Tag Archives: Indiana State Library

Constitution and Citizenship Week at the Indiana State Library

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The Indiana State Library just finished celebrating Constitution and Citizenship Week. Constitution Day and Citizenship Day are annually recognized on Sept. 17, on the anniversary of the signing of the U.S. Constitution by delegates to the Constitutional Convention in 1787. Constitution and Citizenship Week runs from Sept. 17 to Sept. 23. The observance day was initially established by Congress in 1952, replacing “I Am an American Day,” and was officially adopted the name Constitution Week in 1956 to encourage citizens to reflect on the rights and responsibilities of citizenship.

Painting of Constitution signing.The Indiana State Library partnered with a local chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) to create a U.S. Constitution themed display, located on the second floor of the library. The DAR organization has a long history of celebrating the Constitution, and has displayed a Constitution and Citizenship themed exhibit at the State Library for the last few years. In 1955, the group petitioned Congress to annually dedicate Sept. 17-23 for the observance of Constitution Week. The display will be up through the month of September.

Constitution Day display.The Indiana State Library also hosted a free Constitution Day Trivia event on Sept. 17. The event, which was open to the public, consisted of three rounds of questions on topics relating to the U.S. Constitution, U.S. Government and U.S. Census and Population. The winning team took home a Taste of Indiana gift basket. The Constitution Day trivia is the last trivia event of the year, but the Indiana State Library will be hosting future trivia events in 2026. The library also has pocket sized-constitutions, pens, bookmarks and Constitution-themed games and activity printouts for free for those interested.

Crowd watching speaker.

Constitution Day Trivia event.

The Indiana State Library participates in the Federal Depository Library Program (FDLP), whose mission of federal depository libraries is to provide local, free access to information published by the federal government in an “impartial environment.” The Indiana State Library serves as the Regional Depository for the state of Indiana and ensures the public access to government information and civic engagement.

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.”

Manuscripts Reading Room finds a new home

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The Rare Books and Manuscripts Reading Room at the Indiana State Library has a new home.

Room with chairs, tables and monitors.

The new Rare Books and Manuscripts Reading Room at the Indiana State Library.

Formerly on the second floor, the Rare Books and Manuscripts Reading Room has moved to the Indiana Historical Bureau’s Pamela J. Bennett Historical Marker Center on the first floor of the library near the Ohio Street entrance. The marker center was named after former Indiana Historical Bureau director Pam Bennett, who served the state for 42 years and passed away earlier this year. The Rare Books and Manuscripts Division is proud to help bring patrons to this space

Door to Indiana Historical Bureau.

Exterior view of the Indiana Historical Bureau.

Those familiar with the library are accustomed to our previous location on the second floor, on the north side of the building next to the Browsing Room, a space it has occupied since 2016. Notably, manuscripts were housed in both of these rooms at the time of the library’s opening when the entire space was known as the Indiana History Room. Items deemed the most precious were housed in a fire-proof vault below the room and the items available in the reading room had specially constructed cases to keep them safe from dust. At that time, manuscripts were not assigned to their own division, but were kept among the books and maps of what would eventually be known as the Indiana Division. It was then known as the Indiana History and Archived Division, so named since 1913 when the library was still housed in the Statehouse.

Old reading room with wood walls.

The previous Manuscripts Reading Room.

Beautiful as this room is, sound has been an issue over the last nine years, as it is now a throughway to the Indiana Young Readers Center, Great Hall and on to popular meeting spots the History Reference Room and Authors Room. Freeing up this room now gives patrons a scenic study space in the original building.

The library is celebrating its bicentennial this year and the building, which opened in 1934, is itself nearly 100 years old. Tracing the history of the manuscripts collection can be tricky given its long history that included an evolving mission and changing division lines. To complicate things further, the building also housed the Indiana State Archives and Indiana Historical Society through a 1970s expansion until renovations that were completed in 2003. From said renovations until 2016, the Manuscripts Reading Room occupied the space that now houses the Indiana Young Readers Center.

Current Authors Room with red chairs and books on shelves.

