Tag Archives: Indiana State Library

Fare thee well Ms. Marcia Caudell: A well-earned retirement

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The 2024 year will begin sadly at the Indiana State Library, as beloved Reference and Government Services supervisor Marcia Caudell will retire after 20 years of service. A native of Fortville, Marcia graduated from Mt. Vernon High School before starting a lengthy career working as a federal employee at the finance center at Ft. Benjamin Harrison. After retiring from the federal government, Marcia enrolled in classes to pursue a second career in libraries. She completed her undergraduate degree and earned a dual master’s degree in Public History and Library Science from IUPUI.

Marcia started working at the Indiana State Library in 2003 as a reference librarian. Marcia honed her craft working under the tutelage of former supervisor, and Indiana State Library icon, Ron Sharp. In addition to working primarily as a reference librarian, she also spent time working with genealogy and manuscripts collections to develop a well-rounded understanding of the library’s collections. Over time, Marcia became the respected librarian, with whom colleagues could turn to as a trusted source for the tough obscure questions. In 2015, Marcia became supervisor of the Reference and Government Services division. During her tenure as supervisor, Marcia guided her division through a pandemic and helped plan the first Hoosier Women at Work conference. Her division was recognized as FDLP’s Depository Library of the Year award in 2022.

Marcia is beloved by her family and colleagues. Her coworkers would describe her as smart, hardworking, prepared and humble. Marcia is known for her love of coffee, chocolate, cheese, coffee and Sherlock Holmes novels. Her co-workers will miss her humor, her candy jar, the food oddities she would share and mostly her company. Her presence will be dearly missed at the library, though staff is excited to hear that she does promise to return to the library as a volunteer. Everyone at the Indiana State Library will miss working with you. Enjoy your retirement, Marcia.

This blog post was written by Indiana State Library federal documents coordinator Brent Abercrombie. For more information, contact the Reference and Government Services at 317-232-3678 or via “Ask-A-Librarian.”

A vault shakin’, box makin’, history savin’ new machine

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This fall, the Indiana State Library purchased a large – and lovely, if I do say so myself – new piece of equipment, a Gunnar Aiox digital cutting machine. Now, this machine can do a lot, but our initial uses for it will be greatly increasing the range of producible archival boxes, vastly expanding economic efficiency and massively reducing the time spent by Indiana State Library staff in terms of actually making the boxes themselves. Before this machine, staff were hand-making boxes by cutting and flaying archival board and then trying to fold and glue the board together effectively enough so that the box would last for decades. A single box would take anywhere from an hour to an hour and a half, and box cleanliness, looks and regularity were sorely missing.

The Gunnar Aiox Hybrid XL, a state-of-the-art cutting machine, is capable of cutting anywhere from four to six boxes utilizing an amount of board previously used for only two boxes. The boxes can vary in size and shape and take about 25 minutes from design of the box on the associated computer program to the final cut being made. Then, it takes about another 10 minutes to fold up all of the boxes and get the books inside their new homes. This is an incredible amount of time and effort being saved, but – and maybe most importantly – the way the boxes are made with the machine requires no glue or adhesive whatsoever. Everything is done with precise folding theory and technique via the Aiox. This has increased the possible use time for these boxes – which are made with acid free archival board of varying sizes – by decades and without needing constant checks to see if any adhesive is coming undone. The time saved might not be truly stateable, as we weren’t exactly keeping track of the time it took to make a box before. Now, we’re making boxes in no time. The ease of box making – once figured out – has been just wonderful and we’re now starting to realize how we can make and design the boxes even more efficiently than the original templates. This technology also allows us a lot more functional scrap material for smaller boxes, box/material support and general reusability. With this scrap, we’ve been able to experiment and learn about the machine in a lot more effective manner as well. And in all honesty, as someone who isn’t great with arts and crafts, this machine makes a much better box than I ever did before it arrived.

Unfortunately, we are starting in quite cramped quarters, as the Aiox was put into our current digitization laboratory, so the supplies for the Aiox are spread throughout the library. Come April, however, our digitization lab will be moved into a bigger room that’s more able to support the functions required, and the former digitization lab will be converted fully to more effectively house the Aiox and all of the required materials for box making. All of us are quite excited about the eventual move, as the process can be a bit loud and makes it difficult to do digitization work with a giant machine whirring around you. However, the machine can be operated in mostly dark conditions in case someone is working on digitization at the same time. We all tend to agree it will be much nicer to have two separate rooms, one dedicated to each process, though.

