University Library, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

The items in the Digital Collections of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Library contain materials which represent or depict sensitive topics or were written from perspectives using outdated or biased language. The Library condemns discrimination and hatred on any grounds. As a research library that supports the mission and values of this land grant institution, it is incumbent upon the University Library to preserve, describe, and provide access to materials to accurately document our past, support learning about it, and effect change in the present. In accordance with the American Library Association’s Freedom to Read statement, we do not censor our materials or prevent patrons from accessing them.

If you have questions regarding this statement or any content in the Library’s digital collections, please contact digitalcollections@lists.illinois.edu

American Library Association’s Freedom to Read Statement

Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility at the University Library

Clarendon Van Norman Jr. Collection of Ephemera (Digitized Content)

The digitized content of the Clarendon Van Norman Jr. Collection of Ephemera consists of printed ephemera dating from 1828 to 1939, related to Illinois.

The digitized content contains Illinois broadsides and printed ephemera primarily from the nineteenth century. The materials include a variety of works from the pre-Civil War era such as prospectuses, periodicals, advertisements, newspaper clippings, government documents, and financial records. The items cover topics in Illinois history such as politics and government, construction of the Illinois and Michigan Canal, and business transactions. Also contained within the digitized content are college commencement programs, religious sermons, materials from fraternal organizations, correspondence, sheet music, carrier addresses, and other printed works.

The Illinois History and Lincoln Collections unit at the University of Illinois Library manages the physical items of the Clarendon Van Norman, Jr. Collection of Lincoln and Illinois Ephemera (MS 852). The collection was partially digitized in 2016, 2017, and 2018. For more information, contact an archivist at ihlc@library.illinois.edu.