Tag Archives: Indiana State Library

Where are the Books in a Closed Stack?

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The Indiana State Library is primarily a research library. Whether you are looking for United States Congressional hearings, researching the War of 1812, or looking for the latest information on environmental science, the material is probably in the closed stacks.

Like most research libraries, the Library of Congress, Chicago’s Newberry Library, and the William H. Smith Library at the Indiana Historical Society, the books and manuscript material are stored in areas that are not accessible to the public. The State Library and Historical Building first opened in 1934, and it featured the latest construction of the day with the main book stacks divided into seven-stories in this four-story building.

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The latest in automatic electric elevators with pushbutton-control were installed, and the stacks were arranged as an integral part of the heating and ventilation system.

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As the collections grew and the building was expanded more rooms were added and the new book stacks are now moveable, allowing for even greater use of space.

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Whether the material is on open or closed stacks, our skilled librarians are happy to assist both the novice and professional researcher.

This blog post was written by Marcia Caudell, Reference Librarian, Indiana State Library. For more information, contact the Indiana State Library at (317)232-3678 or “Ask-A-Librarian” at http://www.in.gov/library/ask.htm.

Locally Recorded Books Now Available to Download from BARD

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Good news for patrons of the Indiana Talking Book and Braille Library. Locally recorded books from the Indiana Voices program are now available to download from BARD, the National Library Service’s Braille and Audio Reading Download website. While we have been eagerly anticipating the day when we could start adding our locally recorded books to BARD for several years now, we first had to go through a pilot process so that we could fulfill all of the required criteria.

We were invited to participate in the BARD pilot program in November and completed it in January.  Early in February we uploaded “Brewster’s Millions” by Indiana author George Barr McCutcheon, to BARD. In its first month on BARD it was downloaded over 200 times by people all over the country!

Over the next few months we will be working on making the necessary formatting changes to more books in the Indiana Voices collection so they too can be added and freely enjoyed by Talking Book patrons all over the country. Upcoming Indiana titles to look for on BARD include biographies of Richard Lugar and Frank O’Bannon as well as the classic Indiana novel “Uncle Tom Andy Bill” (a personal favorite).

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This blog post was written by Margaret Ansty, Talking Book & Braille Library Supervisor, Indiana State Library. For more information, contact the Indiana State Library at (317)232-3684 or “Ask-A-Librarian” at http://www.in.gov/library/ask.htm.

The Indiana State Library Genealogy Division

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The Genealogy Division of the Indiana State Library collects genealogy and family history materials from across Indiana and around the United States and the world. The collection includes over 80,000 books and other printed materials, over 17,000 reels of microfilm, and access to online genealogy databases such as Ancestry Library Edition and Fold3. These resources are kept in open shelving on the first floor of the library to allow for easy browsing and access by library visitors.  One of the most popular items in the collection is the indexes to Indiana birth, marriage, and death records compiled by the Works Progress Administration in the 1930s. These indexes cover two-thirds of the counties in Indiana and provide the book and page number of the original records, so that researchers can obtain copies of the records from county offices.  The collection also contains many other resources about Indiana, organized by county. There is information from all 92 counties. Resources include cemetery records and listings, indexes to vital records, indexes to marriage records, county histories, and other information on family history research in Indiana.

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Although the collection focuses on Indiana, there are more than just Indiana resources in the Genealogy Division. Every state is represented in the collection, although certain states are spotlighted for their connection to Indiana history and national migration patterns. Since people tended to move from east to west and from south to north, our holdings focus on the “border” and “feeder” states: those states that touch Indiana and those states where Hoosiers lived before they moved to Indiana. These states include Kentucky, Illinois, Michigan, Ohio, North and South Carolina, and Virginia. Other popular items include the indexes to passenger lists compiled by William Filby.

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Housed on the second floor of the library, the genealogy microform collection includes Indiana county records on microfilm, select records from other states on microfilm, and family and local history books on microfiche. The microfiche collection includes rare books that can be found in only a few libraries in the original print format.
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The Indiana county records on microfilm collection contains records from all 92 counties, covering marriage records, land records, vital records, and will and probate records. These films were made from the actual records in county courthouses throughout Indiana, so that you can see the handwritten records as they originally appeared.

The Genealogy Division reference desk is staffed by genealogy librarians who are experts at answering genealogy questions and assisting with family history research. The librarians host genealogy events throughout the year, including:

  • One-on-One Genealogy Research Consultations: 3rd Saturday of each month
  • Family History Tours of the Genealogy collection
  • Genealogy and Local History Fair: 4th Saturday in October
  • Genealogy for Night Owls: After-hours research time

The Genealogy Division also answers questions via email, telephone, mail, and Ask-a-Librarian online question service.

This blog post was written by Jamie Dunn, Genealogy Librarian, Indiana State Library. For more information, contact the Indiana State Library at (317) 232-3689 or “Ask-A-Librarian” at http://www.in.gov/library/ask.htm.

How to get a library card at the Indiana State Library

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Did you know that any Indiana resident is eligible for a FREE Indiana State Library card? Similarly to your local public library, the Indiana State Library offers a borrower’s card to Indiana residents. This gives card holders access to a vast amount of materials that can be loaned on a regular, short-term, or interlibrary loan basis.

There are two ways to apply:

  • In person
    Visit us at 315 W Ohio St. with your picture ID and proof of current address. If you are a minor, a parent/guardian must provide these when applying
  • Online
    Go to http://www.in.gov/library/2451.htm. Download and print a library card application, state form 44689. Fill in application and mail the application to the Indiana State Library with a photocopy of picture id. The library card will be mailed to the applicant.

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This blog post was written by Christy Franzman, Circulation & Support Supervisor, Indiana State Library. For more information, contact the Indiana State Library at (317) 232-3675  or “Ask-A-Librarian” at http://www.in.gov/library/ask.htm.

John Clark Malone’s ‘Shamrock Map’

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As we head toward St Patrick’s Day we thought we would share the “Shamrock Map”, by John Clark Malone, 1950. This is a highly stylized word map showing place names having Irish influence [Map Rm-s] ISLZ 912.73 UN50M (1950). It is one of the many interesting illustrated maps we have in our Indiana Collection.

Within Indiana, Dublin was printed with the strongest visual pull having been made bold by the artist, perhaps as a tribute to the Irish capital city. According to the 1995 book “From Needmore to Prosperity: Hoosier Place Names in Folklore and History”  by Ronald L. Baker, there have been two Dublin towns in Indiana, one in Parke County and one in Wayne County.

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The Dublin in Wayne County has two alternate stories surrounding its naming, both being a play on the word ‘doubling’. The first story recalls how wagons would have to double team their horses to get through a muddy spot along the National Road –doubling up the horses. The other story credits the name to the famous Huddleston House Inn, which had double doors.

In all likelihood, the name was simply derived from the Irish city.

This blog post was written by Monique Howell, Indiana Collection Supervisor, Indiana State Library. For more information, contact the Indiana Collection Division at (317) 232-3670 or “Ask-A-Librarian” at http://www.in.gov/library/ask.htm.