Indiana newspapers: Where to get statistics and titles

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Before you embark on newspaper research, take a moment to assess which publication titles will be helpful to you. Start by discovering which newspaper titles were available in the place and time of your topic. As you go back into the past, you will often run into the following scenarios:

  • In the same town, two or three newspaper publishers will print the exact same title, each of them printed by different people in different periods. Common titles like News, Times and Tribune are examples.
  • Titles often merge over time, resulting in new titles with completely different names, but with an updated coverage area.
  • Titles were often published for less than a decade before disappearing. Although some newspapers have survived for centuries, this is rare.
  • At any given moment during the lifespan of a title, the editor or manager could be replaced many times, with no announcement except for a theme change.
  • A title’s readership or circulation is often not included in the copy either, although publishers typically track this information for their business.

Knowing these roadblocks in advance can give you an idea of where to search. It can also inform you whether the information you desire can be found in a neighborhood newspaper or if you need to expand your circle of research. Where can you find the newspaper data to clear this fog? The Indiana State Library is here to help! Here are two sources that supply the backstory and statistics for local newspaper titles. Together, these two indexes provide information regarding management, editorship and circulation numbers for every Indiana title – and for every calendar year.

“Indiana Newspaper Bibliography” by John W. Miller

Published by the Indiana Historical Society in 1982, this book furnishes the beginning and ending dates of every Indiana title up to that time, the founders and editors over different periods and the places where preserved copies existed in 1982. The book was also designed to tell the stories of publishing staff and title histories, conveying the themes on which they were based and the reasons why changes were made over time. Obviously, this source won’t help much if you are looking into the recent past. For searching newspapers printed from 50 years ago and beyond, it addresses mergers, title founders and even awkward moments when an owner grabbed the printing press and hightailed it to another community. County sections in the book are subdivided by town. At the end of each county section, an index of local titles lays out where prints and microfilms could be found in 1982.

“Indiana Newspaper Directory” by the Hoosier State Press Association

Published annually, these softback books are packed with statistical information for every Indiana title, broken down by daily or weekly categories. The titles in each category are presented in alphabetical order. For each one, the yearly circulation is listed, as well as names of managers and editors. More recent annual issues include each title’s birth year and the weekday publication schedule. Each title is listed as a morning or evening paper as well. Analyzing these statistics over a period of years, the researcher can discover the exact dates and times when papers changed publication strategies and ownership. You can also track a title’s popularity over time. The yearly population of each title’s town or county is provided, so that circulation can be calculated as a percentage. The data was originally shared by publishers statewide to focus efforts and bolster local support for the HSPA and the legacy of titles it represents. The Indiana State Library currently holds issues of the newspaper directory published from 1948 through 2006.

When you are comfortable with the locations, dates and titles that will inform your project, the Indiana State Library Legacy database can help.

This newspaper microfilm index is searchable by town, county or title name. Once you have opened a list of titles that will work for you, check the available date range by clicking on ones of interest. Repeated, merged and closed titles are documented along with the date ranges available in the microfilm cabinets, to help guide you along the way.

This post was submitted by David Pleiss, newspaper librarian with the Indiana Division of the Indiana State Library. 

The Indiana Fever at the State Library

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May in Indiana has always revolved around the Indianapolis 500 and car racing. However, it also marks the beginning of the Women’s National Basketball Association season, and with the Indiana Fever becoming one of the most popular sports teams in the nation, the drivers in Speedway are sharing the spotlight with the women playing in downtown Indianapolis at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.

Founded in 1999, the Indiana Fever became the state’s first professional female basketball team. The team’s inaugural season was 2000, only three years after the founding of the WNBA. In the following 25 years, the Fever made the playoffs 14 times, winning three Eastern Conference championships and one WNBA championship in 2012.

Foldable pocket schedule from the inaugural 2000 season (ISLO 796.32 no. 12).

Indiana has always had a strong affiliation with the game of basketball and the name Fever is a reference to the perceived mania people in Indiana feel about the sport.

One of the first stand-out players on the team was Tamika Catchings. After an illustrious career at the University of Tennessee, Catchings was drafted by the Fever in 2001. During her tenure in Indiana, which lasted until 2016, she amassed a championship and multiple WBNA awards and is the only player to have her jersey number retired.

Children’s book written by Catchings (ISLI 927 C357d).

The WNBA’s popularity slowly increased and by 2023, attendance and viewership were up. In that year, the Fever drafted Aliyah Boston from the University of South Carolina and she would go on to win the WNBA’s Rookie of the Year award.

