Welcome to ISM-Research & Collections Center

The Research and Collections Center is a 97,000 square-foot facility dedicated to collections care, research, and education. It is a bank that holds over 11.8 million objects as an investment for the future. The RCC houses the vast collections that range in size from the microscopic pollen grains to colossal mastodon fossils. Within its walls, the Illinois State Museum's mission of collecting, studying, and interpreting objects that represent the natural history, anthropology, and art of Illinois is fulfilled. It provides state-of-the-art space to care for and study collections, as well as laboratories and special program spaces for Museum scientists, artists, and educators.