This space has been the Indiana Young Readers Center, the Manuscripts Reading Room and the Genealogy Room. Photograph taken in 1984.

Our Indiana State Library Collection (L570) includes documentation of other re-organization plans when space became an issue, a mere decade after the library’s opening. In the building’s history, the library has seen other physical and philosophical changes that included the manuscripts collections, but these spaces comprise the primary homes of the Manuscripts Reading Room. This new space in the Indiana Historical Bureau realizes an organizational merger of the Indiana Historical Bureau with the Indiana State Library in 2018 and will provide an excellent space for us to serve researchers who visit from around the state and the world.

Patrons wishing to view Rare Books and Manuscripts material must make an appointment at least 48 hours in advance for week days and 10 business days for our open Saturdays. Hours are from 8 a.m.-4 p.m. To make an appointment, email: manuscripts@library.in.gov or call 317-232-3671.

This post was written by Victoria Duncan, Rare Books and Manuscripts supervisor.

Ex libris: On the topic of bookplates

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Bookplates, also called ex libris, are a peculiar sort of bookish ephemera. In Latin, “ex libris” literally means “from the books,” but the term came to denote a decorative label identifying a book’s owner, generally pasted inside the front cover. The concept of marking ownership of a written work is not a new one. The earliest known example of a book label belonged to Amenhotep III and Queen Tiye of Egypt around 1350 B.C.E. and was likely affixed to a box of papyri. However, such labels differed from ex libris because they were simply textual, lacking the artistic and personalized element of bookplates.

Three bookplates belonging to (left to right): J. Baglis, after 1899, depicting of an F.C. Barcelona footballer; artist Juliette May Fraser of Hawaii, featuring Hindu and Egyptian mythological elements, ca. 1910; Nils Sjöberg, showing a man before an apple tree with a sign reading “kunskapen träd” (tree of knowledge) in Swedish, ca. 1900. Indiana State Library.

Bookplates first emerged in Germany as early as the late 15th century, shortly following the invention of Johannes Gutenberg’s movable type printing press. Bookplates are typically printed themselves, rather than hand drawn. The earliest examples were created using woodcuts – reliefs carved into blocks of wood which were hand painted or inked and pressed to paper to create a reverse image. Later bookplates were commonly created using engraving or etching, where the design was cut into a metal plate rather than wood. As bookplates are primarily artistic, numerous artists and artisans – such as German painter Albrecht Dürer, American silversmith Paul Revere, and Dutch graphic artist M. C. Escher – tried their hand at the craft.

 

Until the 19th and 20th centuries, literacy was a mark of privilege and books – even after the invention of the printing press – were prohibitively expensive for the masses, even if they could read them. Preventing the theft of these prized and costly possessions was paramount. Therefore, personalized bookplates were primarily commissioned and used by affluent individuals with private collections, or by institutions with sprawling libraries like universities and monasteries. Institutional libraries continued to use bookplates in their collections well into the 20th century.

Three bookplates from (left to right): “The Australian Ex Libris Society” by Ernest Warner, 1923; “Knights of Columbus Library,” Denver Council No. 539, ca. 1900; “Library of the Old Northwest Genealogical Society” by Winifred B. Mackenzie, 1904. Indiana State Library.

Before barcodes and RFID tags, bookplates helped identify which volumes were the library’s property and could ensure their safe return in the case of loss or theft. Bookplates could also be used to record specific collectors and donors. Here at the Indiana State Library, catalogers pasted bookplates into new acquisitions until the late 20th century. Below you can see two examples of leftover generic bookplates and a third that was used to indicate volumes which were part of the Darlington Collection.

Three bookplates from (left to right): “Frank Graef Darlington” by Sidney Lawton Smith, 1909; “Indiana State Library” with an illustration inspired by the Indiana state seal; “Indiana State Library” by Franklin Booth, 1933. Indiana State Library.

