February 18, 2026
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Indiana library jobs
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In the news
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Upcoming workshops and important dates
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Indiana State Park Adventure Backpacks available at Lebanon Public Library
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North Manchester Public Library receives 5,000 wildflower seed packets
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Julieann V. Nilson Scholarship available for library science students at Luddy School
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New additions and a new look for Hoosier State Chronicles
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Hussey-Mayfield Memorial Public Library celebrates America's 250 anniversary with zines
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This week's new Indiana library jobs |
Director
Sullivan County Public Library |
| Those who would like their Indiana library job posting to be listed in the Wednesday Word must submit the position and its description to the Indiana State Library. Click here for submission guidelines and to submit. |
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Email news links for inclusion in the Wednesday Word's "In the news" section.
To be featured in the Wednesday Word, please email a press release and a photo. |
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Indiana State Library's blog for weekly posts covering all aspects of the State Library.
Indiana library employees who would like to contribute a guest blog, please send an email with an idea. |
Miss an issue of the Wednesday Word?
Back issues of the Wednesday Word are available here. |
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Free training for librarians and library employees on LinkedIn Learning |
The Indiana Library Passport, a creative digital experience that encourages everyone to visit libraries across the Hoosier state, is open to Indiana residents and outside visitors alike. The passport has more than 170 libraries and branches to explore.
Read more about the passport here. Libraries interested in joining the Indiana Library Passport – free of cost – should contact the communications director at the Indiana State Library. |
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Indiana State Park Adventure Backpacks available at Lebanon Public Library |
The Lebanon Public Library has announced its participation in the Indiana State Parks Backpack Adventure Program. Patrons may check out a backpack with their library card and get free admission to any Indiana state park from now until Thursday, Dec. 31, during regular park hours. There are two backpacks available, and each one holds binoculars, a magnifying glass, a bird watching book and an Indiana tree and wildflower identifier.
"We hope many of our patrons will make some great memories in our beautiful state parks," the library said in a statement.
Libraries may purchase a Library Letter Pass to be used exclusively with the Adventure Backpack Program. The Library Letter Pass can be purchased for $50 from the Indiana Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and should not be made available to patrons without the backpack. Participating libraries supply the backpack and all its contents. Indiana public libraries may purchase up to five letter passes. One letter pass will need to be kept inside of the backpack.
The Library Letter Pass with the original signature must be presented at the entrance gate of the state park. Duplicates will not be accepted. The Adventure Backpack must be in the user's possession when presenting the Library Letter Pass at the entrance gate.
Please note that libraries are not permitted to purchase and circulate state park passes outside of the Library Letter Pass.
DNR has also made available the IN Rec Guide, the official publication that provides the location of Indiana's 37 state parks and essential information on lodging, camping and outdoor activities. Interested libraries may request the publication via email. There is no charge to order and shipping is free. Each carton contains 100 copies.
Please contact Julie Planck, program director with the Indiana DNR, for instructions on how to purchase a Library Letter Pass. |
North Manchester Public Library receives 5,000 wildflower seed packets |
The North Manchester Public Library has been selected as one of just 10 youth gardening programs nationwide to receive 5,000 wildflower seed packets through a seed donation from Kids Gardening Community and American Meadows.
The donation includes a diverse selection of pollinator-friendly wildflower seeds that will be planted throughout the community and distributed through library programs and events. The initiative supports environmental education, gardening and pollinator health while making high-quality seeds freely available to residents.
“Each year, we learn about the importance of pollination during Dirty Diggers - our summer gardening program for kids. The pollinator garden at the back corner of the library gives participants real-time views of pollinators at work in our neighborhood. This donation from Kids Gardening and American Meadows is really going to ramp up our efforts,” said Sarah Morbitzer, Children’s Department manager.
