As was reported recently, the State Library has been chosen to serve as the National Park Service’s (NPS) Route 66 Archives and Research Collaboration (ARC) site for the state of Illinois. They are in the process of creating a directory of Route 66 materials available in Illinois and where to find such materials. The finished directory will be available to anyone and will greatly assist researchers looking for Route 66 related materials.

To help compile the directory, the Illinois State Library is interested in finding persons who possess Illinois-related Route 66 documents. These would include documents about building the road, roadside businesses, traveling the road in its heyday, and touring the road now. They want to know who possesses vertical files of newspaper clippings, pamphlets, postcards, photographs, manuscript/archival collections of personal papers, oral histories, scrapbooks, business ledgers, diaries, surveys, maps, preservation plans, etc. ISL is looking mainly for paper or film collections, not three-dimensional objects. Only original documents (not copies) will be accepted. Leads on individuals who have pertinent materials are welcome, so long as they would be willing to answer inquiries and share their materials with the public.

Please email Arlyn Booth or call her at 217-558-4140 no later than June 30 if you have leads on materials that might be appropriate for the directory. If your library/institution has already been contacted by and responded to Arlyn, there is no need to contact her again.