Bookplates are unique and highly customized, tending to reflect the personalities, interests, vocations or even faces of their owners. They included the owner’s name, which makes bookplates crucial to establishing the provenance of books, and help us understand who read them and how they were used. Books, being a valuable commodity, often change hands as they are passed down, gifted or sold. It is commonplace, therefore, for bookplates to be layered atop each other with each new owner, establishing a line of origin. As works of art, the style, technique and subject matter can also assist in dating for provenance. By the late 19th century, the use of bookplates among individuals had grown more democratic, thanks to the rise of literacy and fall of book prices.

 

Bookplate collecting, thanks to the artistry and personality of the object, emerged as a popular hobby in Europe and North America by the late Victorian era. Flora Gardiner Kling, born in 1857, of Mount Vernon, Indiana, was one such collector. During her life, she experienced periods of inactivity when she was homebound after an interurban rail accident injured both her legs and ankles in 1908. A vivacious and social person, she normally hosted and attended social gatherings, played the piano in musicales and traveled around Indiana visiting her many friends. Collecting bookplates through correspondence kept Kling occupied and connected to the outside world during that period. She wrote to many people requesting their bookplates, including authors, poets, actors, politicians, scientists, musicians, artists, engravers and other collectors. Three fruits of her laborious inquiries are seen below.

 

Kling, like many collectors and bibliophiles, had her own bookplates, one of which was designed by well-known American engraver Timothy Cole. Most of the bookplates in this post originate in Kling’s collection in Rare Books and Manuscripts. More selections from her collection will be on display from June to September 2025 in the Manuscripts Reading Room at the Indiana State Library.

Two bookplates of Flora Gardiner Kling, the first of which was designed by Timothy Cole, 1915, and the second likely depicts Kling herself in her later years. Indiana State Library.

Sources:
Allen, Charles Dexter. “Ex Libris: Essays of a Collector.” Boston and New York: Lamson, Wolffe, and Company, 1896. Google Books.
Bowdoin, W. G. “The Rise of the Book-plate; Being an Exemplification of the Art.” New York: A. Wessels Company, 1901.
Castle, Egerton. “Book-plates.” In Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th ed., vol. 4. Cambridge, UK: University of Cambridge, 1911.
Cheesman, Tara. “The Lost Art of the Bookplate.” Foxtail Books and Library Services. Accessed May 6, 2025.
Jones, Louise Seymour. “The Human Side of Bookplates.” Los Angeles: Ward Ritchie Press, 1951.
Keenan, James P. “The American Society of Bookplate Collectors and Designers.” Fellowship of American Bibliophilic Societies, June 25, 2023.
Patel, Neha. “Ex Libris: A History of Bookplates.” Book Riot, January 21, 2021.
Slater, J. Herbert. “Book Plates and Their Value.” London: Henry Grant, 1898. Internet Archive.
Trustees of the British Museum. “Book-label; Plaque.” British Museum. Accessed May 5, 2025.

This blog post was written by Rare Books and Manuscripts librarian Brittany Kropf. For more information, contact the Rare Books and Manuscripts Division at 317-232-3671 or via “Ask-A-Librarian.”

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.

“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. 

Discover the wonders of the Indiana State Library

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Have you ever wondered what treasures lie within the walls of the Indiana State Library? From interactive tours to diving deep into the state’s rich history, there’s something for everyone. Here’s a list of activities that will make your visit both fun and enlightening:

Clifford The Big Red Dog’s house

Families with young children will love visiting Clifford The Big Red Dog’s house in our Indiana Young Readers Center. It’s a delightful spot for kids to engage with their favorite storybook character. Did you know that Clifford the Big Red Dog’s adventures started right here in Indiana? Norman Bridwell, the creative genius behind this iconic tale, hailed from Kokomo.

Trace your ancestry
Are you interested in genealogy? Our Genealogy Division offers resources to help you trace your family tree and discover your ancestry. Who knows what you might discover about your past! If you’re new to genealogy or just starting out, don’t worry – we have you covered with our comprehensive genealogy FAQs.

Image credit: Map Collection, Indiana Division, Indiana State Library.