Aliyah Boston and Damris Dantas on the cover of the Fever’s game program (ISLO 796.32 no. 16).

The following year, in 2024, the Fever drafted Caitlin Clark from the University of Iowa. An extremely popular player in college, Clark’s addition to the team caused its growing fanbase to explode. After a slow start, the Fever finished the season 20-20 but still managed to make the playoffs after an eight year post-season drought. Like her teammate Boston the year before, Clark won the Rookie of the Year Award.

Children’s book about Caitlin Clark. ([IYRC] ISLI 927 C592d).

Going into the 2025 season, the Fever have completely revamped their roster around their young stars and have taken on a new coach, Indiana native and Purdue alum Stephanie White. Expectations for the team are high and opposing teams are moving their home games against the Fever to larger venues to accommodate the increased interest in watching the Fever play.

Fortunately, there is no scheduling conflict between the Fever and the 109th running of the Indianapolis 500 on May 25.

The Indiana State Library strives to collect materials on all Indiana sports teams, both current and from the far past. To discover more, please visit our catalog.

This blog post was written by Jocelyn Lewis, Catalog Division supervisor, Indiana State Library. For more information, contact the Indiana State Library at 317-232-3678 or “Ask-A-Librarian.”

Genealogy for Night Owls returns to the Indiana State Library on May 21

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The Indiana State Library is once again hosting its popular Genealogy for Night Owls event on Wednesday, May 21, from 4:30-8 p.m.

The after-hours research event at the State Library will feature a library tour, a presentation on unique items in the library’s collections and Ask-an-Expert sessions with representatives from various local historical, genealogical and lineage organizations.

The schedule is as follows:

  • 5:10 p.m. – Library tour.
  • 5:30 p.m. – Presentation – “Unique Items from the Library Collections.”
  • 5:45 p.m. – Ask-an-Expert sessions begin.
  • 7 p.m. – Ask-an-Expert sessions end.
  • 8 p.m. – Program conclusion.

The tour and Ask-an-Expert sessions are optional. Attendees may spend the entire evening conducting their own research if they prefer. The Ask-an-Expert sessions are 15 minutes in length. Attendees should have questions prepared in advance. The library tour is roughly 20 minutes in length and will cover materials available for genealogy researchers at the Indiana State Library.

Genealogy Division librarians will be on hand to answer questions about the collection. They will also answer research and reference questions and assist in locating materials. The second floor microfilm area will be open and staffed by librarians from the Indiana Division. The Rare Books and Manuscripts and Reference Divisions will not be open during Genealogy for Night Owls. Librarians will not be able to retrieve manuscript collections during this event.

Registration is free and required. Click here to register.

The Indiana State Library is located at 315. W. Ohio St. in downtown Indianapolis.

Please contact Jamie Dunn, Genealogy Division supervisor at the Indiana State Library, with any questions.

This blog post was submitted by Michelle Sharp, collections and outreach manager at the Indiana State Library.

My journey with therapy dogs

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I have been involved in library therapy dog programs since 2007, when I became the head of the Children’s Department at the Crown Point Community Library. CPCL had an ongoing program called Read to the Dogs, and they partnered with a therapy dog group in Lake County called “Power Paws for Kids.” Certified and trained dogs would come to the library and children would pick out a book and “read to a dog.” Dogs are excellent listeners and provide a safe, non-judgmental environment for kids to practice their reading skills. Children don’t feel pressure to read to a dog because the dog won’t judge them if they mispronounce a word or skip a page. From a large Bernese Mountain Dog to a small Chihuahua in a wheelchair, there was a dog for everyone. Most of the children would read but some just wanted to pet the therapy dogs. Others would come to each Read to the Dogs program because they had their favorite dog and wanted to visit them and give them a treat. I watched the group for a few years, and eventually thought my Yorkshire Terrier Gigi could do it.

I remember a person came to the library when the Read to the Dogs program was happening and said, “Cool, so I can bring my dog to the library and get it read to?” We had to explain, “No, the dogs needed to be trained and certified and the dogs were part of the therapy dog group.” There is a lot of training involved before a canine is ready to be in a therapy dog program. Gigi was the first dog that I trained. We went to puppy class, and we needed to retake it because I flunked. These classes are more about training the person. You need to be consistent with the commands you give your dog, and you need to have a lot of patience. It also takes time, and you need to put the time in when training your dog. I did not realize that at the time I was working with Gigi.

