A notary public is almost always available whenever the Library is open.  There is a $1.00 fee per signature.  Notary service is offered at the first floor information desk.  Questions?  Call 217-367-4405.

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The purpose of notarization is to prevent fraud and forgery. A notary acts as an official and unbiased witness to the identity of persons who comes before the notary for a specific purpose.

• Please do not sign your documents before you come to the library. We are required to see you sign your documents.
• Each person signing the document must be present for us to notarize that signature.
• An ID with your signature is required so that we can verify your identity. PLEASE NOTE: Under recent changes in state law, the ID must be issued by a state or federal government agency and must bear the photographic image of the individual’s face and signature.
  
  • Examples of acceptable IDs issued by a state or federal government agency with both a photographic image and signature are a valid state driver’s license or ID card, a United States military ID, or valid passport.
  • Examples of IDs we cannot accept are Social Security cards, a United States passport card, or University of Illinois IDs that do not bear a photographic image or signature.
• Some documents require one or more witnesses. The library often can provide witnesses, but we can't guarantee enough staff would be available. If your document requires witnesses as well as your own signature and notarization, please plan to bring with you a sufficient number of people willing to serve as your witnesses.
• The library cannot notarize government I-9 forms or Cook County deeds, nor can we provide an Apostille.