Illinois Regional Archives Depository
The Local Government Records collection is part of the Illinois Regional Archives Depository (IRAD) system administered by the Illinois State Archives. The University Libraries at NIU serves as one of the seven regional depositories throughout Illinois involved in preserving local public records and making them available to researchers. These records are older documents used by historians, genealogists, and local government officials. For more recent records contact the County Courthouse. Types of records available vary from county to county and may include: birth, marriage, death, naturalization, probate, and deed records. NIU IRAD houses records for the following eighteen counties: Boone, Bureau, Carroll, DeKalb, DuPage, JoDaviess, Kane, Kendall, Lake, LaSalle, Lee, McHenry, Ogle, Putnam, Stephenson, Whiteside, Will, Winnebago. Each depository has a computer generated listing of the records available in their facility and in the other six depositories throughout the state. This list and access to the available online databases can be accessed through the Illinois State Archives IRAD website.
The databases available on the Illinois State Archives website for the records held by the NIU IRAD are:
IRAD interns welcome mail and telephone requests from researchers interested in genealogy and local history. All responses will be through the mail. Letters should be as specific and clear as possible and include the following:
- The full names of the persons they are researching.
- The approximate year when these persons are expected to appear in the records.
- The county which created the records.
- Record titles/types to search.
Limit requests to two names at a time and wait for a response before submitting another request. Send inquiries regarding the counties in NIU’s jurisdiction to:
Government Publications/IRAD
Founders Memorial Library Room 245B
Northern Illinois University
DeKalb, IL 60115.
Research services are provided at no charge through the courtesy of the Illinois Secretary of State’s Office. However, there may be a photocopy fee for which you will be billed.
Counties served by the Illinois Regional Archives Depository at NIU
The IRAD Office is located in Room 245B, within Government Publications on the 2nd floor of Founders Memorial Library (PDF). Hours are 9:00 am - 1:00 pm, Monday through Friday.
Please contact the IRAD Office at 815-753-1807 if you have questions concerning local government records.
See this page for Library location information.
IRAD interns welcome mail and telephone requests from researchers interested in genealogy and local history. All responses will be through the mail. Letters should be as specific and clear as possible and include the following:
- The full names of the persons they are researching.
- The approximate year when these persons are expected to appear in the records.
- The county which created the records.
- Record titles/types to search.
Limit requests to two names at a time and wait for a response before submitting another request. Send inquiries regarding the counties in NIU’s jurisdiction to:
Government Publications/IRAD
Founders Memorial Library Room 245B
Northern Illinois University
DeKalb, IL 60115.
Research services are provided at no charge through the courtesy of the Illinois Secretary of State’s Office. However, there may be a photocopy fee for which you will be billed.
Policies and fees for copying materials have been established to assure the preservation of the historical records, allow reasonable copying by researchers, and provide as much service as is possible given a small staff with very limited resources. In every case IRAD reserves the right to refuse to copy any particular item: reproduction of materials is a privilege and not a service that must be automatically rendered on demand.