Illinois Supreme Court Library

The Library of the Supreme Court of Illinois dates back to 1842. Since 1908, the library has been located in the Supreme Court Building in Springfield. The library primarily serves the Judicial branch of the State of Illinois, however the library is also made available to state, federal, and local governments, the bar, and the general public.

A private branch library, located in the Chicago loop, is maintained for the use of the Supreme Court in Chicago and the First District Appellate Court.

Reference service

Law librarians are available to help library users locate information, identify relevant resources, and develop search strategy. Library staff are unable to give legal advice or interpret the law. Information provided by the law library should not be substituted for legal advice. We recommend you contact an attorney for advice specific to the facts of your situation.

If you need help with a reference question, you may ask your question...

In person or by mail: Illinois Supreme Court Library, 200 E. Capitol Ave.,
Springfield, IL 62701

By phone: (217) 782-2424

By fax: (217) 782-5287

Online: Click here to submit a reference question online.

The Supreme Court of Illinois Library is not a lending library. Under Supreme Court Rule 33, library materials do not circulate.

Self-service photocopiers and microform printers are available and are operated by copy card. Copy cards may be purchased for a minimum of one dollar. The copy card dispensers accept bills only. Copies are ten cents per copy.

The library will fax or mail documents to library users upon request. Complete citations to materials are required. The library collects a fee of twenty cents per page, plus postage for documents over 20 pages in length that are mailed; one dollar per page, plus a five dollar service fee per request for documents faxed.

The library is accessible to individuals with disabilities. Library staff make all reasonable efforts to meet the needs of library users with disabilities. Library users with special needs are encouraged to seek assistance at the Reference Desk in advance of their library visit.

Pay telephones are available on the first floor of the Supreme Court Building. A state-only phone is available in the library. Library users who wish to use cellular phones are asked to do so in the hallway outside the library.

No food or beverages are permitted in the library. Smoking is prohibited in the building.

The library contains well over 100,000 volumes consisting of federal and state primary authority, as well as secondary authority, including encyclopedias, treatises, loose-leaf services, case digests, ALR's and subscriptions to over 350 legal periodicals. 

The catalog for the Springfield library treatise collection is available online and searchable at http://hip.rpls.ws/ipac20/ipac.jsp?profile=spisisc  

The library has a collection of cd-rom titles including state and federal cases, digests, statutes, citators, and the Illinois Administrative Code. The cd-rom titles are updated on a regular basis and are available free of charge.

The library makes available a series of guides to assist library users in their research.

Current guides include:

• Directory of Legal Periodicals available in the Supreme Court Library
  
• Selected Acquisitions of the Supreme Court of Illinois Library
  
• State Justice Institute Publications available in the Supreme Court of Illinois Library
  
• "How to research a legislative history in Illinois"
  
• "A guide to family law materials in the Supreme Court Library"
• Index to Illinois Reports