To get into the therapy dog group, one needs to pass the Canine Good Citizenship test. There are 10 skills needed, and the test completion needs to be signed off by an American Kennel Club-approved Canine Good Citizenship evaluator:

  • Accepting a friendly stranger.
  • Sitting politely for petting.
  • Appearance and grooming.
  • Walking on a loose leash.
  • Walking through a crowd.
  • Sit and down on cue/stay in place.
  • Coming when called.
  • Reaction to another dog.
  • Reaction to distractions.
  • Supervised separation.

I received extra help from a member of the dog training club. They worked with me one on one on the skills we were weak on. It wasn’t an easy process, as Gigi had trouble not pulling on her leash and she would pop up and not stay in place for the required three minutes. Gigi finally earned her Canine Good Citizenship title and membership in Power Paws for Kids in August 2013 and we were involved visiting many libraries, until we moved back to Grant County in 2014.

Grant County has a different therapy dog group called Love on a Leash. In Indiana, there are six chapters. The Heartland Chapter covers Grant and Miami Counties. Other areas in the state are Terre Haute, Columbus, Hamilton County, Indianapolis and Kokomo. I needed to go through the Love on a Leash evaluation process and discovered that the local Mississinewa Valley Obedience Training Club had an evaluator. Gigi and I took a few classes to brush up our skills. The Love on a Leash evaluation is very similar to the Canine Good Citizenship test but includes a few extra factors about your dog’s demeanor. Factors such as does your dog exhibit apparent aggression, or do they keep their composure if someone approaches in an erratic manner. We passed the Love on a Leash evaluation. Love on a Leash has an extra step that the Lake County group did not have. We needed to do 10 supervised visits with a Love on a Leash evaluator. These need to be completed within a year after you pass the Love on a Leash evaluation. After that, your completed paperwork is turned into the national Love on a Leash group as well as a membership fee.

Gigi and I would go to the Marion Public Library for their Read to the Dogs programs and to Indiana Wesleyan University before their finals at Christmas Break. I had a very heartwarming interaction with a college student at their “Dogs and Donuts” event. A student came up to me and I asked her if she wanted to hold Gigi. She nodded “yes” and she hugged Gigi close to her as tears streamed down her face. She said this was her first time away from home and she missed her dog. It’s hard to keep your composure in situations like those.

Sadly, Gigi passed away in 2021 and I really missed going to Love on a Leash events. Our other Yorkie, Ozzy, did not have the right demeanor to be a therapy dog. He is set in his ways and does not like others not “living in his pack.” I was now on the lookout for another dog who could possibly be a therapy dog. In April of 2023, my stepdaughter happened to see a puppy who was up for adoption. A 10-week-old Morkie – a Maltese/Yorkshire terrier mix – needed a home. I was out of town for my job when I saw a picture of the puppy and I immediately called about him. When I met him, I had a feeling that he might make a great therapy dog. He is so friendly, and he has such a happy look almost like he is smiling. We got him on the spot later that evening and changed his name to Rocky.

I knew that I wanted to get Rocky into training classes as soon as I could. Rocky needed to go through the proper vaccination schedule before he could take the Mississinewa Valley Obedience Training Club classes, which are seven weeks long. We started with the puppy class. We worked on walking on a leash and healing and sitting as well as the commands: leave it, stay and come. The next level is the basic level, where we learn more commands: sit stay, down stay, weave between other dogs, recall, stand and turns. After passing the basic class, we could become members of Mississinewa Valley Obedience Training Club. This lets you get the first pick on other classes that are given, and you get a discount. This got us prepared to take the Canine Good Citizenship class.

We passed the Canine Good Citizenship test and the Love on a Leash evaluation on the same night. This meant that we could start with the next task of doing the 10 supervised visits. I was able to get all 10 visits completed by going to a couple of libraries in Grant County, Taylor University and a retirement facility. The final step is to fill out the Love on a Leash paperwork. For each visit, the evaluators sign a form and comment on how you and your dog did. For example, “Do you have your dog under control?,” “Are you talking with the program participants?,” “Is your dog well-groomed and clean?,” and “How does your dog react to the other dogs?” One comment I got from an evaluator was “Rocky did well with the little girl with the beads in her hair.” I did not think about it when it happened, but Rocky did not flinch or try to bite at the beads. Those beads might be a trigger for other dogs to either be afraid of or to try to play with them.

Dogs in the therapy group need to be on their best behavior and be under control. They must show no aggression with people or other dogs and they must be fine with sudden movements or sounds. Rocky has been to the Lowe’s home improvement store many times and he has a fan club there. We take him for car rides. He has spent a lot of time with my young nieces and nephews. It is apparent that he loves adults and children. I’ve also tried to get him used to other sounds – like taking the trash can from the curb to our house. This helps him get used to sounds he might hear at a nursing home with wheelchairs.