My First Garden seed packets will be distributed to Dirty Diggers participants for planting at home when the program resumes this spring. Participants will also grow wildflowers in the library’s garden beds. Bee Happy and Grow Good Vibes seed packets will be given away in April during the library’s annual Seed & Plant Giveaway and Swap, a collaboration with Purdue Extension of Wabash County.
The library’s seed catalog is located in the Adult Department and is accessible any time the library is open. Additional information about Dirty Diggers and the Seed & Plant Giveaway and Swap will be shared on the library’s website. |
Julieann V. Nilson Scholarship available for library science students at Luddy School |
The Indiana University Librarians Association is now accepting applications for the Julieann V. Nilson Scholarship.
Any new or continuing full-time or part-time student in the Master of Information Science, Master of Library Science or Master of Library and Information Science degree program in the Luddy School of Informatics, Computing and Engineering at Indiana University Indianapolis or Indiana University Bloomington is eligible to apply. The scholarship is intended to encourage and reward the potential for excellence in the library and information science profession.
Two scholarships are awarded in the amount of $500 each.
The application deadline is Sunday, March 1. Information about the scholarship, including the application form, is available here. |
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Upcoming workshops and important dates |
| Welcome to Digital Collection Highlights. Every other week, librarians at the Indiana State Library share images from the library's ever-growing digital collections. Visit the Digital Collections
page to view the latest additions. |
New additions and a new look for Hoosier State Chronicles |
Hoosier State Chronicles, Indiana’s digital historic newspaper program operated by the Indiana State Library, will have rare newspapers from St. Joseph County, Noble County and Lake County added to its collection this year. The Walkerton Historical Society, Ligonier Public Library and the Whiting-Robertsdale Historical Society contributed to the project. More than 100,000 pages have already been added to Hoosier State Chronicles this year.
The Walkerton titles feature the St. Joseph County Independent, which later became the Walkerton Independent. This series spans widely from 1886 to 1962, when it would merge into the Independent-News.
Noble County’s long-running newspaper, The Banner, started as the National Banner and changed its name to Ligonier Banner in 1879. Originally published in 1866, John Stoll’s newspaper continued under several owners until 1950, when it lost its competition with its rival, the Leader. The series is a consistent resource for local research.
Later this year, the Whiting-Robertsdale Historical Society’s newspapers will be available in Hoosier State Chronicles. Originally the Whiting Times, the Lake County newspaper changed names to the Ben Franklin News, the Daily Times and finally the Times-Graphic. All iterations of Whiting-area news, from 1928 through 1974, will be provided in an open forum for genealogists and historians.
Veridian Newspaper Digitization Services, the organization that built the Hoosier State Chronicles platform, upgraded their site in January. The update should provide Hoosier State Chronicles users with greater website speed and intuitive functions. Researchers can now easily download and save a clear and crisp page of vintage Indiana newsprint. Visit Hoosier State Chronicles
here. |
| Hussey-Mayfield Memorial Public Library celebrates America's 250 anniversary with zines |
In honor of America’s 250th anniversary, the Whitestown Branch of the Hussey-Mayfield Memorial Public Library is inviting its patrons to take part in a year-long creative project that celebrates the past, present and future of Whitestown. Participants will create three community zines. At the end of the year, the completed zines will be available to view at the Whitestown Branch.
Short for magazine, zines are small, self-published collections of writing, drawings, photos or other art, usually created by hand or digitally.
Each zine will focus on a unique theme. In "Share Your Story," patrons will tell their story, and share stories of their family and culture. The submission deadline is Friday, May 1. In "What Whitestown Means to You," community members will reflect on what makes Whitestown special. The submission deadline is Thursday, Sept. 1. In "Whitestown’s Future," writers will imagine a vision for Whitestown’s future. The submission deadline is Sunday, Nov. 1.
Those interested in participating are encouraged to create one to two pages for any zine theme using a list of prompts. Submission guidelines can be found here. Participants can create their zine pages at home or at the library by attending all-ages workshops in
May and
September. |
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