Harold Washington Library Center
Chicago Public Library Archives
On January 1, 1873, the Chicago Public Library opened its doors for the first time in a structure that had been an iron water-storage tank at LaSalle and Adams Streets.
The archival holdings of this institution begin with the 1872 petition to establish a Free Public Library in Chicago and continue without interruption to the present day.
Materials within the collection include administrative records, architectural drawings, annual reports, financial records, photographs, sound recordings and tapes, research studies and reports on the Library, and related historical material.
The material in the archive holds a mirror up to the history of the City of Chicago over the past 120 years. It is one of the most significant public library archive in the country.