Having a therapy dog is amazing on so many levels. With the school-age children, they get to practice their reading skills, and they get to learn about different dogs and how to treat them. College students need to de-stress during finals, or they need some comfort when they are far from home and missing their family and pets. At a nursing home, the residents may not have family close by and they really miss their pets. It took me a couple of years to get Rocky officially in the Love on a Leash group. It is such a joy to share Rocky with others and it is worth all the time, effort and training that is involved.

This post was written by Northeast regional coordinator Paula Newcom of the Indiana State Library Professional Development Office.

Links
https://www.powerpawsforkids.org/
https://www.akc.org/products-services/training-programs/canine-good-citizen/
https://www.loveonaleash.org/

From the ISL stacks: A historic appreciation of resource sharing (and form)

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Beige on black, the light switches on the second floor of the State Library’s stacks banished the archival darkness. Halogen hummed to life, a substitute for the silence; narrow strips of light painted the shelves pale above the Library and Information Science collection. Stacks retrieval was nothing new to me, but it has always inspired a sense of wonder. Prior to joining the Indiana State Library as its new interlibrary loan specialist this January, I’d spent most of my career working in academic collections: first, as a student lender at Indiana University’s Herman B. Wells Library in Bloomington, and later, as local document delivery coordinator for the University of Michigan’s Harlan Hatcher Graduate Library in Ann Arbor.

Cover image: “What the OCLC Interlibrary Loan Service Means to Me.”

You might call it fate, then, to spy this volume, wedged between several monographs on digital resource sharing after a good few minutes spent distracted by a bibliography on four centuries of cat books. “What the OCLC Interlibrary Loan Service Means to Me: A Collection of Essays” (Z 713 .W43 1999) was published on the 20th anniversary of OCLC’s interlibrary loan service. The prompt for the volume was simple: in five hundred words or less, contributors – ranging from students and teachers to librarians and freelance writers – were invited to submit their thoughts on what interlibrary loan meant to them for a shot at a $1,000 grand prize. Roughly a quarter-century later, this collection of essays is a fascinating snapshot of resource sharing at the turn of the millennium. Even the cover, hearkening back to my childhood in a rapidly digitizing world, vaguely reminds me of the old DK/Scholastic children’s books on the “information superhighway.”

Robert Mathews’ crossword.

Particularly interesting in this volume is how various contributors interpret the genre of “essay” for the contest. Among the various traditional short essays include submissions in the form of a crossword – a rearrangement of letters and words from the title of the collection itself – and poetry like the “Song of the Happy Scholar.” Humorously, two contributors took an extremely minimalist approach to their submissions: “Job security,” reads one dryly. Another writes, using their best supervillain impression: “Now the WORLD is mine!” As a student of literature and creative writing, the shattering of expectations with form has always struck me as a compelling type of argumentation or storytelling. Beth Posner’s statement preceding her generated word list from the volume’s title seems to hint at this type of narrative subversion, too: “Maybe we can even learn to see OCLC in other ways by this list.”

Beth Posner’s generated word list from the volume’s title.

Over 25 years later, it’s a fun thought exercise to imagine the wide range of responses (and visual interpretations) to this question that OCLC would receive in 2025, given the advancements in technology since this volume was published. For me, the meaning of a service like interlibrary loan is not just about “permitting access” to materials requested through InfoExpress and Indiana Share. It’s about participating in a broader, patron-oriented collaboration with the many public and academic libraries throughout Indiana. From education to entertainment, I view resource sharing as a form of service to our Hoosier communities.

And, if asked to write my own minimalist contribution to this volume, it would be simple: “The joy of patron discovery.”

This blog post was written by Eric Altemus, interlibrary loan specialist at the Indiana State Library.

Indiana Department of Workforce Development data

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I’d like to introduce you to data from the Indiana Department of Workforce Development, one of the State Data Center’s long time partners in providing access to public data about Indiana. The Indiana DWD produces data and reports about state employment at multiple geographic levels using its website Hoosiers by the Numbers, or HoosierData.IN.gov. With assistance from another SDC partner, the Indiana Business Research Center, they have created dashboards and data visualizations to make it easier for us to understand the current state of employment and labor market in the state.

Let’s start with the county quick stats.

You can drill down immediately to county-level data on the first page of Hoosiers by the Numbers with a clickable map of all 92 counties. With one click, you’ll receive a county profile full of data highlights covering population, education, commuting, labor force, industry and income.

