Archival Collections
The Archival Unit collects papers and records that document selected aspects of Chicago history, most notably theater history and neighborhood history. More than forty Chicago theaters have deposited their archives at the Chicago Public Library, including the Goodman Theatre, Kuumba Theatre Company, and Steppenwolf Theatre Company. In collections about life in Chicago's neighborhoods patrons can find, among other items, photographs of public parks, ephemera from area businesses, newspapers from community publishers and posters from the home front during World War II. The archives of Harold Washington, Chicago's first African American mayor contains nearly 400 linear feet of records from Harold Washington's service in the Illinois House and Senate, his time as Congressman in the U.S. House of Representatives, and his years as mayor of the city of Chicago.
Collections:
Finding aids for these collections are available in the Division's Reading Room. As part of an ongoing project to expand access to the archival collections, some finding aids are now available electronically. You can contact us at
hwlcarch@chipublib.org for more information.
