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The Jacksonville Public Library maintains a Special Collection Room consisting of material pertaining to the history and people of Jacksonville and Morgan County. A guide to the Special Collection Room can be found here.
Highlights of the Special Collection Room include:
All Special Collection material is available for use in the library only. Materials housed in the Special Collection room cannot be copied. The Special Collection Room is not a browsing collection. Library staff will pull requested items from the room for patron use during library open hours.
The Jacksonville Public Library also maintains microfilmed copies of local Jacksonville newspapers dating as far back as the 1830s. The microfilm may be viewed, printed, or scanned using the library's microfilm reader. Jacksonville Public Library cardholders can also access many of these newspapers from home using the Newspaper Archive database. Non-cardholders can access the Newspaper Archive database while in the library. The library also subscribes to two genealogy databases (Ancestry Library Edition and Heritage Quest Online) that can only be accessed while in the library.
Additional genealogical help may be found locally at the Jacksonville Area Genealogical and Historical Society Library (416 S. Main), at Illinois College, or the Morgan County Clerk's office located inside the county courthouse building.
