In 1819 the General Assembly passed an act requiring the Secretary of State to keep an account of postage used for official pruposes (L. 1819, p. 254). Later a separate appropriation for a shipping clerk was provided by statute (L. 1895, p. 49). The Shipping Division receives and processes outgoing mail, incoming and outgoing express, parcel post mail, and freight; provides storage space for publications and printed forms of the Secretary's office and distributes them as directed; maintains inventory records of items received and quantities dispersed from stock; and acts as a limited receiver of printed materials for other agencies and makes deliveries to designated departments.
From the description of Shipping record of Supreme Court reports, 1897-1909;1911-1914. (Illinois State Archive). WorldCat record id: 36096138