If you choose St. Joseph County in northern Indiana and click the tab for commuting, you’ll see that the total picture of this county in 2023 includes workers who came from the state of Michigan and also from Elkhart, LaPorte and Marshall counties in Indiana to work in St. Joseph. The majority of workers (84%) traveled by car/truck/van to get to work. Five percent of workers used a motorcycle, bicycle or walked to work. One percent took public transportation. Almost 10% of workers worked from home.

You can look county-by-county to see a comparison of where people came from to work in Indiana counties and how they traveled to get to work. You can download your results in Excel, Word or PDF formats.

If you choose the tab for industry, you’ll see the people who worked in various industries within each county. For Vanderburgh County in the southwest corner of the state, the majority of people worked in health care and social assistance services in 2023. Manufacturing, retail trade and food service round out the top four.

Under the income tab, you’ll see an industry breakdown with the average pay a person received. In Marion County, the top income in 2023 was in company management ($121,032), followed by Utilities ($115,447). The bottom industries in the county were food services ($27,629) and retail trade ($41,036).

To the right of the quick stats, you’ll find the workforce economy dashboard. Here, you can take a quick look at a real-time statewide picture of employment and how different indicators are increasing or decreasing by the month.

The Hoosiers by the Numbers website is designed to be navigated by a row of tabs at the top.

There are two ways to navigate the site by audience. If you are currently looking for a job, explore the job seekers resources to study up on the labor market you’re diving into and preview the employment outlook projections, as well as the hourly wage dashboard to see the average wage or salary for the different occupations across the state. If you are an employer or business owner, explore the employer resources.

The tab for topics allows you narrow your search for workforce data by topic. For example, choose clusters to view Indiana data by industry cluster or choose economic indicators to look at the statewide indexes and monthly GDP growth chart. You can also view all of the data on the topic of occupations.

Under the tab for “Tools” on the main page, you can click on a variety of data tools, including infographics. For example, “What did Hoosiers study in college?” can show you how many people of varying generations studied a range of topics. But don’t stop there. Under the “Regions” tab, choose the business lookup tool to explore a listing of businesses in your county, georeferenced to pop up on the map. Each listing includes the name, industry, address, number of employees and annual sales.

The Indiana DWD produces current monthly county city, and MSA employment reports that you can access through this website.

Lastly, the DWD Data Request Portal allows you to request data directly from the agency and explains the difference between what is publicly available and what is restricted. Both are available upon request.

Please bookmark this website and plan to revisit it throughout the year, as it is continually updated with the most up-to-date labor market data in Indiana. As always, contact the State Data Center for more information about locating the data you need!

This blog post was written by Katie Springer, reference librarian and director of the Indiana State Data Center. For more information, contact the Reference and Government Services Division at 317-232-3678, or submit an Ask-A-Librarian request.

*A note on the terminology. When data is seasonally adjusted, this means the seasonal patterns are removed from the data using statistical techniques. This is done to smooth out the data and make a clearer picture of the employment data trends. For more information, see the Census Bureau webpage for time series and seasonal adjustment. The Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas also offers a good explanation.

Probate records as a genealogy tool

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Probate and will records are important in genealogy because they can contain information that cannot be found in any other source. They can be more difficult to navigate than census or vital records, but they can be valuable, especially to anyone looking to glean more information about family relationships. Below is an example of a probate record that gives many specific details. It lists the full names of the deceased man’s surviving children as well as those of his grandchildren whose parent had already died. Several of the children listed never appear on a census record with their father as any federal census prior to 1850 only listed the head of household.

Robert Burnett probate record, Probate Record C, page 374, Fayette County Ohio, 1878.

In the example below, the probate record of Catharine Wall lists her children as Patrick Wall, Margaret Toban, Mary Gore and Ellen Hoban. This is the only record that links the four as siblings, because they never appear on a census record together and marriage records for the sisters, which would list their maiden names, cannot be located.

Catharine Wall probate estate case file, Washtenaw County, Michigan, 1870.

The record below contains the 1820 testimony of Fanny Shaw regarding her husband John, giving a brief biography and listing his heirs, including his daughter, Elizabeth. It also gives the full name of his first wife, Jane Jones. This information is particularly valuable in a period in which women were less commonly found in records.

Fanny Shaw affidavit, Order Book, 1818-1831, Shelby County, Kentucky, 1820.

Until recently, probate records were not always indexed and could require looking through many pages. However, FamilySearch’s new full-text capability has made searching through these types of records much easier. Learn more about this new function here.

This post was written by Laura Williams, genealogy librarian at the Indiana State Library.

