based legal research database aimed at lawyers and professionals. We provide in-library access to our patrons free of charge. Information resources on Westlaw include more than 23,000 databases of case law, state and federal statutes, administrative codes, newspaper and magazine articles, public records, law journals, law reviews, treatises, legal forms and other information resources.

NTIS
The National Technical Information Service (NTIS) is an agency in the Technology Administration of the United States Department of Commerce that serves as the U.S. government repository for research and development results and for other information produced by and for the government as well as a variety of public and private sources worldwide.

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Local History

Finding Information

The library owns back issues of the local newspaper dating back to the 1870s. This can be a good source of information about people and events. There is a drawback -- there is no SUBJECT GUIDE to the newspaper. This means you'll have to have an approximate date, month and year in mind when you search the newspaper. The microfilm machine is located in the Reference Department. Any librarian can show you how to operate the machine. If you are younger than 14, you will need to have a parent with you to use the machine.

Some books on local history are located in the MICHIGAN SECTION in the Circulation Department, which is the main room of the library. Ask a librarian where this is. If you are looking for a book on a specific topic, you can check the library's SUBJECT CARD CATALOG. Just ask a librarian how to use this. Generally, you will find local history books in the 970s category of the Dewey Decimal System. The Reference Department also has a LOCAL HISTORY SECTION. Unlike the books you find in the Circulation Department, reference books may not be checked out. You may make notes from them, or copy pages from them on the copy machine. Any books you find in the SUBJECT CARD CATALOG that have an "R" in front of the number are located in the Reference Department. Some materials are also kept behind the reference librarian's desk. You must ask to use these materials.

Benton Harbor City Directories

The library welcomes donations of old Benton Harbor city directories (even duplicates of ones we already have). Please call the library, or stop by, if you wish to donate books to the library.

1892 • 1894 • 1896 • 1899 • 1901 • 1902 • 1904-1905 • 1907-1908
1910 • 1912-1913 • 1915-1916 • 1918-1919 • 1920-1921 • 1922 • 1925 • 1926-1927 • 1929
1930 • 1934 • 1936 • 1938 • 1940 • 1945 • 1947
1950 • 1952 • 1954 • 1956 • 1958 • 1959 • 1960 • 1961 • 1962 • 1963 • 1964 • 1965 • 1966 • 1967 • 1968 • 1969
1970 • 1971 • 1972 • 1973 • 1974 • 1975 • 1976 • 1977 • 1978 • 1979-1980 • 1981 • 1982 • 1983 • 1984 • 1985 • 1986 • 1987 • 1988 • 1989
1991 • 1992 • 1993 • 1994 • 1995 • 1996 • 1997 • 1998 • 1999 • 2000 • 2001 • 2002 • 2003 • 2004 • 2005 • 2006

Local History Links

Berrien County Histories
Michigan Genealogical Death Index
Michigan 1870 Census
Berrien County Genealogy Project

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Statistical Data

Benton Harbor Statistics
Coordinates: 42°07′00″N 86°27′15″W
Total City Area: 11.6 km² (4.5 mi²)
City Land Area: 11.4 km² (4.4 mi²)
1980 Census Population: 14,707
1990 Census Population: 12,818
2000 Census Population: 11,182
Average Household Income: $17,471

Benton Harbor's Wikipedia Page

Current U.S. Census homepage
1990 Census gateway
Bureau of Labor Statistics
FedStats: Statistics on topics from A to Z
Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency

Community demographics from the Berrien County Economic Development Department
Unemployment statistics
Hourly and daily weather data
2000 Census
Benton Harbor Metropolitan Statistical Area: MSA Profile and Investment Opportunities
Berrien County Economic Profile
MSU Berrien County Profile
Governor's Benton Harbor Task Force Final Report
Racial breakdown according to censuses
Local Statistics Handout (with live links)
Unemployment statistics

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Research Assistance

The Benton Harbor Public Library can provide some basic assistance for those conducting family history, local history and general interest research. Because of limited staff time and available resources, those who have more complicated requests may be referred to a more appropriate institution or research individual. One thing that makes local research difficult is the fact that the local newspaper was not indexed. An index covering 2001 to the present is available at the Berrien County Library Consortium website.

Newspaper Articles

The library has access to the Herald-Palladium and News-Palladium newspapers on microfilm dating back to about October 1868. Unfortunately, some of the films are missing papers, and until the mid- to late-1920s, obits didn't appear with any consistency. We will only do lookups for those living long-distance. Requests must be made in writing or by email. The request must include your name, mailing address, and email address (if available). We cannot guarantee success. At present we are not charging for this service, but we do ask that you send a donation to help defray the cost of photocopies and postage. We can look up obituaries if you provide a day, month and year. You must provide the name of the deceased and date of death.

We can look up obituaries if you provide a month and a year. You must provide the name of the deceased and the month and year of death. We can look up a news story if you provide a day, month and year. You must provide the topic of the story and the date(s) it occurred. We cannot look up news stories if you only have a month and a year. We cannot look up obituaries if you only have a year. We cannot look up obituaries if you have no information at all. We cannot look up information from the U.S. censuses. We cannot look up weddings or engagements. We cannot accept long lists of obituary requests. You are limited to six (6) obituaries or stories per month.

Other Sources

Berrien County Genealogical Society
PO Box 8808 Benton Harbor, MI 49022-8808
http://www.bcgensoc.com/

Heritage Museum & Cultural Center
708 Market Street Saint Joseph, MI 49085
http://www.theheritagemcc.org/
(269) 983-1191

Berrien County Historical Association
PO Box 261 313 N. Cass St. Berrien Springs, MI 49103
http://www.berrienhistory.org/
(269) 471-1202

Berrien County Clerk's Office
701 Main Street Saint Joseph, MI 49085
http://www.berriencounty.org
(269) 983-7111 Ext. 8233

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Updated 09/24/07
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