July 22, 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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Final Lunch and Learn program of season explores Indiana State Library's hosted digital collections
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Allen County Public Library Audio Reading Service earns international award
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Featured Indiana State Library kit: 'Water'
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Gene Stratton-Porter
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Plainfield-Guilford Township Public Library silent auction celebrates the 250th anniversary of U.S.
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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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Final Lunch and Learn program of season explores Indiana State Library's hosted digital collections |
On Tuesday, Sept. 8, from 12-1 p.m., the Indiana State Library will conclude its 2026 Lunch and Learn series with a program that will explore the State Library's hosted digital collections.
Chris Marshall, digital collections coordinator at the Indiana State Library, will present "Hosted Digital Collections and Indiana Memory." Participants will learn about the State Library’s digital collections and its popular hosted collection service, Indiana Memory, with a focus on how these tools can support research, programming and everyday library work. The session will provide an overview of the wide range of materials available, demonstrate how the platforms works and offer practical guidance on navigating and using the resources effectively.
The program is eligible for one LEU for Indiana library staff.
"Hosted Digital Collections and Indiana Memory" will take place at the Indiana State Library, located at 315 W. Ohio St. in downtown Indianapolis, with an option to attend virtually.
The event is free and open to the public. Registration is required. Click here to read more and to register for the in-person or virtual program.
The Lunch and Learn series will return to the Indiana State Library in 2027. |
Allen County Public Library Audio Reading Service earns international award |
The Allen County Public Library's Audio Reading Service has received a 2026 Program Award from the International Association of Audio Information Services (IAAIS) for excellence in broadcasting.
The award recognizes programming that was recorded, produced and broadcast during 2025. The IAAIS represents more than 80 audio information services across the U.S., Canada and Australia that provide access to news, information and entertainment for individuals who are blind, have low vision or have other disabilities that make reading print difficult.
The Audio Reading Service received top honors in the "Now Hear This" category, which recognizes programming under one minute in length. The award-winning promotion, an announcement encouraging Allen County residents to participate in the One County, One Book community reading initiative, was voiced by volunteer reader Christy Kuziensky, with audio engineering and production by Mark Lahey of the Audio Reading Service team.
The International Association of Audio Information Services presents annual awards honoring outstanding programming created by member organizations. Entries are evaluated by judges on production quality, creativity, effectiveness and overall excellence in serving listeners.
The Allen County Public Library's Audio Reading Service provides free access to local newspapers, magazines, books and community information through live and recorded broadcasts, helping connect listeners to news, literature and lifelong learning. |
Featured Indiana State Library kit: 'Water' |
| 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 “Water" Storytime kit. The kit includes seven books about water, featuring ponds, oceans, rain and wildlife. Also included is a professional development from Project WET, an organization that “strives to empower educators to engage youth to understand water and solve local and global challenges and to inspire communities around the world to value and protect water.” Additionally, the kit has a sing-along CD, “What’s in the Sea?,” four ocean animal finger puppets and 100 fabric fastener counting fish. The curriculum is full of activities based on water and water conservation. Every kit includes a teacher’s or
librarian’s guide full of ideas for use with groups of children.
“In these dog days of summer, cool off with some great books and activities about water,” 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 |
| 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. |
A picture of Gene Stratton-Porter leaning against a large boulder, holding a trowel and a satchel, is one of several photographs of her available in the
Indiana State Library’s digital collection. A world-renowned Hoosier author and naturalist, Stratton-Porter spent a vast amount of time outdoors in Limberlost Swamp in Adams County, and later, at Sylvan Lake near Rome City.
She captured wildlife in their native environment, particularly birds and moths, in photographs and sketches. Many of her photographs appear in the innumerable magazine articles and books, both fiction and nonfiction, that she wrote about the natural world. Stratton-Porter’s career as an author, photographer and filmmaker was all in service to her lifelong calling of imparting both her love of nature and her commitment to preserving the environment.
Summer is an excellent time to follow Stratton-Porter’s example and explore the great outdoors. Hoosiers can visit Indiana’s many state parks and historic sites, two of which once belonged to Stratton-Porter. Her Indiana homes, Limberlost Cabin and Cabin at Wildflower Woods, are situated amongst nature preserves and sanctuaries formed from the swamps and woodlands that inspired her many novels, including “A Girl of the Limberlost.”
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| Plainfield-Guilford Township Public Library silent auction celebrates the 250th anniversary of U.S. |
Each month, the Friends of the Plainfield-Guilford Township Public Library hold a silent auction.
This month, the Friends are celebrating the 250th anniversary of the U.S. with a silent auction that exhibits items about the founding of the country. Featured books include "Revolutionary Summer: The Birth of American Independence" by Joseph J. Ellis, "Founding Martyr: The Life and Death of Dr. Joseph Warren, the American Revolution's Lost Hero" by Christian Di Spigna and "The New Yorker Cartoon Album 1975-1985" from The New Yorker. Also up for bid is seasons 1-3 of "All Creatures Great and Small," a PBS series based on the bestselling book by James Herriot, on DVD.
Items are showcased in the library's lobby display case. Auction proceeds are used to support library programs. Read more about the Friends of the Plainfield-Guilford Township Public Library here.
The Plainfield-Guilford Township Public Library is located at 1120 Stafford Road in Plainfield. |
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