Tea Time with Librarians episode guide

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It isn’t a secret that I love libraries! My love of libraries began early on. I can’t remember that first visit because I was really young, but I remember being proud that I already  had a library card when my kindergarten class took a field trip to the library. I wish I could boast that being a librarian was what I always wanted to be, but that isn’t the case. It wasn’t until I was in college and starting my sophomore year that I realized I could turn my love of libraries into a career!

Fast forward to 2025, and I’ve been living my librarian dreams for over twenty years! Prior to coming to work at the Indiana State Library, I worked in various positions in two different library systems in Lake County. Now, as the Northwest regional coordinator for the Indiana State Library, I have the privilege of visiting the public libraries in the Northwest region. I have to tell you that public libraries all over Indiana are doing incredible things!

Libraries and library staff are the champions in their communities. Libraries are not just buildings that house books. Libraries are so much more! It was from my work in public libraries and my library visits that Tea Time with Librarians was born. I wanted a way for libraries to be able to brag, boast and shout to the world what they are doing. Tea Time with Librarians is an interview program that debuted in November 2024. The purpose of the program is to talk about all the amazing things that Indiana libraries and library staff are doing for their communities.

The Tea Time interviews are typically under 30 minutes, therefore not eligible for LEU’s. If you’re interested in being a guest on Tea Time, please send an email to me. You don’t have to be a librarian to participate.

Tea Time with Librarians episode guide
Episode one of Tea Time with Librarians features Kara Cleveland, Professional Development Office supervisor at the Indiana State Library. She talks about what the professional development office does, what State Library services she would like Indiana libraries to know more about and current projects she is working on. At the time of the interview, she was reading “Our Kind of Game” by Johanna Copeland. This episode was published to YouTube on Nov. 12, 2024. You can watch episode one here:

Episode Two of Tea Time with Librarians features Jennifer Clifton, Library Development Office supervisor at the Indiana State Library. She talks about what the Library Development Office does, discusses her “why” for working in libraries and what motivates her most in her position. At the time of the interview, she was reading “Best of Europe” by Rick Steves. This episode was published to YouTube on Dec. 10, 2024. You can watch episode two here:

Episode three of Tea Time with Librarians features Courtney Brown, Evergreen Indiana coordinator at the Indiana State Library. She discusses what she found to be surprising about her position, projects that she is excited about and the most rewarding part of her job. At the time of the interview, she was reading “Tell Me What You Did” by Carter Wilson. This episode was published to YouTube on Jan. 14. You can watch episode three here:

Episode four of Tea Time with Librarians features Jane Feyl, with Andrew Laverghetta, from the Eckhart Public Library. Feyl is a genealogy librarian at their Willennar Genealogy Center and Laverghetta is their tech guru. Feyl tells us about their Facebook shows, “Cemeteries of DeKalb” and “Memories of DeKalb.” Feyl and Laverghetta also discuss how other libraries can start similar shows. At the time of the interview, Feyl was reading “Dewey” by Vicki Myron, Laverghetta was reading the “Magic Tree House” books by Mary Pope Osborne with his child and I was listening to “Onyx Storm” by Rebecca Yarros and reading “The Beyond” by Agnes Stone. This episode was published to YouTube on Feb. 11. You can watch episode four here:

Episode five of Tea Time with Librarians features Judy Gray, supervisor of Talking Book and Braille Library at the Indiana State Library. She talks about all the wonderful services that Talking Book and Braille Library provides, what service she would like for Indiana libraries to know more about and what motivates her in her position. At the time of the interview, she was reading “Cartographers” by Peng Shepherd. I was listening to “The Woman in the Garden” by Jill Johnson. This episode was published to YouTube on March 11. You can watch episode five here:

Episode six of Tea Time with Librarians features Dr. Michella Marino, deputy director of the Indiana Historical Bureau, a division of the Indiana State Library. She gives a history of the Indiana Historical Bureau and discusses their many services. She sheds light on a service that she would like for Indiana residents to know more about and discusses what her biggest wish is for the Indiana Historical Bureau. At the time of the interview, she was reading “Slaughterhouse-Five” by Kurt Vonnegut and had just finished “First Lie Wins” by Ashley Elston. This episode will be published to YouTube on April 8.

New episodes are published to YouTube on the second Tuesday of the month. I hope you’ll be watching!

This post was submitted by Lacey Klemm, Northwest regional coordinator at the Indiana State Library.

The Indiana State Library’s 2025 public programming lineup!

