Monday-Thursday: 9 am-8 pm
Friday-Saturday: 9 am-5 pm
217-223-1309
reference@quincylibrary.org
Renew your material by phone:
217-223-6987
The Illinois Room at Quincy Public Library is a comfortable place for research. It houses a collection of historical and genealogical books and files, particularly relating to Quincy, Adams County, and the state of Illinois. Materials in the Illinois room may only be examined within the Illinois Room and are not available for checkout.
Items available in the Illinois Room include:
Quincy Public Library’s reference librarians are available to show you how to use the resources and equipment in the Illinois Room and can help with your research on an appointment basis. Call 217-223-1309, extension 502 to request an appointment.
Members of The Genealogical Society are available from 10 am to noon each Tuesday morning to help with ancestor searches. These volunteers can show you how to use local history material and point out additional options for researching your family. No appointment is needed.
Quincy Public Library also maintains several digital resources to help local historians and genealogists with research.
Historic Quincy Area Photo Collection
Historical Quincy photographs from about 1850 through 1950, most from the collection of the late Carl Landrum, have been digitized and loaded onto the Illinois Digital Archives. You can browse or search all collections available there, or choose a particular collection. To search only one collection, go to Advanced Search, select the collection, then enter your search words. Available from anywhere, no library card required.
Browse and search Quincy Public Library’s robust collection of digitized historical documents and photos on building in Quincy and Adams County. The Architecture Database is organized by address but can be searched by keyword. Available from anywhere, no library card required.
If you would like to contribute documents to this database, please contact our reference department at reference@quincylibrary.org or 217-223-1309 ext 502.
Quincy Historical Newspaper Archive
Historical Quincy newspapers published in the years 1835 to 2020 are now available online. The newspaper archive can be searched by date, name, or keyword, or even using a combination of search terms. Articles can be viewed and printed, saved to a jump drive, pasted into a document, or even emailed to yourself or a friend. Available from anywhere, no library card required.
Some issues may be missing, due to loss or poor condition, making them difficult to read or index.