The Illinois History and Lincoln Collections (IHLC) contains a wide variety of sources documenting the history of Illinois and the life and legacy of Abraham Lincoln.

Sources for research at the IHLC include:

• manuscript collections (letters, diaries, notes, and other records),
• books and periodicals published during different historical time periods,
• works of scholarship in the fields of Illinois History and Lincoln studies,
• graphical materials such as posters and photographs,
• state, local, and county maps and atlases,
• city and county directories and histories, and
• various other materials, including ephemera and artifacts.

Above: Excerpt from an 1864 business directory, a pamphlet with a sermon on Abraham Lincoln, a poster entitled "Our Fallen Heroes", a booklet on Chicago history, and a letter from a manuscript collection.

For more detail on the different sources available, please see the IHLC Collections Overview page. The IHLC is a non-circulating library. Students and other researchers are welcome to visit the reading room during the IHLC open hours during the week, Monday-Friday. During the fall and spring semesters the IHLC is open 9am-5pm. During the summer and semester breaks, the IHLC is open 1-5pm.

To explore what books and other published materials can be found in the IHLC, use the library catalog. Manuscript collections can be explored through the Manuscript Collections Database. The database contains descriptions of collections that can be searched by keyword or browsed by title or name.

For additional help and guidance, please contact us at ihlc@library.illinois.edu.

Illinois History and Lincoln Collections

Email: ihlc@library.illinois.edu

Ph: (217) 333-1777

Subjects: Illinois History, Abraham Lincoln

Main Library, Room 324

Hours: Fall and Spring semesters: Monday-Friday, 9:00am-12:00pm and 1:00-5:00pm

Summer and semester breaks: Monday-Friday, 1:00pm-5:00pm

(please check the main library website for exceptions)