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This year, during the Indiana State Library’s Bicentennial, we have an exciting public programming lineup, beginning with escape rooms and trivia contests that anyone can attend during their lunch break. Our first escape room event, held Feb. 20, was a huge success and enjoyed by all. Come join us for any of the following events that will take place in the Indiana State Library! The Lunch and Learn Series and the Summer Lecture Series offer both in-person and virtual attendance options.

Indiana State Library Bicentennial Programs

“Indiana Trivia Game” 
April 17 and Aug. 20, 12-1 p.m.

Gather your team and join us on your lunch break for a lively game of Indiana trivia!! What is your day missing? Trivia! How much does this cost? Nothing! It’s free! Will there be prizes? Yes! The winning team will win a gift basket filled with Indiana goodies. Will this be fun? Yes, all of our trivia is certified fun.

How do I join the fun? This event is free and open to the public. Registration is required. Register your team here for April 17 and here for Aug. 20! You will receive a reminder email two days before the event with parking information.

“Hoosier Women Escape Room”
May 15, 12-1 p.m.

Gather your team and join us on your lunch break for an escape room featuring amazing Hoosier women throughout history!

Step into an intriguing world where participants are tasked with unraveling the mystery behind the disappearance of a set of photographs featuring notable Hoosier women. These images were meticulously curated by the librarians at the Indiana State Library, only to be swiped by none other than Sammy, the Interviewing Toucan. This clever bird, feeling underappreciated, has taken it upon himself to stir up some excitement through his playful antics. As you navigate this immersive experience, your mission is to outwit Sammy and recover the stolen photographs, piecing together the stories of these inspiring women. Will you be able to catch the elusive toucan and restore the scrapbook to its former glory? The challenge awaits!

This event is free and open to the public. Registration is required. Register here.

“Constitution Day Trivia”
Sept. 17, 12-1 p.m.

Celebrate Constitution Day with a lunchtime trivia showdown! Join the Indiana State Library for a fun and fast-paced trivia game focused on the U.S. Constitution, American history and civics. Participants will test their knowledge, compete with friends and coworkers and win prizes! Whether participants are history buffs or just in it for fun, this event is a great way to honor the founding document of our Nation. Registration is required. The program will take place in the History Reference Room at the Indiana State Library. Participants can join a team or gather their own dream team and register together. Register here.

“A Ghostly Gathering at the Indiana State Library”
Oct. 10, 6-9:30 p.m.

Step into the shadows of the Indiana State Library for a thrilling night of treats, tales and things that go bump in the stacks! Come in costume and don’t forget a goodie bag for trick-or-treating through the library’s stacks. Enjoy spooky stories, snacks, photo ops and a movie screening to end the evening with a few laughs and frights. Registration is required to attend this ghostly gathering, so reserve a spot before it vanishes.

Special guests, Circle City Ghostbusters, will be in attendance.

Registration coming soon.

Lunch and Learn Series

“Introduction to Genealogy at the Indiana State Library”
May 13, 12-1 p.m.

“Introduction to Genealogy at the Indiana State Library,” presented by Jamie Dunn, will highlight the resources, services and programs of the Genealogy Division of the Indiana State Library. Explore the Genealogy collection, with an overview of the content and formats available in the family history collection to help you with your genealogy research. Register here for the in-person or online program.

“Using Maps in Your Research”
Sept. 9, 12-1 p.m.

In “Using Maps in Your Research,” presenter Monique Howell will show the different kinds of maps available at the Indiana State Library, including digital maps. Sanborn, topographic, transportation maps and more will be covered. Register here for the in-person or online program.

“Indiana State Library History”
Oct. 14, 12-1 p.m.

“Indiana State Library History,” a bicentennial celebration Lunch and Learn with cake and a library tour, will be presented by Jamie Dunn. This program tells the history of the Indiana State Library from its establishment in 1825 to the present day. Starting as a small reference collection for the Indiana Legislature, over the past 200 years the library has grown into a premier research library specializing in Indiana history, state government documents, family history, newspapers, maps and more. Register here for the in-person or online program.

“Introduction to Native American Research”
Nov. 18, 12-1 p.m.

“Introduction to Native American Research,” presented by genealogy librarian Sarah Pfundstein, will cover basic methodologies of Native American research and sources in the Indiana State Library and other venues. Register here for the in-person or online program.

Summer Lecture Series

“Unlock the Power of using DNA to Enhance Your Genealogy” 
June 14, 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m.

Join the Indiana State Library for a day of discovering how to use DNA testing results. In three sessions, attendees will learn how to leverage DNA to uncover their family history, fill in the gaps of their family tree and gain valuable tips and tricks on how to apply these methods to their own research.