As far as ease of use goes, I was unable to be here when the professional from Gunnar was here to train us, but through the notes of my colleagues and with a bit of testing cardboard to put through the paces, I figured out how to operate the machine with comfort and ease in just a couple of sessions. Most of us who need to use the machine can figure it out in just a couple of testing sessions and can continue on without needing anyone else there to help, further increasing efficiency and time management. And I must say, this machine makes my life – in terms of storing materials that are sometimes older than the United States – a lot less stressful, because I know what I’m producing is a lot safer and more accurate than I could have ever made by hand.

As someone who is only mildly tech-savvy, this machine was a bit daunting to look at and use at first, but the instructions are actually fairly simple and the true difficulty and intricacy of the machine lie in uses we haven’t even turned toward yet. We’re only just starting to use the machine with any kind of production line efficacy, and the possibilities moving forward can only grow. It’s also been a rather fun project to come together to work on and figure out. Nearly every division in the library has someone who uses the machine. Being able to make connections with co-workers through some rather humorous mistakes – we have a hilarious pile of failed boxes on test-board – is a another lovely way this piece of technology has been a benefit to the library.

This blog post was submitted by A.J. Chrapliwy of the Rare Books and Manuscripts Division of the Indiana State Library. 

Building updates at the Indiana State Library

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Construction of the Indiana State Library began in 1932. Two years later, in 1934, the building opened its doors. In 1976, an addition was built on to the building and in 2000 a major renovation was completed. In recent years, multiple projects have been completed to keep the building up to date, including the installation of a new roof to replace the previous worn out one that leaked in multiple areas.

The Indiana State Library on Ohio Street.

Currently, work is being done to repair the façade of the building. The Indiana limestone and friezes are being cleaned and the tuck pointing is being completed to ensure the building looks great for decades to come.

Inside the building, staff areas are being refreshed with new carpet, furniture and painting. Original hardwood floors are being sanded and stained and preserved for the future. Finally, a new Indiana Historical Marker center is being developed on the first floor of the library. Coming in 2024, the Marker Center will highlight the work of the Indiana Historical Bureau’s marker program.

Future site of the Indiana Historical Bureau Marker Center.

The Indiana State Library is continually evolving and improving to meet the needs of Indiana residents today and into the future.

This blog post was summitted by Jacob Speer, Indiana State Librarian.

2022 Indiana State Library end-of-year reflection

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As we close the book on 2022, we reflect on the many projects and services that came to fruition and were provided by the Indiana State Library, as well as the staff that continue to work so diligently to make things happen this year.

On the heels of 2021 – a year filled with many things related to, surrounding and/or as a result of COVID – we went about our regular business in 2022 with the Genealogy and Local History Fair, Discovery to Delivery, the Difference is You conference, DNA workshops, Evergreen updates and migrations/onboarding (and everything that goes along with those), web archiving of born digital state publications, digitizing and uploading collections to the Indiana State Library Digital Collections, Letters About Literature and more. In addition to regular business, the Indiana State Library had a number of projects in 2022 that went beyond the norm. Below are the highlights of some of those projects and programs.

On March 1, the Indiana Digital Library launched, creating a statewide consortium of e-books and magazines through the OverDrive platform. IDL is comprised of 203 public libraries from across the state, which have total checkouts amounting to almost 4 million since IDL rolled out. This new consortium allows access to more materials, cuts wait time, and ensures a more efficient use of funds. More information about IDL can be found here.

The Indiana Library Passport – a digital passport program for libraries across the state created to highlight features that make their library an excellent place to visit – launched in early July. This mobile passport is open to everyone, and features 140 public libraries and branches in Indiana. Patrons can visit the passport landing page to sign up. When participants check in through the Passport while they’re at the location, they will be entered into a quarterly drawing for a prize package!

On July 1, a new librarian certification portal was unveiled. The new certification portal was designed in-house specifically for librarian certification, allowing the process to be more streamlined and customizable for future use. Over time, the types of transactions that can be completed through the portal will increase. Changes include a new credit card service with lower fees, correspondence almost entirely done through email, a public lookup for librarians and in-house troubleshooting.

In August, the Indiana State Library presented “The Mystery of the Darlington Bible,” a program in which the focus was a 14th century medieval Bible held in the collections at the library. Professor David Gura of the Medieval Institute, and curator of ancient and medieval manuscripts at the Hesburgh Library at the University of Notre Dame, investigated and presented on the origins of the book, including the production techniques, magnificent illuminations and movement from Medieval Spain to Indiana.  Though the circumstances of its travels remain something of an enigma, we hope to bring more of its history to light as Dr. Gura continues his research on the Darlington Bible, the existence of which was previously unknown to the medieval scholars’ community.

