In 1908, parts of the library of the Städtisches Historisches Museum were ceded, which - apart from some reassignments - are still presented as a closed collection. According to its origin, the collection consists mainly of literature on Düsseldorf's local history and on the history of the Lower Rhine region, including numerous occasional publications and other literature of rare value.

The collection contains 928 monograph and journal titles in around 1,400 volumes and brochures. Copyright-free works published up to 1900 are available here in the Digital Collections.