For the Record: newsletter of the Illinois State Archives, & the Illinois State Historical Records Advisory Board, Secretary of State & State Archivist

              For the
Winter 2006
Newsletter
of the
Illinois
State
Archives
&
The Illinois
State Historical
Records
Advisory Board
Jesse White
Secretary of State
&
State Archivist
Volume 20
Number 1
Illinois State Archives
Office of the Secretary of State
Margaret Cross Norton Building
Springfield, Illinois 62756
For the Record is published three times a year by the Illinois State Archives Advisory Board, Office of the Secretary of State.
Jesse White • Secretary of State & State Archivist
Produced by the Secretary of State Communications Department.
Printed by authority of the State of Illinois. January 2006 — 4M
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LSTA grant to study feasibility of Chicago/Cook County Archives
The Illinois State Archives has received an $85,300 Library
Services & Technology Act (LSTA) grant for fiscal year 2006
to develop a Program Statement for the Construction of a
Chicago/Cook County Archives. The project is being
undertaken as a partnership between the State Archives
and the University of Illinois at Chicago.
Currently, the Chicago area does not have an adequate and
accessible depository for the primary records of
Chicago/Cook County governmental agencies. The grant will
allow the State Archives to determine the feasibility of
constructing a facility to supply that need. A program
statement is a technical document written by consulting
experts outlining what is needed to construct a new
building and the estimated costs.
Funding for this grant was awarded by the Illinois State
Library (ISL), a Division of the Office of the Secretary of
State, using funds provided by the Institute of Museum and
Library Services (IMLS), under the federal Library Services
and Technology Act (LSTA).
PUBLICATIONS
Federal Township Plats, 1804–1891 (2002), 102 Illinois counties with each county on a single CD-ROM. – $20 per county
A Summary Guide to Local Governmental Records in the Illinois Regional Archives, second edition (1999), 265 pp. — $6
Descriptive Inventory of the Archives of the State of Illinois, second edition (1997), 940 pp.; or CD ROM — $20
Chicago City Council Proceedings Files, 1833-1871: An Inventory (1987), 989 pp., and
Chicago City Council Proceedings Files, 1833-1871: An Index (1987), 93 microfiche (18,714 pp.) — $35
Illinois Public Domain Land Sales (2001), explanatory booklet (7 pp.), and CD-ROM (538,750 entries) — $25
The Margaret Cross Norton Working Papers, 1924-1958 (1993), eight 35 mm microfilm rolls with An Inventory and Index (1993), 7 microfiche
(1,055 pages) — $60
Hard Times in Illinois, 1930-1940: A Selection of Documents from the Illinois State Archives (2002), teacher’s manual (119 pp.) and 50
document facsimiles — $10*
The Illinois and Michigan Canal, 1827-1911: A Selection of Documents from the Illinois State Archives (1998), teacher’s manual (115 pp.) and
50 document facsimiles with transcriptions — $12*
Illinois at War, 1941-1945: A Selection of Documents from the Illinois State Archives (1994), teacher's manual (119 pp.) and 50 document
facsimiles — $12*
From the Ashes, 1872-1900: A Selection of Documents from the Proceedings Files of the Chicago City Council (1990), teacher's manual (123
pp.) and 50 document facsimiles with transcriptions. — $10*
Early Chicago, 1833-1871: A Selection of City Council Proceedings Files from the Illinois State Archives (1986, 1999), teacher's manual (115
pp.) and 50 document facsimiles with transcriptions — $14*
*Teaching packets are available FREE to Illinois educational institutions by submitting a request on letterhead stationery. All
other requests are filled for the fee listed. To order publications, please contact: Illinois State Archives, Norton Building,
Publications Unit, Springfield, IL 62756, 217-782-2226. Please make checks payable to Secretary of State.
Archives Publications
The U.S. Department of Education has awarded Urbana School Dist. #116 a $991,750 grant for a program called “The
American History Teachers’ Collaborative.” The goals of the program are to improve teachers’ American history content
knowledge, provide teachers direct access to historical artifacts and primary sources, and disseminate content knowledge
and foster communication of best practices in the teaching of American history.
The program will bring together teachers from seven central-Illinois school districts with representatives from the
Champaign County Historical Society Museum, the Early American Museum of the Champaign County Forest Preserve
District, the Illinois State Archives, and the Great Lakes Regional Center of the National Archives. These entities will host
activities, provide speakers and materials, and allow teachers to be historical scholars as they research content using
primary documents.
State Archives partners with Urbana School Dist. #116
Disaster plan essential for protecting important documents
Natural disasters, such as the devastating hurricane that
ravaged the Gulf Coast in 2005, make us aware of our
vulnerabilities to disaster. However, most institutions are
at much greater risk from more mundane emergencies,
such as sewer backup, a leaking roof or elevated humidity
levels. Having a disaster plan in place can help an
institution address minor, moderate and major emergencies
and help protect important documents.
Disaster plans typically include a variety of directions for
different scenarios. All disaster plans should include
anticipatory activities needed to mitigate the impact of
disaster, such as maintaining lists of home phone numbers
for employees and maintenance personnel who can turn off
utilities. Plans also should include names and phone
numbers of recovery services and off-site storage sites for
vital records and data backups. Details on steps to take
should a disaster strike, such as establishing an order of
staff responsible for coordinating activities, prioritizing
materials for treatment and noting when staff should be
contacted, also should be included.
For help in developing a disaster plan for your institution,
visit the Northeast Document Conservation Center’s
(NEDCC) Web site at www.nedcc.org/welcome/
disaster.htm. NEDCC is the largest nonprofit, regional
conservation center in the United States. Its mission is to
improve the preservation programs of libraries, archives,
museums, and other historical and cultural organizations.
As part of its Field Service program, NEDCC offers an
emergency assistance program for institutions and
individuals with damaged paper-based collections. For
more information, please contact:
Northeast Document Conservation Center
100 Brickstone Square
Andover, MA 01810-1494
Telephone: 978-470-1010; Fax: 978-475-6021