By Ahmad | Week 3 | Wednesday | 18 June 2025
Our visit to the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library (ALPL) was nothing short of inspiring. We were warmly welcomed by Ian Hunt, Chief of Acquisitions, who guided us through this treasure trove of history, carefully preserved and passionately curated.
Ian Hunt showcased and carefully explained selected items in a private room, fully suited in conservation PPE. One by one, he presented about ten meticulously preserved documents laid out on the table in front of us. The highlight was learning how every item is carefully checked for quality, from the iron content in the ink to the color and condition of the paper, and the overall integrity of each document.
The level of care is truly impressive, especially knowing that nothing from the collection is ever allowed to leave the building. We also discovered that the library holds more than just materials about Abraham Lincoln it tells the broader story of Illinois and the nation’s development.
He also showed us several remarkable items, including a rare 1856 photograph of Abraham Lincoln, a newspaper from 1860 reporting on pivotal moments in the nation’s history, a book from 1863 detailing the General Orders that outlined what the army could and could not do a document later linked to the early Geneva Convention’s codes of warfare and an extraordinary book signed by Lincoln himself in 1864, The Life of Abraham Lincoln, which is truly a national treasure.
Next, we were brought to the conservation lab, where experienced experts and dedicated volunteers showcased their meticulous repair work on letters, books, maps, and various historical documents.
Many of the library’s pieces come from Lincoln’s descendants or private collectors, some acquired through auctions, others through careful negotiation. As Ian explained, “the best pieces often come from persistent tracking and relationship-building.” The ALPL is not just about physical artifacts. Their Research Library is packed with invaluable resources, though none can be checked out they must stay in-house for preservation.
The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library’s collections are both vast and diverse, offering valuable resources for researchers, historians, and the public. The library holds a significant audio visual collection, which includes photographs, broadsides, audio recordings, and films, with some materials dating back to the 1840s. It also houses an extensive manuscript collection of approximately 12 million documents, ranging from personal letters and diaries to official records that preserve the stories of both well-known leaders and everyday people from Illinois.
The library offers access to over 5,000 newspaper titles on microfilm, covering publications from Illinois, across the United States, and around the world, with archives dating from the Civil War era to the present day. The published materials collection features more than 200,000 books, maps, and periodicals, focusing on subjects such as Illinois history, agriculture, industry, religion, and transportation. To further support research, the library also provides a variety of digital resources, allowing scholars and visitors to explore the collections remotely from anywhere.
One of the most powerful takeaways from this tour was seeing how Abraham Lincoln’s legacy is not just about the past it’s a living narrative that continues to shape how we think about freedom, justice, and leadership today. If you’re ever in Springfield, Illinois, the ALPL is a must-visit a place where history breathes, and Lincoln’s story comes vividly to life.