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Indiana State Library Foundation, Inc., 140 N. Senate Avenue, Indianapolis, IN (2026)

07/26/2026

GENE STRATTON-PORTER

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.”

07/15/2026

Final Summer Lecture Series program of season explores land and probate records

On Saturday, Aug. 8, from 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m., the Indiana State Library will conclude its 2026 Summer Lecture Series with a program that will explore land and probate records.

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.

The program is eligible for one LEU for Indiana library staff.

"Combining Land and Probate Records to Get the Full Story" 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: https://isl.libcal.com/event/16790554

The Summer Lecture Series will return to the Indiana State Library in 2027.

07/15/2026

FIRE UP THE GRILL! BUT SAFELY!

July is National Grilling Month, a time for people to gather with family and friends for some outdoor cooking. Multiple government resources are available to help ensure the safety of those participating in outdoor grilling activities.

According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), common grilling hazards include fires, burns and carbon monoxide poisoning. CPSC recommends inspecting grills and gas hoses for cracking, brittleness, holes and leaks before use. CPSC also reminds those grilling to use grills outside only - in well-ventilated areas - and to only use appropriate fire starters.

The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), an agency of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), offers several tips on grilling food safely. https://www.fsis.usda.gov/food-safety/safe-food-handling-and-preparation/food-safety-basics/grilling-food-safely
Tips include information on cleanliness, the separation of raw and cooked foods and safe minimum internal temperatures. The agency also provides information on safe smoking and pit roasting.

In Indiana, the Indiana Department of Homeland Security (IDHS) provides dry weather safety tips that include outdoor cooking guidelines. https://www.in.gov/dhs/get-prepared/nature-safety/dry-weather/
IDHS recommends keeping a fire extinguisher near any grill and to avoid placing a grill on dry grass or near plant materials. IDHS also emphasizes to never leave an outdoor charcoal or gas grill unattended, as flames can become uncontrollable and start a large fire.

The provided resources offer valuable information for anyone preparing to grill.

07/08/2026

INDIANA'S BREAD

The Indiana State Library’s digital collection holds a richly illustrated, full-color advertising cookbook titled “The First Bite:
Tasty Recipes for Big Dandy Bread,” produced by the Jeffersonville Baking Company. The company was established in 1910 in Jeffersonville and, according to the Jan. 10, 1944 edition of the Jeffersonville Evening News, was the first in southern Indiana to mass produce, wrap and slice bread.

Those familiar with dishes using Campbell’s soup, Jell-O or mayonnaise in unconventional ways have likely been exposed to recipes from other advertising cookbooks. These books could be mass produced cheaply and were a popular way to build brand loyalty and consumer demand for a product.

Published in the Great Depression era, “The First Bite” contains recipes with simple, inexpensive ingredients, like the company’s Big Dandy Bread, which is the main component of all the recipes. Included is a molded rice and tuna dish named “Celestial Hash,” and “Lady Lou,” a bacon and cheese sauce served with toast. The book opens with a wish for the readers: “May the recipes in this little booklet suggest many delightful new ways of combining healthful, nourishing foods into tempting, appetizing dishes.” View this and other advertising cookbooks in the Trade Catalogs section of the library’s digital collection:

https://indianamemory.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/search/collection/p16066coll44!p16066coll39!p16066coll72!p16066coll49!p16066coll50!p16066coll52!p16066coll11!p16066coll38!inpoliticians!p15078coll4!p16066coll98!p15078coll21!p1819coll6!p16066coll16!p16066coll37!p16066coll82!p1819coll11!p16066coll69!p16066coll31!p15078coll8!p16066coll22!p16066coll90!p16066coll40!p16066coll13!p16066coll105!p16066coll66!p16066coll6!p16066coll64!p16066coll48!p16066coll47/searchterm/advertising%20cookbook/order/nosort

07/08/2026

FEATURED INDIANA STATE LIBRARY KIT: "BUTTERFLIES"

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 “Butterflies" Storytime kit. The kit features seven story books and a professional development book, “Sing! Play! Create!” Also included is a music CD titled “Songs about Insects, Bugs and Squiggly Things” and a flip chart book titled “Butterfly Life Cycle.” The kit also comes with 10 butterfly finger puppets, and an Eric Carle “Very Hungry Caterpillar” caterpillar and butterfly puppet set. Every kit includes a teacher’s or librarian’s guide full of ideas for use with groups of children

“Caterpillars and butterflies are a fantastic way to teach about lifecycles. You can even raise some yourself! Don’t forget that August is the beginning of the time to watch for monarch butterflies migrating from Canada to Mexico for the winter,” said Tammie Buchanan, Indiana Young Readers Center librarian at the Indiana State Library.

Read more about the kits here. https://www.in.gov/library/services-for-libraries/kits/

Kits can be ordered and delivered via InfoExpress. Please contact Tammie Buchanan "Buchanan, Tamara J (Tammie)"
with any questions about reserving the kits.