Following the release of the 2020 census data, Indiana State Library staff, along with the assistance of the Indiana Business Research Center, worked to reevaluate Indiana’s public library districts and classes by compiling 2020 census data and examining that data in conjunction with public library survey data. This is an arduous and lengthy process, but population changes must be reflected since, in turn, they can affect a library’s class size, causing the need to reexamine service models to accommodate any changes. The Library District Interactive Map on StatsIndiana is updated with the most recent boundaries after 2020 census redistricting.In October, it was announced that the U.S. Government Publishing Office named the Indiana State Library as the 2022 Federal Depository Library of the Year for its preservation and promotion efforts of the Federal Documents Collection. “This is the first Library of the Year I am awarding since beginning my role as GPO superintendent of documents, and I can’t imagine a more deserving library,” said GPO superintendent of documents Scott Matheson. “Indiana State Library’s long-standing dedication to promoting and preserving government information is something to be admired. Through its much-loved Government Information Day and other crucial efforts, [the] Indiana State Library has played an important role in helping GPO realize its vision of an America Informed.”

Brent Abercrombie, Indiana State Library federal documents coordinator.

In late November, we learned that we were awarded a $30,000 grant from the Nicholas H. Noyes, Jr. Foundation, which will be used for the purpose of funding a six-month termed conservator position to stabilize and treat a collection of mid-19th century rare wall maps housed in the Indiana Division of the Indiana State Library. Currently, these maps are restricted due to their condition. Treating these maps will allow them to be digitized and made available to researchers.

This is by no means an exhaustive list, but highlights from a year well done! With other exciting projects that received a jumping off point in 2022, we’re excited to see what 2023 brings! Thank you for a great year!

This blog post was written by Stephanie Asberry, deputy director of public and statewide services at the Indiana State Library.

Visit the Lego Monument this holiday season! It’s free!

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Visitors to the Indiana Young Readers Center located in the Indiana State Library will get a treat this holiday season. For the fourth time since 2018, a 7-foot-tall replica of the Indianapolis Soldiers and Sailors Monument is on display from now until Valentine’s Day, 2023. Startlingly similar to the real monument, the replica is made from Legos, over 75,000 Legos to be precise.

Jeffrey Smythe of Center Grove, Indiana is the artist behind the Lego sculpture. Smythe attended the Herron School of Art and Design and graduated from IUPUI with a degree in interior design. He loves sharing his piece with the Indiana public, especially with field trips who visit the Indiana Young Readers Center.

The initial construction back in 2017-18 lasted 15 months, including three months of planning and sketching. Lego bricks used to create the sculpture, which includes a roughly 6-foot circular base area, were obtained from existing kits, Goodwill stores, auction houses and via online retailers and resellers. The piece was constructed at a 1:48 scale to accommodate Lego minifigures.

Since the initial build, Smythe has tweaked the design and grouped different combinations of characters around the base of the monument to tell different visual stories and provide lots of opportunities for viewers to seek and find.

This year, visitors will be delighted by a Muppet rock concert and a very familiar mystery solving dog. Let’s just say that we Scooby-Dooby-Doo hope you bring your families to visit the monument. “It’s one of my very favorite parts about working downtown in December,” said Indiana Young Readers Center librarian, Suzanne Walker. “The Lego Monument is beautiful, quirky and so very ‘Indiana.’”

The Indiana Young Readers Center is free and open to the public Monday through Friday from 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. The library is located at 315 W. Ohio St. in downtown Indianapolis. Visitors can also view the monument on select Saturdays; Dec. 10, 2022, Jan. 14, 2023 and Feb. 11, 2023 from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. If you have questions about viewing the Lego Monument, reach out to Suzanne Walker, Indiana Young Readers Center librarian.

This blog post was submitted by Indiana Young Readers Center librarian Suzanne Walker.

Rare Bible on display at the Indiana State Library

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On Saturday, Aug. 13, from 1-3 p.m., the Indiana State Library will present “The Mystery of the Darlington Bible,” a free program that will focus on a 14th century medieval Bible held at the State Library.  

