April 29, 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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North Webster Community Public Library launches teen advisory group
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Indiana State Library to offer free online INSPIRE database training sessions
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'Experience America 250' at the Frankfort Library
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Featured Indiana State Library kit: 'Dinosaurs'
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Jefferson Booster added to Hoosier State Chronicles
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Indianapolis Public Library adds Sunday hours at Pike and Franklin Road branches
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This week's new Indiana library jobs |
Research and Teaching Services Librarian
Ball State University
Director
Monon Town and Township 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. |
| North Webster Community Public Library launches teen advisory group |
Teens interested in having a voice at the North Webster Community Public Library are encouraged to attend the first meeting of the Teen Advisory Group (TAG) on Wednesday, May 6, at 4 p.m.
"TAG members will have the opportunity to help plan future programs and provide input on which books, movies and games the library adds to its collection, making a real impact on what the library offers," the library said in a statement.
Teen programs at the North Webster Community Public Library are designed for students in grades 6-12, unless otherwise noted in program descriptions. For more information about teen events, please contact the library at 574-834-7122 or visit the library’s website.
The North Webster Community Public Library is located at 110 E. North St. in North Webster. |
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Indiana State Library to offer free online INSPIRE database training sessions |
Known as the lifelong learning library for Hoosiers, INSPIRE is a collection of online academic databases and other information resources - including full-text magazine and journal articles, websites, pamphlets, images, almanacs, full-text historic newspapers, multimedia, library catalogs and more - that can be accessed for free by Indiana residents. Administered by the Indiana State Library, INSPIRE has been serving Indiana residents for nearly three decades.
EBSCO, a leading source of research databases, provides many of INSPIRE’s resources. In the coming months, Shana Ashwood-Viala, senior customer training specialist at EBSCO, will present three free online training sessions designed to help users get acquainted with the EBSCO products that are available via INSPIRE.
“EBSCO Databases - What's New for the Indiana State Library” will take place on Wednesday, June 17, from 10-11 a.m. Ashwood-Viala will review the newest additions to INSPIRE: EBSCO Management Collection, EBSCO Open Dissertations and Business Source Complete. Click here to read more and to register.
On Wednesday, July 29, from 10-11 a.m., “Get to Know EBSCO” will introduce researchers to the EBSCO resources available in INSPIRE. Attendees will learn what key interfaces and databases they have access to, why they are important and how to access them.
“Business Source Complete Overview” will take place on Wednesday, Sept. 30, from 10-11 a.m. Ashwood-Viala will review the new and improved interface for Business Source Complete, EBSCO’s full-text database with content from leading business magazines and journals.
Registration for the July and September sessions will open at a later date.
The webinars are part of the Indiana State Library’s What’s Up Wednesday series. Each session is eligible for one LEU for Indiana library staff. |
'Experience America 250' at the Frankfort Library |
The Frankfort Community Public Library will bring history to life during its “Experience America 250” programming this year. Patrons will have opportunities to engage in a series of hands-on activities, including the Liberty Lit Society’s monthly book discussion, a variety of workshops and a large themed event in conjunction with the Friends Annual Meeting.
The themed event will take place on Friday, May 8, from 4-8 p.m. The event will feature speakers, storytellers, a Colonial Market, a concertby the Dulcimer Gathering and the opening of the “Landscapes of America” exhibit. This entire evening is free and open to all ages.
At the Colonial Market, Indiana Carvings will demonstrate chainsaw art and blacksmith Charity Musselman, in her 18th century-style tent, will demonstrate forging. Programs will also highlight local and national history, such as a presentation by David Hovde about Fort Ouiatenon and a storytelling session focused on the birth of the nation with Mark and Janet Kreps and Raymond Beets.
“Landscapes of America” will be on display from Friday, May 8, to Saturday, May 30, on the library’s second floor. The exhibit will feature artists’ statements that offer deeper looks into the stories behind each piece. Beginning Monday, May 18, “Indiana State Parks Platters” will also be on display until the end of the month.