Learn about Indiana history
Dive into the rich history of Indiana with our extensive collection of historical documents, photographs and maps. Whether you’re a history buff or a curious mind, there’s plenty to explore. One of my favorite things to do is browse our online digital collection or search Hoosier State Chronicles, which contains 186,601 newspaper issues comprising 1,589,638 pages and 619,771 articles!

Explore maps, rare books, manuscripts and exhibits

Our library boasts an impressive collection of maps, rare books, manuscripts and rotating exhibits. Each visit can reveal new and intriguing finds. This year, to celebrate our bicentennial, a significant portion of our exhibit space will be dedicated to showcasing items from our collection. Don’t forget to check out our virtual exhibits online from the comfort of your home!

Learn about our State Data Center

Discover a wealth of information available at our State Data Center. It’s the perfect place for researchers and anyone looking to delve into data and statistics about Indiana. One of our State Data Center Director’s favorite resources is the original volumes of each U.S. Census return, located on the second floor of the library. These allow you to look at the original censuses from 1790 through 1870 and cover the entire United States. Indiana is covered starting in the 1810 volume (Indiana Territory).

Don’t forget to check out the DataPoint Newsletter, created for Indiana Data Users and subscribe for the latest Indiana Data news and lore, plus learn about professional development opportunities for data and GIS professionals.

Visit the Indiana Historical Bureau
Stop by the Indiana Historical Bureau, located inside the Indiana State Library, to learn about the Indiana Historical Marker Program and how it commemorates significant historical sites throughout the state. This year, some of the markers they will be dedicating include William P. Jungclaus, Riley Hospital for Children, Bess Sheehan and the Piankashaw Tribe. Don’t forget to check out their podcast Talking Hoosier History and their blog Untold Indiana.

Attend programs and conferences
We host a variety of programs and conferences throughout the year. From author talks to educational workshops, there’s always something interesting happening at the library. Check out our library calendar to see our upcoming events.

Whether you’re a student, researcher or just someone with a thirst for knowledge, the Indiana State Library has something to offer. Your Indiana State Library is free and open to the public, so plan your visit today and discover the many wonders waiting for you!

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

Meet your Indiana State Library interlibrary loan team

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Have you ever wondered how books, CDs and DVDs get from library to library in Indiana? Your local public or academic library will place a request on your behalf for an item that your library or library system does not own. This request is processed through Indiana Share and coordinated at the Indiana State Library by a team that works in our Library Development Office.

Leigh Anne Johnson is the resource sharing coordinator for the Indiana State Library. She makes sure that InfoExpress, the library courier system, is running smoothly. She acts as a liaison between Now Courier, the company who runs the courier system, and 322 Indiana libraries to coordinate the best possible transit service. She also oversees the Indiana Share program and keeps statistics on InfoExpress, Indiana Share and INSPIRE, which is our statewide grouping of databases offered for free to Indiana residents.

Eric Altemus is a newcomer to the Indiana State Library, but is very experienced with using ILLiad, the interlibrary loan software that runs Indiana Share. He sends out roughly 250 Share requests daily. He also processes the spreadsheets of received and returned items, and renewal requests sent to us from borrowing libraries. He assists Leigh Anne with requests for InfoExpress canvas bags needed at libraries for transit. The team also cleans and maintains the transit bags as they come back in before they are put back into circulation.

The State Library also loans most of the general collection through Interlibrary loan requests. The staff in the Circulation Support Division pull the items and send them out through InfoExpress, which picks up and delivers items to the State Library every weekday. The State Library fulfills interlibrary loan requests for Indiana state employees for books and articles needed for work in their agencies. Those requests are processed by the circulation staff, as well. When the InfoExpress driver delivers and picks up materials at the State Library, the circulation desk is the location where the items are exchanged.

The ILL team strives to keep the system running smoothly, but if you do have issues with InfoExpress or Indiana Share, please contact us.

This blog post was written by Leigh Anne Johnson, resource sharing coordinator at the Indiana State Library.

Indiana State Library launches bicentennial website

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In celebration of its 200th anniversary as a state agency, the Indiana State Library has announced a new bicentennial website. The website features important historical moments from the library’s past, in addition to the latest news and event information related to the celebration. The website can be viewed here.

