Illinois Coalition Against Domestic Violence records

Scope and Contents

The records span the years 1975 to 2009, with most of the records dated between 1985 and 1999. Files from 1975 to 1978 are primarily materials collected by ICADV and used for their research or materials related to the founding of the Coalition. Publications, the first series, include publications both produced and collected by ICADV. For Better Times is the most extensive of the publications and documents the work that ICADV was doing from 1981 until 2003. This quarterly publication is a useful starting point for working with the rest of the collection. In the 1990s, ICADV produced a bi-monthly newsletter for its members called Newsline. While not as extensive as For Better Times, it too gives a good overview of the activities of the coalition.

The Minutes of the Board of Directors, organized chronologically, begin in 1978 and end in 1997, although there are few records after 1993. The Files of the Board of Directors contain the memos and correspondence between members of the board and other committees. Board Meeting Materials consist of packets of information sent out to board members in preparation for each meeting. Other committee minutes were often included in these packets and can be found in the Committee Minutes series. The Committee Files, like the files of the Board of Directors, contain the materials sent by the committees to members and to other committees. These files are also best used in conjunction with the Committee Minutes and Publications.

Organizational Information includes any information which relates to the operational procedures, standards and policies of ICADV. Files found in this series include procedures and operations manuals, fundraising information, bylaws, job descriptions and the ICADV mission and board structure. Early documents from the founding of the Coalition are located within this series as well.

Financial Information is organized chronologically and includes information dealing with funding by the Illinois Department of Public Aid (IDPA) and the Victims of Crime Act (VOCA). Budgets, grants proposals, requests for proposals (RFP) and other financial contracts can also be found here.

Membership Files are organized alphabetically by city. They contain the applications of individual programs for admission into the ICADV with full membership status. Each file contains similar information including but not limited to proof of tax exempt status, articles of incorporation, a list of board members, proof of community support and the completed ICADV application. After 1989, when the membership policies were changed, some programs had to reapply for multiple levels of membership. Additionally in the nineties, Program Update Forms (PUF) were used to record member programs. These records are found within the Membership Files. Non-voting membership, supporting friends, affiliate membership and provisional membership information is located at the beginning of the series and is organized chronologically.

The Program Records series consists of the 1993 site review, site visit, program activities, legal action and client services information for the member programs. Statistics are organized first by statistics of the entire coalition and then by statistics of individual programs.

Included in Topic Files are, among other things, legislation, articles, and correspondence related to each topic. Case Law is divided further into topics that were dealt with specifically by court cases. These court cases were used by ICADV for research purposes but did not involve action by the Coalition.

Legal History files contain court cases that directly involved ICADV. In most circumstances ICADV joined the case as amici curiae, or a friend of the court. These files contain requests to join in an amicus curiae brief, intent to do so, correspondence with the leading organization of the brief and often the decision of the court. It is important to note the distinction between ICADV's involvement with the cases found in these files and the Case Law Topic Files.

Legal Background information was collected by ICADV and contains files which address legal issues of concern to the Coalition. Files which can be found in this series include standards and procedures of other domestic violence organizations, educational materials, statistics and research on abuse and abusers as well as information for ICADV's legal advocates.

Training files are organized chronologically and range from 1982 to 1993. Information related to the planning and organization of training, retreats, workshops and conferences can be found within these files. This may include brochures, contracts for speakers, agendas, correspondence and budgets. There is also correspondence and information relating to the Training Project itself, which was the committee which organized and produced this information.

Most Correspondence is dated from 1988 to 1992. Memos were sent within the Coalition to individuals and committees. They often contain attachments which may be of use in conjunction with the Board of Director and Committee Minutes and Files. The correspondence to individual programs contains letters sent by ICADV to the member programs. File folders for each program contain similar form letters addressed to each particular program.

Media Resources are slide shows that ICADV produced or appropriated for use among its members. Each folder contains a set of slides and an audio cassette. These slide shows, circa 1983, are informational presentations about the effects of domestic violence and the solutions available to victims of domestic violence. Some untitled film reels located in the Oversize series may also be media resources. Photographs are organized chronologically. The photos are from conferences, celebrations, retreats and workshops. The Multimedia series consists of slideshows, videos, and audio cassettes. The video collection, arranged chronologically, covers the years 1987 to 1993. The audio cassettes are also arranged chronologically and date from 1980 to 1992. The titles reflect the labeling on the cassettes used by ICADV.