The lecture will investigate the origin of the book, including production techniques, as well as the manuscript’s movement from medieval Spain to Indiana. In particular, the manuscript’s rich decorative program and beautiful illuminations will be examined in the larger context of medieval Bibles. Those with an interest in book history, Bible history and the Middle Ages will be most welcome. The Bible will also be on display during and after the program. 

Presenters include David T. Gura, curator of ancient and medieval manuscripts at the Hesburgh Library at the University of Notre Dame and concurrent associate professor at the university’s Medieval Institute; Seth Irwin, conservator at the Indiana State Library; and Marcia Caudell, supervisor of the Reference and Government Services division at the Indiana State Library. 

Click here to read more about the program and to register. Registration is not necessary to attend. 

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

This post was written by John Wekluk, communications director at the Indiana State Library.

Why use the Indiana State Library? Researchers, teachers and students, we’re here for you!

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Here at the State Library, we do a variety of things. Our library’s print and online resources cover a wealth of subjects and the assistance we provide gives patrons and data users a vast array of options for finding answers to their questions. Librarians and staff here are cross-trained in assisting with answering questions about genealogy, Indiana history, general reference, data about Indiana, specifics about library usage and research in federal and state government documents, among other topics.

Our library fits a few different categories.

  1. We are considered a research library, and many of our employees have belonged to the ACRL, the Association of College and Research Libraries. Although we are not an academic library – a library associated with a college or university – we do provide access to several in-depth special collections such as our Genealogy, Indiana, Rare Books and Manuscripts, cage and Holliday collections. The State Library is a research library in the broader sense of the term.
  2. We are considered a special library by the American Library Association definition because we are a library that operates within a state government. If you view the history of the library, you’ll see that we were originally created to serve our state legislature. The library’s mission has grown over the years. For a brief period beginning in the 1930s, the library was part of the Indiana Department of Education. We now serve under the executive branch of state government and we are open to the public.
  3. We are also a government information library. Several of our librarians consider themselves to be government information librarians. We handle requests about federal and state government documents and data on a regular basis. The government documents collections here include our Federal Depository Library Program collection, our Indiana state documents collection and our State Data Center collection.
  4. Our focus is on Indiana history. Many of the patrons we serve are looking for the history behind a certain person, group of people or Indiana location. Our history resources include original census records going back to the first census in 1790, county histories and maps of Indiana available from before statehood in 1816, rare family history volumes from residents of Indiana and surrounding states and the largest collection of Indiana newspapers in the world. Indiana history is one of our specialties here, so Indiana State Library staff are happy to help with history questions. Our building is also a living historical artifact. Built in 1934, it contains beautiful architectural details that you’ll need to visit to see. Contact us for a tour of the State Library!

*A friendly research tip, while you perform your research here, remember to collect information on the sources you view. This will ensure you do not repeat research you’ve already done and it helps while you’re creating citations for your reference lists and works cited pages.

In addition to our research collections, we also house the Indiana Young Readers Center and the Talking Book and Braille Library, both services of federal library programs through the Library of Congress – the Indiana Center for the Book and the National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled, respectively.

Last but not least, the Indiana Historical Bureau shares our building and is a part of our organization. The Bureau manages the state markers program and runs a highly educational research blog. Their website contains excellent resources for educators here.

The Indiana State Library and Historical Bureau can also direct you to additional resources at the Indiana Archives and Records Administration, a partner agency. Discover more about its holdings here.

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

Come visit the Indiana State Library

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Do you know how many times we hear “I didn’t even know this was here”? Well, we’ve been here for nearly 90 years, just waiting for you to come check us out!

I understand some people aren’t very fond of coming downtown. All the worries of how bad traffic might be or thinking, “Where in the world will I park?”

Nowadays, Google it makes it easy to get here. I found my way and I get lost going around the block. Also, there is convenient metered parking on both sides of Ohio Street that will take coins or your debit card.

To the residents of the state of Indiana, this is your library, rich with history, beautiful murals, stained glass windows, carvings in the Indiana sandstone and architecture you just don’t find anymore.

While here, you can trace your genealogy, scroll through microfilm for that news story or bring in the kids to visit the Indiana Young Readers Center. We just have so many great things to show you!

Also, did you know we have a small giftshop called the Nook? We specialize in selling products made right here in my hometown and yours.

So, pick a day and come check us out. We really do look forward to seeing you.

This blog post was written by Rayjeana Duty, circulation supervisor, Indiana State Library.