Along with launching the website, the library has several activities and events planned for 2025. Throughout the year, the library will administer multiple trivia and escape room events, host a special bicentennial Lunch and Learn program, exhibit and display several items from its collections and screen a movie in October as part of a program featuring the Circle City Ghostbusters. A historical marker will also be dedicated on the grounds of the library this year.

Attendees in the Great Hall of the Indiana State Library during the Bicentennial Reception on Feb. 11.

On Dec. 6, 2024, a proclamation was issued declaring that day to be Indiana State Library Bicentennial Day. On Tuesday, Feb. 11, an invitation-only celebration took place at the Indiana State Library marking the anniversary of the day that the library became a state agency.

The library has also already published “Laying the Foundation,” a richly illustrated book featuring 100 items from the library’s vast and remarkable collection. Some of these items are currently on display in the State Library’s Exhibit Hall. “Laying the Foundation” is available for purchase now for $20 from the Nook Gift Shop on the first floor of the Indiana State Library, located at 315 W. Ohio St. in downtown Indianapolis. 

The yearlong Indiana State Library Bicentennial celebration is supported by the Indiana State Library Foundation.

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

Centennial and Bicentennial reflections

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Dec. 6 marks the 100th anniversary of Gene Stratton-Porter’s death. Stratton-Porter wore many hats: conservationist, photographer, film producer and, not least, as a best-selling Hoosier author. Geneva Grace Stratton was born on Aug. 17, 1863, in Wabash County, Indiana. In 1886, Gene married businessman Charles Porter and the following year had their only child, a daughter, Jeannette Stratton-Porter. In 1894, Charles and Gene built a cabin near the Limberlost Swamp in Geneva, Indiana, where Gene spent much of her time exploring before the swamp was destroyed in the name of development in 1912. While living at Limberlost, Gene wrote six of her twelve novels and five of her seven nature books, including the best-selling books “Freckles” and “A Girl of the Limberlost.” In 1914, the family moved to Sylvan Lake, in Noble County, Indiana, building a cabin that the author spent no small amount of time and money making sure had minimum negative impact on the site. She even went to so far as to hire a tree surgeon to help her preserve the area. Wildflower Woods Cabin still stands today.

In 1919, the novelist moved to California and started her own film production company, Gene Stratton-Porter Productions. Included among the library’s small collection of Gene Stratton-Porter manuscripts (S1069), is correspondence on letterhead from said production company.

This collection also includes correspondence from Stratton-Porter and several other materials ranging from 1902 to 1979, regarding her work as an author, photographer and filmmaker, in addition to her personal life. The collection includes an undated portrait photograph of Stratton-Porter posing outdoors; an advertisement from Good Housekeeping; and a typed copy of an article, “The Old Institution of Home” from 1922; as well as a portrait postcard printed circa 1979.

Her 1921 California-centric work, “Her Father’s Daughter,” reflected anti-Asian sentiments of the time and reviews of her works were more mixed during this period, which coincided with her focus on trying to get her previous works made into films. She died on Dec. 6, 1924, in Los Angeles, California, from injuries sustained in a car accident. She is buried near her cabin on Sylvan Lake in Rome City, Indiana.

Incidentally, the letter printed here has also been reproduced in “Laying the Foundation: Collection Highlights From the Indiana State Library,” a book published in honor of the Indiana State Library’s bicentennial, which will be celebrated next year. The volume is now available for purchase in the Nook, our gift shop located at the Indiana State Library’s 315 W. Ohio St. entrance. If you’d like to take home a piece of Gene Stratton-Porter yourself, along with 99 other gems from the library’s collection dating from the 14th century to the present, stop by the gift shop.

Once you pick up your copy of the book, you can head up to Wildflower Woods on Dec. 6, where The Indiana State Museum and Historic Sites will be honoring Stratton-Porter with a tour of her beloved home. Visitors will also learn about 19th and early 20th century mourning practices.

This post was written by Victoria Duncan, Rare Books and Manuscripts supervisor.

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.