Our Most Requested Collections of 2025 (Special Collections)

Child’s ticket to the World’s Columbian Exposition, 1893.Source: Special Collections, World’s Columbian Exposition Ephemera Collection, box 4, folder 34.

Chase & Sanborn’s coffee decal [front], 1893.Source: Special Collections, World’s Columbian Exposition Ephemera Collection, box 3, folder 50.

Chase & Sanborn’s coffee decal [back], 1893.Source: Special Collections, World’s Columbian Exposition Ephemera Collection, box 3, folder 50.

Drawing of North Avenue bridge repairs, 1960.Source: Special Collections, Chicago Park District Records: Drawing 6519.

Chicago Shoreline Protection Project drawing, 1997Source: Special Collections, Chicago Park District Records: Drawing CSPP003.

Inauguration of Mayor Harold Washington, 1983.Source: Special Collections, Harold Washington Archives and Collections, Mayoral Records, Press Photographs, box 1, folder 26.

Greek dance, 1983.Source: Special Collections, Harold Washington Archives and Collections, Mayoral Records, Press Photographs, box 1, folder 1.

Children’s Theatre production of The Golden Apple, 1925.Source: Special Collections, Goodman Theatre Archive Production Files, box 138, folder 9.

Chicago Police Department on patrol at a parade, undated.Source: Special Collections, Chicago Department of Urban Renewal Records, box 4, folder 7.

Urban Homestead Lottery, undated.Source: Special Collections, Chicago Department of Urban Renewal Records, box 3, folder 12.

The end of 2025 is already upon us. It's a time of celebrating this year and the new year to come. It's also a time to reflect on how we chose to spend our time as we plan for 2026. Harold Washington Library Center's Special Collections librarians and archivists spent a good bulk of their time in 2025 happily assisting researchers. Over 155 archival collections were requested and viewed in-person by our patrons. Since countdown lists are extremely popular this time of year, below is a countdown of the five most requested archival collections in CPL's Special Collections in 2025.

5. World's Columbian Exposition Ephemera Collection.

While Chicago has hosted numerous fairs and conventions throughout its history, the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition (also known as the Chicago World's Fair) was one of the most interesting. This collection consists of souvenir magazine articles, directories, flyers, invitations, journals, maps, postcards, programs, sheet music and souvenir advertisements from the exposition. Oversized materials such as blueprints and floor plans, illustrations, maps, and newspapers are also included.

4. Chicago Park District Records: Drawings.

Chicagoans love their parks. After all, our city motto is "Urbs in Horto" (Latin for "City in a Garden"). A selection of 10,000 images from the Chicago Park District Records: Photographs are available online as a digital collection. It stands to reason that the CPD drawings would be a very frequent request to see in-person in Special Collection's Reading Room. This collection offers approximately 106,000 landscape and architectural drawings dating from 1870-2014.

3. Harold Washington Archives and Collections. Mayoral Records. Press Office Photographs.

While Special Collections holds numerous collections related to Chicago's first African American mayor, the Press Office Photographs was the most popular. It showcases Mayor Washington's engagements and provides a glimpse of his busy everyday schedule. Everyone loves a historic photograph and this collection offers 83 boxes full of images from the Mayor's Press Office. Our staff loves them too, you'll see many of these images used in our Harold Washington online content. You can also view a selection of images from this collection in the Remembering Harold Washington digital collection. If photographs aren't your thing, but you still have an interest in Harold Washington, check out his speeches in the Harold Washington: Selected Speeches Digital Collection.

2. Goodman Theatre Archive. Producing and Artistic Director Files.

No surprise here! The Goodman Theatre is currently celebrating the centennial of its 1925 founding and researchers have been busy exploring the theater's history. Special Collections currently has a small exhibit of Goodman Theatre materials on display on the 9th floor of Harold Washington Library Center. Material in the exhibit features items from our Goodman Theatre collections. You can also check out this blog titled "100 Years of the Goodman Theatre" for a bit of that history.

Ready for Special Collection's most requested collection of 2025? Drum roll, please . . .

1. Chicago Department of Urban Renewal Records.

This collection was requested more than twice as much as any other collection on this list. What makes it so popular? Our city is one of constant change and this collection documents our changing landscape. These records were created and collected by the Department of Urban Renewal, its predecessors and other Chicago city departments with duties related to planning and development. Materials range from 1891 to 1992, with the bulk covering 1950-1980. The related Chicago Department of Urban Renewal Records: Photographic Negatives Digital Collection is online. A great resource if you can't make it in to the library.

Truthfully, the list includes the most requested collections from January to mid-November (not the entire year). There's still time to search the archives and schedule an appointment to alter the list! Interested in learning more about popular archival collections at CPL? Check out the the three most requested archival collections of 2023 at the Harsh Research Collection.