MICROFILMED BLUEPRINTS
OF SHAKER HEIGHTS HOMES

1. You need the "Plan File Number" that corresponds to your blueprints on microfilm. You can obtain this number by filling in the Request Form (be sure to select Blueprint Request on the drop-down menu), or by calling the Local History Librarian at 216-367-3016 or emailing her at localhistory@shakerlibrary.org. Leave your name, the address you are seeking and your contact information on the request form or on voicemail or email, and she will be in touch with you as soon as possible. The Local History Librarian will contact the City`s Building Department, get the Plan File Number, if one exists, and verify whether the blueprints are available and in good order in our collection before you make a trip to the Library. Or, call the City`s Building Department at 216-491-1460, Monday through Friday, from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. and give them your address. They will give you the Plan File Number, if one exists for your home.

2. When you come to the Library with your Plan File Number, ask for help at the Information Desk. Staff will use the Plan File Number to try to locate the blueprints, and will set you up on the microfilm reader-printer to view the blueprints and to make copies. If you contact the Local History Librarian ahead of time, she can save you time by retrieving the microfilm roll and making sure the plans really are of your house before you come in to the library.

Q: Can a librarian make copies of the blueprints for me?

A: Our microfilm reader-printer is self-serve. Reference Librarians are not available to make copies of the images for you, although we can show you how the machine works and help you if there is a problem. Copies cost 10 cents per page. When you come to the library, please allow enough time to become comfortable with the microfilm reader. Zooming, focusing, advancing the film, and lining up the images to make copies take time. It is also important to note that the quality of the original microfilm varies tremendously.

Q: I called the Building Department, and they told me there is no Plan File Number for my home. What does that mean?

A: If no Plan File Number exists for your home, it may mean that the blueprints for your building were never microfilmed by the Building Department. If your home was built within the last 10 years, plans have not yet been microfilmed, and the Building Department may still have the paper plans on file.

If the home was not recently built and there is no Plan File Number, the plans were never microfilmed and so are not available. Most if not all of the blueprints for homes built before 1940 were either never held, or were lost or destroyed at the Building Department before microfilming began.

Q: I have a Plan File Number, and I came to the Library for help, but the Number I got from the Building Department is for a different address, not for my home. What do I do now?

Please make sure the Reference Librarian helping you takes your name, the address you were seeking, and the faulty Plan File Number along with your contact information; or contact the Local History Librarian directly by phone or email and give her this information. We are keeping track of people who have had this problem, in hopes that we can locate the correct blueprints after we index the microfilm by address.

Currently, the Library has no way of cross-referencing the microfilm with your address other than through the Plan File Number. With the help of volunteers, we are indexing more than 10,000 sets of blueprints by address. We will contact people on our list when and if we locate the correct blueprints during this process.

Q: Can I contact the Library ahead of time to make sure my blueprints are really available? I don`t want to come to the library and then have to wait for assistance because the Reference Librarians are busy, or be disappointed because my Plan File Number is incorrect.

A: Yes! Please call the Local History Librarian ahead of time so she can obtain the Plan File Number for you, pull the microfilm roll, and verify that the plans are correct before you come to the Library. This process may take a few days, subject to business hours at the Building Department and the Local History Librarian`s hours. When this information is compiled, you will be notified, and if the plans are accurate, you can come to the library at your convenience and your roll of microfilm will be waiting for you to view.

Other questions? Please contact the Local History Librarian at localhistory@shakerlibrary.org or at 216-367-3016.