May 13, 2026
-
Indiana library jobs
-
In the news
-
Upcoming workshops and important dates
-
Summer Lecture Series returns to State Library with programs on DNA, medical history and probate records
-
Renewal submissions now being accepted for InfoExpress
-
Featured Indiana State Library kit: 'Patterns'
-
St. Mary's Academy
-
Dinosaurs take over Allen County Public Library with 'Fossils Exposed'
|
This week's new Indiana library jobs |
General Library Clerk
Danville-Center Township Public Library
Senior Circulation Assistant
Indiana University McKinney School of Law Library
Marketing and Outreach Assistant
Johnson County Public Library
Executive Director
Johnson County Public Library Foundation |
| 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. |
|
Free training for librarians and library employees on LinkedIn Learning |
| Indiana Library Passport prize mugs return |
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.
Participants are now, once again, able to claim a limited-edition Indiana Library Passport mug. When passport users check in to a library, they will earn 100 points. Once a passport holder earns 2,000 points, they can redeem those points for the limited-edition mug. Points are earned once per week, per library. The mug is only available while supplies last. Employees of libraries that participate in the passport are ineligible for prizes. Passport users may only redeem points for the mug one time.
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. |
|
Summer Lecture Series returns to State Library with programs on DNA, medical history and probate records |
The popular Summer Lecture Series will return to the Indiana State Library this year with programs on DNA, medical history and probate records. The presentations will take place on the second Saturday of June, July and August.
On Saturday, June 13, from 11 a.m.-3 p.m., the Indiana State Library will present "Unlock Your Family’s DNA Story," a DNA workshop. Professional genealogist Angela Guntz will help attendees understand their DNA results, break through DNA mysteries and connect the dots in their family history. Sessions include "Understanding the DNA Testing Landscape," "Solving Mystery Matches You Can’t Easily Place" and "Breaking Through Brick Walls: A DNA Case Study." Click here to read more and to register.
On Saturday, July 11, from 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m., author Chris Flook will present "A Famine of Cadavers: Inside Indy’s 1902 Graverobbing Syndicate." Flook will examine a prolific graverobbing ring operating across central Indiana in the fall of 1902 when "ghouls" robbed graves for cadavers needed by the city’s medical colleges. Flook is a public historian from Muncie who has published books of public history, including "Ghost of Old Muncie" and "Lost Towns of Delaware County." In 2016, he co-authored and edited "Beech Grove Cemetery Comes to Life." Click here
to read more and to register.
On Saturday, Aug. 8, from 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m., John Barr, owner of Old Northwest Genealogy, will present "Combining Land and Probate Records to Get the Full Story." Barr, an active member of the National Genealogical Society and the Association of Professional Genealogists, will explore a case study of the Hoffman family using probate records that led to land records citing unindexed probate records. He will also discuss types of probate indexes and records and types of deed indexes and deeds. Click here to read more and to register.
All sessions are eligible for LEUs for Indiana library staff. Registration is required for each program. An option to attend virtually is available for each program.
|
| Renewal submissions now being accepted for InfoExpress |
Renewal submissions are now being accepted for InfoExpress - Indiana's statewide delivery service for library materials - for the 2026-2027 service year. This year's renewal deadline is Monday, June 1, but participants will have until Friday, July 31, to submit payment in order to continue service.
For the 2026-2027 service year, one library per system will be eligible for a reduced annual subscription amount of $1,057. This will provide one day of service per week. Branches are not eligible for this reduced subscription cost, nor are corporate libraries or public libraries not meeting standards. The cost for any library not eligible for the reduced rate will be $1,667 annually.
A 2% late surcharge will be added to payments postmarked after Thursday, July 31. The 2026-2027 service year runs from Wednesday, July 1, 2026, through Wednesday, June 30, 2027. Click here to sign in and renew. Renewals must be submitted before Monday, June 1, to ensure continuation of service.