A complete list of programs and vendors can be found here. |
Featured Indiana State Library kit: 'Dinosaurs' |
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 kit is the "Dinosaurs" storytime kit. The kit includes seven picture books, a set of tiny dinosaur toys, five dinosaur puppets, a set of dinosaur skeletons, a "Once Upon A Dinosaur" music CD and a felt board storytime set with two different backgrounds and 12 different dinosaurs. The kit also contains two sets of "What's Inside Dinosaurs" flashlight cards. When children shine a flashlight on the dinosaur card, it shows the skeleton inside. Flashlights are not included. Every kit includes a teacher’s or librarian’s guide full of ideas for use with groups of children.
“Kids are fascinated by dinosaurs because they are big, fierce and extinct. It’s a combination of thrilling and powerful, yet at the same time perfectly safe. These prehistoric creatures fuel imagination and allow children to explore fears without real-world danger,” said Tammie Buchanan, Indiana Young Readers Center librarian at the Indiana State Library.
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. |
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Upcoming workshops and important dates |
What's Up Wednesday - From Grant to Gathering Place: A Library Placemaking Journey
When: May 13, 10-11 a.m.
Where: Online
Government Information Day 2026
When: May 15, 8:30 a.m.-3:45 p.m.
Where: Indiana State Library and 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
Genealogy for Night Owls
When: May 21, 5-8 p.m.
Where: Indiana State Library
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
What's Up Wednesday - Roll for Instruction! Game Based Training for Librarian Development
When: June 10, 10-11 a.m.
Where: Online
What's Up Wednesday: EBSCO Databases - What's New for Indiana State Library
When: June 17, 10-11 a.m.
Where: Online
What's Up Wednesday - Transition Ready: Creating a Reference Guide for the Next Library Director
When: June 24, 10-11 a.m.
Where: 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. |
Jefferson Booster added to Hoosier State Chronicles |
The Indiana State Library recently added the Jefferson Booster newspaper to Hoosier State Chronicles. The Booster - the student newspaper of Jefferson High School in Lafayette - is one of the longest-running student papers in Indiana.
The digitization project began in 2023 when the Lafayette School Corporation (LSC) started a GoFundMe campaign, which raised more than $5,000 to help cover the digitization processing costs. The publication team is also financially self-supporting, a model for newspapers statewide. The International High School Press Association, the American Scholastic Press Association and Quill and Scroll have all granted awards to the publication.
In 2023, LSC English teacher Chuck Herber observed that the Hoosier State Chronicles project “will digitalize the history of the paper since 1913, covering an expanse of over 8,400 pages or more.”
“That alone should leave one gasping for air. Just in my classroom, my students consistently go back five to eight years to review how issues were expressed. It helps them to light their way. Now, it will all be at their fingertips. The past will help give light to the present and future,” Herber said.
Hoosier State Chronicles is Indiana’s digital historic newspaper program. Operated by the Indiana State Library, Hoosier State Chronicles contains more than 1.6 million digitized newspaper pages.
Click here to peruse 113 years of the Jefferson Booster. |
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Indianapolis Public Library adds Sunday hours at Pike and Franklin Road branches |
| The Indianapolis Public Library has expanded access at two of its locations, with the Pike and Franklin Road branches now open on Sundays from 1–5 p.m.
The change brings both branches to a seven-day service schedule and aligns them with six other library locations that already offer Sunday hours.
The decision follows a thorough review of patron usage patterns across the system, which examined average visitors per hour by day of the week. Weekends consistently saw high demand, making expanded Sunday service a clear opportunity to better match community needs.
Pike and Franklin Road were selected in part to improve geographic access, helping broaden Sunday availability to more areas of the city.
“Adding Sunday hours to two of our branches is about meeting people where they are,” said John Helling, chief public services officer. “This change helps ensure more members of our community can access the free books, resources, programs and support they need, when they need it.”
The added hours support greater flexibility for visitors, particularly those with weekday commitments, while continuing to provide access to essential services such as free internet and educational support. Whether visiting to study, attend programs or spend time in a trusted public space, patrons will have more opportunities to engage with the library in ways that fit their schedules. |
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