Closed for in-person appointments starting November 17.
Due to required maintenance and facilities work, access to view our collections will be temporarily unavailable for 2-3 months starting November 17. We apologize for the inconvenience. We will still respond to email at specoll@chipublib.org.
For reference assistance, please contact us by:
- Email: specoll@chipublib.org. You will receive a response within two business days.
- Phone: (312) 747-4875
About Us
The Special Collections and Preservation Division, on the 9th floor of the Harold Washington Library Center, showcases rare and unique materials focusing on Chicago as well as the Civil War.
Archival Collections has a list of all CPL collections and finding aids.
Contact Us
- (312) 747-4875
- specoll@chipublib.org
Areas of Interest
We have photographs, manuscripts, books, art and artifacts about:
- Chicago neighborhoods
- Chicago parks
- Chicago Public Library
- Chicago theater
- Children’s books from Chicago
- Civil War
- Mayor Harold Washington
- Rare books and manuscripts
- World’s fairs
Related Links
- Chicago History: Explore the rich tapestry of Chicago history at CPL.
- Archival Collections: A list of CPL collections and finding aids
- Digital Collections: Chicago images, newspapers and more
- Municipal Reference Collection at Harold Washington Library Center
- Northside Neighborhood History Collection at Sulzer Regional Library
- Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection at Woodson Regional Library