School libraries are on a modified timeline to accommodate the academic calendar. School renewal requests should be submitted by Tuesday, Sept. 1, and payment is due by Wednesday, Sept. 30, in order to continue service and avoid a 2% surcharge. The 2026-2027 service year runs from Thursday, Oct. 1, through Wednesday, June 30, 2027.
Please contact the InfoExpress coordinator via email or at 800- 451-6028 with any questions. |
Featured Indiana State Library kit: 'Patterns' |
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 “Patterns" storytime kit. The kit is one of the State Library's Big Idea kits. Big Idea kits come from the Mother Goose Programs™ and the National Science Foundation and are used to help teachers and librarians incorporate science and math concepts into their programs. Each Big Idea kit comes with an extensive guide to offer additional program ideas and guidance.
The kit includes eight picture books; several sets of items for children to sort, categorize and make patterns with; colored foam shapes; buttons; linking cubes; dominoes; and chopsticks for children to tap and make sound patterns or to use as rhythm sticks. Also included is a set of animal cards featuring patterns in nature. Every kit includes a teacher’s or librarian’s guide full of ideas for use with groups of children.
“Anytime we incorporate questioning, problem solving, counting, curiosity, shapes, patterns, collecting data, predicting, explaining or observing, we are using math and science,” 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. |
|
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
Summer Lecture Series: DNA Workshop
When: June 13, 11 a.m.-3 p.m.
Where: Indiana State Library and online
What's Up Wednesday: EBSCO Databases - What's New for the 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. |
Founded in Indianapolis in 1864 by the Sisters of St. Francis, St. Mary’s Academy started as a girl’s elementary school located at 113 E. Maryland St. next to the original location of St. Mary’s Catholic Church. In a June 1885 Indianapolis News advertisement, the Sisters announced they were planning on expanding to a high school by September of 1886. Classes in music, painting and fancy work were advertised.
In 1912, the school moved to its final location at 429 E. Vermont St. - where the building still stands - next to the new St. Mary’s Church. The school building was expanded in 1926.
While the school may have initially offered courses in the arts and homemaking, it later offered classes in mathematics, science, business and foreign languages to meet with changing demands.
Populations grow and shift and by the end of 1970, St. Mary’s Academy was the last all-girls’ academy located near downtown Indianapolis. Students cited small classes, school traditions and general smaller size of the school as reasons they chose to attend St. Mary’s. Due to declining enrollment numbers, St. Mary’s Academy closed in June of 1977, and most of the remaining students moved to Cathedral or Bishop Chatard.
Click here to see a photograph of the 1954 graduating class of St. Mary’s Academy from the Indiana State Library’s digital collection. |
Dinosaurs take over Allen County Public Library with 'Fossils Exposed' |
The Allen County Public Library is inviting the community to dig into discovery this summer with “Dinosaurs: Fossils Exposed,” an interactive dinosaur exhibit on display at the Main Library from now through Friday, July 31. The exhibit is free and open to the public as part of the library's Summer Learning Program, themed “Unearth A Story."
“Dinosaurs: Fossils Exposed” transforms the Main Library’s Jeffrey R. Krull Gallery into a hands-on exploration of prehistoric life. Spanning approximately 2,000 square feet, the exhibit features six full dinosaur skeletal molds, 13 dinosaur skulls and a variety of immersive experiences that bring ancient history to life. Visitors can stand beside a 6-foot-1-inch Apatosaurus femur, examine fossils up close and even use real paleontology tools to dig for dinosaur bones in interactive dig pits.
“This exhibit is a perfect way to bring our Summer Learning theme, ‘Unearth A Story,’ to life,” said Jacki Fulwood, Allen County Public Library youth services manager. “It invites families and learners of all ages to explore, imagine and discover together. We’re excited to offer a hands-on experience that makes learning both fun and memorable.”
The exhibit offers opportunities for all ages to engage with science, history and storytelling - core elements of Allen County Public Library's Summer Learning Program. The program offers free activities, events and incentives for readers of all ages. Read more about the "Fossils Exposed" exhibit here. |
|
