Inform Quarterly

              Serving Illinois state employees • Spring 2005
From the
Reference Desk
Spring is in the air, so while you're out enjoying
a walk around the Capitol Complex, the
Reference staff invites you to stop by the State
Library and check out the displays on the
second-floor atrium bridge. March's display
features women in history, and April's display
will showcase works on the history of jazz and
the people who brought it to the forefront of
American culture. May's exhibit will offer a
variety of information on travel for the
upcoming summer months.
While at the State Library, you can also check
out the vast reference materials available
through the Reference Section, or go to any
public service computer to check out
ProQuest's database of historical Chicago
Tribunes, which includes anything from photos
and news stories to obituaries and birth
announcements.
To request materials or find answers
to your questions, please contact:
Reference phone • 217-782-7596
Reference fax • 217-524-0041
Map Collection • 217-782-5823
Patent & Trademark Division • 217-782-5659
“Ask the State Library”
www.cyberdriveillinois.com
Access the State Library database at
http://library.ilcso.illinois.edu/isl
Illinois State Library hours:
Mon. – Fri., 8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
ProQuest’s Historical
Chicago Tribune
One of the many electronic resources available at the Illinois State
Library is ProQuest's Historical Newspaper Chicago Tribune.The
database offers full-text and full-image articles from the Tribune
from1890 to 1958.The collection includes digital reproductions of
every page from every issue — cover to cover — in PDF format.
This is an ongoing project, so more years will be added as they
become available.
The Historical Chicago Tribune represents the first initiative not
only to digitize historical newspaper information, but also to
provide that information in both full-page and article images.
Patrons can search for news, editorials, letters to the editor,
obituaries, and birth and marriage announcements, as well as
historical photos, stock photos and advertisements.
The database can be accessed at any State Library public service
computer in the Reference area on the second floor of the library.
Aerial Photos — 1938-1941
The State Library has received the collection of 1938-1941 aerial
photographs from the Illinois Office of Water Resources.The
photos were used in a recent digitization project of the Illinois
Geological Survey and the State Library through a grant from the
Institute for Museum and Library Services.
Through the grant, 20 counties were added to the Illinois Historical
Aerial Photography Digital Archive.Thus far, 45 of the 102 Illinois
counties have been digitized and will be available soon on disc.The
discs will be available for circulation; however, due to their
condition, the actual photos will not.The photos currently can be
viewed through the Illinois Geospatial Data Clearinghouse at
www.isgs.uiuc.edu/nsdihome/webdocs/ilhap/.
The State Library and the Illinois Geological Survey hope to obtain
funding to eventually scan all the oldest aerial photography for the
remaining 57 counties.Their goal is to preserve the oldest
statewide aerial photographs first because the original negatives no
longer exist and the paper collections are deteriorating.When all
the 1938-1941 aerial photographs for Illinois are preserved, efforts
will then turn to making later photos accessible. We look forward to hearing from you!