DuPage County: Library decisions, school governance and village improvements
Explore Elmhurst library board minutes, Glen Ellyn improvements and a DuPage school board series with exact catalog references and questions to ask before visiting.
Sources checked October 29, 2026. Holdings checked against official catalogs and repository descriptions. Staff-confirmed details are identified below; other holdings are based on published sources. No name-level search; dates do not guarantee complete coverage or online images.
STOP 01 / NIU IRAD
Elmhurst: the library as a local institution
Library board minutes offer a route to the decisions behind a community institution. Begin with a building, service change or board question in a defined period.
Elmhurst: Public Library Board Minutes 1912–2002 · Accession 1/0304/01
A focused question to ask
Which volume covers the library project or decision in my target year, and is there a subject or name index?
Evidence limit: Board minutes are not borrower registers. The catalog does not establish that an individual patron appears.
STOP 02 / NIU IRAD
Glen Ellyn: connect improvements to an address
The village improvement board minutes and special assessment record provide two ways to investigate infrastructure around a property. Keep their different date ranges in view.
Glen Ellyn: Local Improvements Board Minutes 1910–1914 · Accession 1/0332/01
Glen Ellyn: Local Improvements Board Special Assessment Record 1930–1939 · Accession 1/0332/02
A focused question to ask
Can you identify entries for this street or parcel and explain how the assessment record is arranged?
Evidence limit: These series cover different periods. An assessment is not proof that the assessed person lived at the property, and the catalog does not establish a matching project across the two series.
STOP 03 / NIU IRAD
DuPage schools: identify the board before searching
A school board minutes series is listed under the county superintendent of schools. Ask which board and geographic jurisdiction the volumes represent before treating it as a countywide school source.
School Board Minutes 1962–1970 · Accession 1/0093/01
A focused question to ask
Which board created these minutes, what schools or districts fall within its scope, and which volume covers my target year?
Evidence limit: The catalog title alone does not identify every school represented. Administrative minutes are not student attendance or enrollment registers.
IRAD is an Illinois Secretary of State program administered by the Illinois State Archives. Depository location: Northern Illinois University, DeKalb. Direct IRAD research requests to the regional depository, not the university’s separate archives or special collections.
Call to ask a question or schedule an appointment. The IRAD office is in Founders Memorial Library, Room 265, on the second floor. For a remote request, follow the statewide telephone/mail policy and confirm the current mailing address with staff.
Start with no more than two names, approximate dates, the county and the record type. Include the township or school where known and the accession number above. Ask whether an index exists, which volumes survive and what copying will cost. For an unindexed series, agree on a manageable search before requesting a long period. The statewide policy directs research requests to telephone or mail rather than email; wait for a response before sending another request. See the statewide research policy ↗.
Request template: I am researching [person or place] in [locality] around [years]. Your catalog lists [title], accession [number]. Which volume covers that period, is it indexed, and how can I consult or obtain the relevant pages? Please let me know any gaps, restrictions and copying charges.
Collection dates at a glance
The table lists IRAD series with verified date spans. Community collections above may have different or unspecified coverage and separate access rules. Catalog spans are starting points, not guarantees of every year, locality or individual. Use the Research Planner to compare your years with these cataloged series.
Selected cataloged series for DuPage County
Record series
Catalog dates
Accession
Elmhurst: Public Library Board Minutes
1912–2002
1/0304/01
Glen Ellyn: Local Improvements Board Minutes
1910–1914
1/0332/01
Glen Ellyn: Local Improvements Board Special Assessment Record
1930–1939
1/0332/02
School Board Minutes
1962–1970
1/0093/01
Keep the record and your interpretation separate.
Save the depository, collection, accession number, volume, page, dates and any copy correspondence. Record uncertain names as uncertain. A shared road, school or signature can suggest an association; it does not establish a family relationship.
Suggest a correction, an overlooked collection or an updated access detail. An official link or source helps us check it before making a change. Please leave out private family documents and sensitive personal information.