Illinois State Library

The Illinois State Library was created more than 150 years ago to serve the needs of state government. As the official library for state government, it has come a long way since 1839 when the young Secretary of State, Stephen A. Douglas, saw to it that space was reserved next to his new office for a small, fledgling library.

Today, the Illinois State Library has become a computer-age doorway to worldwide information, providing patrons with an electronic bridge to the collections of universities, public and corporate libraries, and new information systems that will continue to develop into the 21st century and beyond.