March 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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Registration for the 2026 Annual Public Library Budget Workshop opens this Friday
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Featured Indiana State Library kit: 'Gardening'
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Akron Public Library holds second annual Jane Austen Tea Party
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Twightwee Treaty of Lancaster
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Lowell Public Library to accept donations for spring rummage sale
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This week's new Indiana library jobs |
| 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. |
| Is your library making news?
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. |
| Follow the
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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Registration for the 2026 Annual Public Library Budget Workshop opens this Friday |
Registration for the 2026 Annual Public Library Budget Workshop will open this Friday, March 20, at 7:30 a.m. The workshop will be held on Thursday, May 21. The workshop is recommended for public library directors, business managers, bookkeepers, treasurers and library trustees.
Ryan Burke of the Indiana Department of Local Government Finance and Beth Goss and Elise Bowling of the State Board of Accounts will review changes and share information about federal and state legislative actions and financial and budgetary changes that might be helpful for the public library budgetary planning process.
The schedule is as follows:
- 9:30-11:30 a.m. - Department of Local Government Finance
- 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. - Lunch
- 1-2:45 p.m. - State Board of Accounts
-2:45-3 p.m. - Announcements from the Indiana State Library
The workshop will be held both in person at the Indiana State Library and virtually through Zoom. Attendees will earn up to four LEUs. Registration for the in-person workshop will be capped at 30 attendees. After that, a wait list will form.
For those unable to attend, a recording will be available following the workshop. Handouts and recordings, when available, will be located here.
Click here to register for the in-person workshop and click here to register for the virtual workshop once registration opens. |
Featured Indiana State Library kit: 'Gardening' |
The Indiana State Library’s Indiana Young Readers Center provides five types of kits for use by public library youth librarians and teachers across the state: Book Club kits, LEGO kits, DUPLO kits, Storytime kits and Indiana Escape Experience kits. Every other week, the Wednesday Word will feature one of these kits.
This week's featured Storytime kit is themed "Gardening." The kit focuses on growing flowers and vegetables.
“This kit is a great way to welcome springtime, and could be used in conjunction with creating a class garden,” said Tammie Buchanan, Indiana Young Readers Center librarian at the Indiana State Library.
The kit includes 11 story books about gardens and a professional development book about story times. One story book has four accompanying plush animals. The kit also holds a music CD. Children can play with the included plastic fruits and vegetables, a pretend gardening set and a flower model that shows the inside and outside parts of a flower. Teachers can also engage students with three hand puppets that are included in the kit. Finally, every kit contains a teacher’s guide full of ideas for use with students.
Read more about the kits here.
Kits can be ordered and delivered via InfoExpress. Please contact Tammie Buchanan with any questions about reserving the kits. |
Akron Public Library holds second annual Jane Austen Tea Party |
Last month, the Akron Public Library held its second annual Jane Austen Tea Party. The event was introduced last year to celebrate the author's 250th birthday.
At the library, a luncheon - which included teas and foods authentic to the era - took place, followed by a lesson on ladies fan etiquette.
The event also included a piano duet by Mackenzie Niccum and Andrea Mast, a this-or-that question and answer game, a letter-writing demonstration, instruction on how to embroider handkerchiefs and a vintage crafting session that consisted of making wax-sealed bookmarks. In the session, participants wrote letters and learned how to fold and seal them with a wax stamp. The event concluded with a traditional English country dance.
Guests were encouraged to dress in regency attire and prizes were awarded for the best dressed. | |
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Upcoming workshops and important dates |
What's Up Wednesday - Outward In: Community-Led Programming and Asset Mapping
When: March 25, 10-11 a.m.
Where: Online
What's Up Wednesday - The Teen Engagement Blueprint
When: April 8, 10-11 a.m.
Where: Online
U.S. 250 Trivia
When: April 14, 12-1 p.m.
Where: Indiana State Library
Youth Services Virtual Roundtable
When: April 15, 1:30-2:30 p.m.
Where: Online
Professional Development Roundtable
When: April 16, 2-3 p.m.
Where: Online
What's Up Wednesday - From Grant to Gathering Place: A Library Placemaking Journey
When: May 13, 10-11 a.m.
Where: Online
Webmaster Roundtable
When: May 19, 2-3 p.m.
Where: Online
2026 Public Library Budget Workshop
When: May 21, 9:30 a.m.-3 p.m.
Where: Indiana State Library
2026 Public Library Budget Workshop - Online
When: May 21, 9:30 a.m.-3 p.m.
Where: Online
What's Up Wednesday - Microsoft Teams for Libraries
When: May 27, 10-11 a.m.
Where: Online
Indiana State Library Lunch and Learn Series: Help with Statistical Research
When: June 9, 12-1 p.m.
Where: Indiana State Library and online |
| 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. |
Twightwee Treaty of Lancaster |
In the summer of 1748, the Twightwees - more commonly known as the Miami people - requested an alliance with the Iroquois and with the Province of Pennsylvania. As a result, a conference was called in July 1748 in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Conrad Weiser, George Croghan, Richard Peters, Andrew Montour, four members of the Council of the Province of Pennsylvania and magistrates of Lancaster County met with 55 members of the Shawnee and Miami (Twightwee) nations from July 19-23, 1748. The treaty of Lancaster in 1748 marked a projection of Pennsylvania into Ohio lands.
The important treaty is preserved in the Indiana State Library’s Rare Books and Manuscripts Division. Since the treaty has faded with time, it is very rarely shown in person. However, the treaty is currently on display in the Exhibit Hall of the Indiana State Library through April as part of the exhibit "Putting Indiana On the Map," which will be on display until the end of the year.
The exhibit is accessible to the public during the library's regular operating hours. The Indiana State Library is located at 315 W. Ohio St. in downtown Indianapolis.
The treaty can also be viewed in the Indiana State Library's digital collection. |
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Lowell Public Library to accept donations for spring rummage sale |
The Friends of the Lowell Public Library will hold its April Rummage Sale on Thursday, April 30, from 9 a.m.-5 p.m.; Friday, May 1, from 9 a.m.-4 p.m.; and Saturday, May 2, from 9 a.m.-12 p.m.
The library is encouraging patrons to donate items for the sale. "Are you planning to do spring cleaning? If so, there’s no better time to get started than now," the library said in a statement.
Donations will be accepted from Saturday, April 18, through Wednesday, April 29, at the library. Items must be in good, clean and working condition. Examples of items that will be accepted are decor, antiques, crafts, jewelry, games, toys, artwork, art supplies, sports equipment, instruments, office supplies, kitchen items and kids and baby clothes. The library cannot accept baby furniture, strollers, adult clothes or shoes, sharp objects, cosmetics, cassette tapes, food or large mirrors. Items cannot be dropped off after 7 p.m. on Monday through Thursday, or after 4 p.m. on Friday or Saturday.
The Lowell Public Library is located at 1505 E. Commercial Ave. in Lowell. |
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