ILLINOIS SECRETARY OF STATE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

February 24, 2000 CONTACT: Dave Druker or CONTACT: Randy Nehrt

White: Record Number Used Archives in 1999

SPRINGFIELD –– Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White today announced that the State Archives received almost 3 million requests for information and assistance in 1999, by far and away a record number of requests in a year.

White, who in his capacity as Secretary of State is in charge of the State Archives, credits the Internet for the increase in the number of requests.

"There is no question that the creation of the Internet has opened new possibilities for providing information to the public," White said. "Illinois has become a leader in providing information over the Internet and our work with archival records demonstrates this."

According to White, the State Archives received 82,140 requests for information in 1994. With an increased use of the Internet, the number of requests for archived information has grown every year since.

The number of requests went up to 183,762 in 1995, 363,287 in 1996, 664,460 in 1997, and 893,266 in 1998.

"In 1999, we made the statewide marriage index available for the years 1763 to 1900," White said. "The interest in this database has led to a tripling of requests for information from Archives, from 893,266 in 1998 to a record 2,939,496 last year."

White said that other databases currently available on the Internet include veteran’s records up to the Spanish American War, land records and various local government records.

The Secretary of State’s Archives Web site can be accessed at

www.cyberdriveillinois.com/departments/archives/archives.html