Library Overview
The Special Collections Department in the University Library at the University of Illinois at Chicago contains rich collections of rare books, manuscripts, and photographs. The strengths of the rare books collection include the political, social, architectural, and literary history of Chicago, and the history of medicine, particularly neurology, urology, dermatology, anatomies, herbals, and pharmacopoeias.
The more than 500 manuscript collections contain archival records of individuals and organizations that document the political, social, and cultural history of Chicago, with a focus on the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. The strengths of the manuscript collection include the history of the Hull House settlement, A Century of Progress World's Fair, Chicago politics and government, Chicago design history, Midwest women's history, and the history of African-Americans in Chicago. Access to most of the manuscript collections is through online finding aids.
The photographic collections document a variety of activities of people and organizations. Among those that contain a substantial number of photographs are the Jane Addams Memorial Collection and the Italian-American Collection. Collections that are primarily photographic in content include the Bowen Country Club Collection, the James S. Parker Collection, and the Comer Archive of Chicago in the Year 2000.
The University Archives is the official depository for records with permanent historical value from the University of Illinois at Chicago and includes material from the establishment of the Chicago College of Pharmacy in 1859 to the present day. In addition to the records of the colleges, departments, and campus units at UIC, the University Archives also includes selected professional and personal manuscripts of faculty, staff, students, and alumni that may be given to the university for preservation and use.
University of Illinois at Chicago
University Library
Special Collections Department
801 S. Morgan (m/c234)
Chicago, Illinois, 60607
http://www.uic.edu/depts/lib/specialcoll/
http://www.uic.edu/depts/lib/specialcoll/manuscripts.html
(312) 996-2742 (t)
(312) 413-0424 (f)