Indiana State Library hosts the 2021 Midwest Regional Conservation Guild Annual Conference

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On Nov. 12-14, the Indiana State Library Preservation Division hosted the 2021 Annual Conference for the Midwest Regional Conservation Guild. MRCG is a professional association of art conservation and restoration professionals with the purpose of bringing together those individuals in the Midwest region -and beyond – interested in the preservation of historic and artistic works and to promote fellowship and exchange of ideas on a professional level. The Guild hosts annual meetings each autumn in cities around the Midwest.

The conference took place over three days and featured two pre-conference events, three conservation lab tours, two museum receptions and 22 professional talks. Hosting the conference here at Indiana State Library greatly helped to promote the library’s preservation program. Over the three days, in-person attendance was over 80 people, with another 25 attending virtually. Many of the large collecting cultural institutions in the Midwest, such as museums, libraries and historical societies, sent their conservation staff and collection staff. Many conservators in private practice also attended as well.

The pre-conference programs included a program by American Institute for Conservation Emerging Conservation Professional Network Specialty Group. The program worked with students interested in attending graduate school, show how to prepare their portfolios for their applications and interviews. The conference also included a program, hosted by Bruker Inc. and the Indiana State Museum Conservation Lab, on the use of X-ray florescence analysis to study and analyze cultural and historic artifacts. As part of the conference attendees were also able to get tours of the conservation labs at the Indiana State Library, the Indiana Historical Society and the Indiana State Museum. We were also fortunate to be able to hold receptions and programs at both the Eiteljorg Museum and the Kurt Vonnegut Museum and Library.

Professional talks are the core of any conference and the 2021 MRCG Conference featured 22 professional talks from conservators and other museum professionals on conservation topics from the conservation of paper collections to paintings and other cultural artifacts.

Read more about the Midwest Regional Conservation Guild here.

This blog post was written by the Indiana State Library Conservator Seth Irwin.

Working from home, away from the library

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Indiana State Library has been closed to the public since March 16. Public service staff continued to work in the building for another week until Gov. Holcomb issued Executive Order 20-02, a directive for Hoosiers to stay home. Previously, it had already been a strange week without any patrons in the building; just interacting with them over live chat and emails.

Our building is one of the most beautiful in the state, but it’s designed for lots of people to be there. We also missed our patrons!

On March 23, the state librarian announced that the building would be closed and we would work from home. So, off we went with laptops, instructions on how to access our work electronically and whatever items we thought we might need to continue to serve the public.

Working from home was a new experience to most of us and we realized that we missed each other. If you have never worked from home, it brings both rewards and challenges. After the first week, I polled my colleagues to see what they liked and did not like.  Overwhelmingly, they responded with “did not like” and “I miss the building, the patrons and interacting with my co-workers the most.” While we are still on live chat and available by email and phone, it is the personal interaction that makes being a librarian fun and interesting!

There are many advantages to working from home, but the ones most reported are the “relaxed dress code” and that short commute. One librarian reported, “I have only have a 20-second commute to my home office, and there’s no traffic. Normally, I commute 40-50 minutes one way each day.” Being around family all day has its blessings and its curses. Many people have loved being around their pets and “having the cat sleep on my lap while I do my work,” but one colleague said, “That _ _ _ dog is driving me crazy” – the dog she loves to spoil. Our surroundings can affect our adjustment, too. Many of us work in cubicles at the library, and one librarian said, “My best is having windows in my office. I have sunshine and fresh air and it’s great, but my worst is my decrepit and uncomfortable home office chair that I had already planned to replace in April, but am now stuck with.”

A commonly-reported downside was not having access to printed material. We have a robust digitization program, but the State Library has millions of books, Indiana newspapers on microfilm, one-of-a-kind pamphlet collection and maps that are not available online. Besides needing these for research, many of the staff just miss being around those books.

We have learned some valuable lessons from this necessary quarantine about our work life, our home life and ourselves. One librarian said working from home has forced her into a routine and “gives my life structure so that I do not turn into a complete couch potato.”  Many reported a new appreciation for balancing work and home life and the needs of their families, “having to juggle the demands of two small children with both my spouse’s and my work” and “my best is that I get to interact with my family, spend more time with them, on breaks and throughout the day. It is actually fun, because they are so entertaining.”

For myself, I have learned to appreciate my access to electronic connections and those people who are there to assist me when they do not work, the ready advice from my administration and colleagues about a myriad of issues that come up during the day. I miss the warmth, friendliness and professionalism of the library staff, and of course, just being in the beautiful Indiana State Library building!

This blog post was written by Marcia Caudell, supervisor of the Reference and Government Services Division at the Indiana State Library.