Research Library |
The McHenry County Historical Society Local History Research Library has as its purpose the acquisition, cataloguing and preservation of documentary materials that relate to the history of McHenry County and its people. When consistent with the mission of the Society these materials may be made available to the public for research, study and promotional purposes.
In order to use the Research Library, an appointment must be made
at least 24 hour in advance -- 815-923-2267.
Hours: The Research Library is accessible by appointment only. Walk-ins cannot be accommodated no matter what the circumstances or the distance traveled. Please understand that we are a nonprofit organization with a small staff trying to do many things, often simultaneously. You must call to make any library appointments at least 24 hours in advance and please note that that does not necessarily mean that we will be able to get you on the schedule within 24 hours but we will do our best. The library hours are Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. year round. There is a fee for use by non-members.
From May through October on the third Sundays the research library will be open for research without an appointment from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. Members of the McHenry County Illinois Genealogical Society staff the research library on those Sundays.
For McHenry County Historical Society Research Library user fees:
General Library Usage Guidelines:
Research fees apply for people who are not members of the McHenry County Historical Society. To qualify as members, membership standing must be current at the time an appointment is made for the research library.
Please call (815) 923-2267 for current research rates.
Please refer to the "Membership" web page for membership rates.
Printed materials may be copied if copyright provisions allow and if it can be done without damage to the materials. ABSOLUTELY NO SCANNING WILL BE ALLOWED OF ANY LIBRARY MATERIALS. NO EXCEPTIONS. All copying will be done by staff members. Copying charges are assessed according to the size of the paper and amount used.
The Historical Society reserves the right to limit the number of copies made, to restrict the use of the reproduction of rare of valuable material, to make special quotations on materials involving unusual difficulty in copying and to charge a higher fee than specified.
Materials in the library are non-circulating.
No food or drink is allowed in the library.
Holdings:
The McHenry County Historical Society's Local History Research Library contains an extensive array of information pertaining to McHenry County history including but not limited to subject files, biography files, photograph files, obituary files, local history books, scrapbooks, diaries, tax records, patentee books, plat maps, yearbooks, telephone directories and much more. A staff member will assist researchers in locating documents and materials pertinent to their research needs.
For bibliography of reference materials for McHenry County History: