Research
The Historical Society archival collection is open to the public, free of charge, Monday through Friday 9am-4pm or by appointment. Individuals are encouraged to do their own research on-site free of charge. DPHS staff will provide free assistance in terms of locating general information of interest.
For intensive involvement in research, an hourly research fee will be applied after the first 45 minutes of research. (Professionals doing environmental impact studies, previous land-use surveys, etc. are required to do their own research, which would not entail a fee.) There are also fees for photocopies and scans of archival materials.
History Fair Students:
The Des Plaines Historical Society collects information about the history of Des Plaines, which means that the majority of our materials have a local connection.
If you are a first-time visitor, please take a few moments to read over the following information and guidelines.
The archives research area is open Mondays through Fridays, 9 am to 4 pm, but is not staffed on weekends. We recommend that you make an appointment in advance, as we have limited seating space. Weekday appointments for the hours between 4 pm and 6 pm on weekdays may be requested, depending on availability of staff. Weekend appointment times are not generally available due to limited staffing.
Doing research in the archives is somewhat different from the library in that you will not be able to browse through the collection on your own or check items out to take home with you. However, staff members at the History Center are available to assist you in locating items that you need. The staff may ask questions to help narrow down the subject area that applies to your research. If you can, be as specific as possible about what type of information you would like to find.
Appointments
When planning to use the archives, please let us know when you would like to come in. The more advance notice that you give us about the type of information you are seeking, the easier it will be for us to help you.
If you are planning to visit the History Center to do research for your History Fair project, we ask that you call or send an email requesting an appointment. This will give us more time to find items in the archives that may help you.
Photocopies
You may make a request for photocopies of most materials in the History Center archives. However, depending on the availability of staff and the amount of materials requested, we may ask that you leave your request with us and return at a later time to pick up the copies. We will do our best to provide your copies on a timely basis, but please give us enough time to process your request. See the fee schedule above for photocopying charges.