Session one: “DNA Ethnicities and Thrulines”
Explore DNA ethnicity estimates and Thrulines. Learn how to interpret ethnicity results and use Thrulines to discover potential connections within a family tree.

Session two: “Shared Matches”
Shared matches are key to confirming relationships and uncovering genetic cousins. Learn what a shared match list shows and how it can be used to identify relatives and confirm connections.

Session three: “Case Studies”
Pulling it all together. Discover practical techniques to analyze shared match data and help you build out a family tree with confidence. The presenter will explore case studies and show how combining traditional methods with DNA insights can lead to breakthroughs in genealogical research.

Don’t miss out on this opportunity to enhance genealogy skills and connect with the past in a whole new way! 

This event is free and open to the public. Registration is required. Click here to register for the in-person or online sessions. Indiana library staff will receive LEUs for attending. 

Parking validation will be available for attendees who park in the Senate Avenue parking garage directly across from the library and bring their ticket in for validation. 

“The Life and Times of Madge Oberholtzer”
July 12, 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m.

“The Life and Times of Madge Oberholtzer,” with author Charlotte Ottinger, will be presented on July 12. Join us for a compelling lecture with Ottinger, author of “Madge: The Life and Times of Madge Oberholtzer, the Young Irvington Woman Who Brought Down D.C. Stephenson and the Ku Klux Klan.” Discover the gripping true story of Madge Oberholtzer, whose courageous actions led to significant changes in Indiana. Learn about her life, tragic murder and the impact she had on dismantling the Ku Klux Klan in Indiana. Books will be available for purchase at the event.

Registration for in-person and online can be found here.

“Jonathan Knight – Pathfinder of American Roads”
Aug. 9, 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m.

Pat Chase, author of the book “Jonathan Knight – Pathfinder of American Roads,” will be giving a lecture and book signing detailing his recently-published biography. Jonathan Knight was an American who had a substantial influence in the development of Indiana – and all of American society – in the first half of the 19th century.

Knight was employed by the United State Department of War in 1825 to be the commissioner and surveyor of the National Road through Ohio, Indiana and Illinois. The National Road became the largest financial undertaking by the federal government prior to the Civil War. In 1827, the town of Knightstown, Indiana was named in his honor. Knight was the official who determined the route that the National Road took through Indiana. After completing his work on the National Road, he was hired to be the first Chief Civil engineer of the B&O Railroad, American’s first commercial railroad. Under Knight’s management the B&O started at the port of Baltimore passing over and through the Appalachian Mountains to the Ohio River, thus creating a major economic and cultural impact for those states that bordered the Ohio River. Knight was a brilliant self-taught mathematician; he was a devout Quaker who worked to stop the spread of slavery in the years prior to emancipation. Knight served in the Pennsylvania State Senate for six years and in 1854 was elected to the United States Congress from his home of Washington, Pennsylvania.

Registration for in-person and online can be found here.

We hope to see you there!

This post was submitted by the administration of the Indiana State Library. 

Borrow interactive kits from the Indiana State Library

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The Indiana State Library’s kit booking program has recently received a facelift. Librarians and teachers in Indiana can now book kits from the new online system powered by SpringShare.

While easy to use, two videos have been created to teach users how to interact with the new system. The quick version covers all the basics including navigating the system, booking different kinds of kits and learning how to use the availability grid. The longer version covers all that in more detail and includes booking limitations and deeper explanations. Additionally, an instructional webinar was offered on March 25. Click here to view the video.

The new system allows users to book kits from the Indiana Young Readers Center including Storytime kits, Lego & Duplo kits, Book Club kits and our new Indiana Escape Experience kits. The Indiana Young Readers Center kits can be booked out a year and a half in advance to accommodate future planning.

There are also a variety of kits available from the Professional Development Office, including NASA kits, Breakout Box kits and Tech kits. Kits from the Professional Development Office can be booked out a year in advance.

Both teachers and librarians in Indiana are welcome to use this system, however it is essential that teachers work closely with their public libraries to book their kit as all kits are delivered through the Indiana State Library’s InfoExpress courier service for Indiana libraries.

Questions? Suzanne Walker in the Indiana Young Readers Center can answer any questions you might have about the Indiana Young Readers Center kits. You can reach Suzanne via email. Kara Cleveland in the Professional Development Office is the contact for the Professional Development Office kits. Kara can be reached via email.

The new system is easy to use. Book your first kit today!

This post was submitted by Suzanne Walker and Kara Cleveland of the Indiana State Library.