Capacity & Holdings
A purpose-built preservation environment
The Depository is a warehouse-style building with:
- 10,000 square feet
- Over 24 miles of shelving
- Shelving that reaches approximately 33.5 feet high
- Capacity for 1.8 million volumes
- The Depository is currently 70% full
The facility includes:
- Low-intensity, high-efficiency lighting
- A dedicated HVAC and dehumidification system
- Particulate and gas filtration
- Fire suppression and security systems
Together, these systems maintain stable temperature and humidity levels year-round, creating an environment optimized for the long-term preservation of library materials.
Among the many significant holdings stored at the NWORBD are:
- American Shipbuilding Company Records (BGSU)
Naval architectural drawings and corporate records documenting Great Lakes shipbuilding from 1870–1981.
- Donald D. Duhaime Lincoln–Civil War Collection (UT)
Rare materials focused on Abraham Lincoln, the Civil War and 19th-century American political and cultural life. - Cochrane Cunningham Athletics Archive (BGSU)
A unique collection of BGSU athletic history, including memorabilia, equipment, records and uniforms.
- John W. Potter Judicial Papers (UT)
Court records, correspondence, speeches, and personal papers documenting the career of Judge John W. Potter, who served as Mayor of Toledo and later as a judge of the Sixth Appellate District of Ohio and the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio. The collection provides insight into regional and federal judicial history from the 1960s through the early 2000s, including appellate case files, judicial conferences, and naturalization ceremony speeches.
- Procter & Gamble Soap Opera Scripts (BGSU)
Microfilmed scripts from iconic American soap operas including Another World, Guiding Light, and Search for Tomorrow.
- Thomas L. Ashley and Delbert L. Latta Congressional Papers (BGSU)
Congressional records documenting Ohio politics from the 1950s–1980s, including material related to the Vietnam War and Watergate. Notably, Congressman Ashley also designated UT’s William S. Carlson Library as a federal depository library in 1963.
- Toledo Scale Collection (UT)
Historical records, photographs, catalogs, patents and corporate files documenting the Toledo Scale Company, a major Toledo-based manufacturer and leader in industrial and commercial weighing technology. The collection spans much of the 20th century and highlights regional industry, product design, advertising and the global impact of one of Northwest Ohio’s most influential companies.
More information about these collections and others is available through BGSU’s Special Collections and UT’s Canaday Center.
The BGSU Micrographics Lab is housed in the same building as the Depository and has provided microfilming services for nearly 50 years. The Lab preserves local newspapers, government records and community history through microfilm.
Updated: 03/04/2026 03:04PM