06/15/2026

Join us for our July Summer Lecture Series, A Famine of Cadavers: Inside Indy’s 1902 Graverobbing Syndicate, on July 11, 2026 in the History Reference Room at the Indiana State Library from 11:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

In the fall of 1902, Indianapolis police uncovered a prolific graverobbing ring that operated across central Indiana. An estimated 300 robberies had taken place in Marion County alone.

Drawing on research from his book “Indianapolis Graverobbing: A Syndicate of Death,” public historian Chris Flook will examine the "ghouls" who robbed graves for cadavers needed by the city’s medical colleges and the trials related to the scandal.

This event is free and open to the public.

Registration is required.

If you cannot attend in person, but would like to attend virtually using Zoom, you can register here: https://www.zoomgov.com/webinar/register/WN_Yxei0hfeSrO-EwnIEI1S3A #/registration

Indiana librarians will receive one LEU for attending.

Chris Flook has published four books of public history, including “Ghost of Old Muncie,” “Indianapolis Graverobbing,” “Native Americans of East-Central Indiana” and “Lost Towns of Delaware County.” In 2016, he co-authored and edited “Beech Grove Cemetery Comes to Life.” Flook writes the bi-monthly ByGone Muncie history column for The Star Press newspaper. He also volunteers at the Delaware County Historical Society and teaches motion graphic design in the Department of Media at Ball State University as a senior lecturer.

Parking validation will be available for attendees who park in the Senate Avenue parking garage directly across from the library and bring their ticket in for validation.

Send questions to Michelle Frost at [email protected].

The Indiana State Library will make all reasonable modifications to policies and programs to ensure that people with disabilities have an equal opportunity to enjoy all of its programs, services, and activities. If you require an auxiliary aid or service for effective communication, or a modification of policies or procedures to participate in this program, service or activity of the Indiana State Library, please contact Diana Doore at 317-232-6276 or [email protected] .

Notice of a needed accommodation should be provided as soon as possible to allow time for the State Library to arrange for the accommodation; however, notice of a needed accommodation must be provided to one of the above contacts no later than 48 hours in advance.

Date: Saturday, July 11, 2026
Time: 11:00 AM - 12:30 PM

06/09/2026

June is a great time to explore local stories and uncover the history of your community. This month, we’re featuring Hoosier State Chronicles, a free online archive from the Indiana State Library that provides access to hundreds of thousands of digitized historic newspaper pages from across the state, dating back to the early 1800s.

This month's featured database:
Hoosier State Chronicles

EXPLORE THIS RESOURCE: https://inspiredhoosiers.info/?utm_source=ActiveCampaign&utm_medium=email&utm_content=INSPIRE%20Monthly%20Newsletter&utm_campaign=INSPIRE%20Newsletter%20-%20November%20%28Hoosier%20State%20Chronicles%29%20%28Copy%29 -state-chronicles

Operated by the Indiana State Library, this free online resource provides access to high-quality digital images of Indiana’s historic newspapers. It’s an invaluable tool for exploring local history, genealogy, and the stories that shaped our communities.

06/04/2026

Summer Lecture Series: DNA Workshop

Unlock Your Family’s DNA Story with professional genealogist Angela Guntz
June 13, 2026, 11 am to 3 pm

Ready to take your genealogy research to the next level? Join us as we help you understand your DNA results, break through DNA mysteries, and connect the dots in your family history like never before.

This event is free and open to the public. Registration is required. Please register here: https://isl.libcal.com/event/16694096

If you cannot attend in-person, you can register to attend virtually here. This event will not be recorded. https://www.zoomgov.com/webinar/register/WN_Yl1oPcisR3O9pJF4dcKM-Q #/registration

Indiana librarians will receive LEUs for attending.

Parking validation will be available for attendees who park in the Senate Avenue parking garage directly across from the library and bring their ticket in for validation.

Sessions:

Understanding the DNA Testing Landscape

Not all DNA tests are created equal. In this session, you’ll get a clear, approachable overview of autosomal, Y‑DNA, and mtDNA testing, along with guidance on which test best supports your research goals. We’ll also compare today’s leading testing companies - 23andMe, AncestryDNA, FamilyTreeDNA, and MyHeritage—so you know exactly what each platform offers and how to make the most of their tools and databases.

Solving Mystery Matches You Can’t Easily Place

Every genealogist encounter DNA matches that don’t quite fit…yet. Learn step‑by‑step strategies to analyze and organize these puzzling connections using proven techniques like clustering, and targeted research. By the end of this session, you’ll feel confident tackling even your most confusing matches and turning uncertainty into insight.

Breaking Through Brick Walls: A DNA Case Study

Stuck on a missing ancestor? Facing an unknown parentage question? You’re not alone—and DNA can help. Walk through a real‑world case study that illustrates how to form a strong research question, design an effective DNA testing plan, and interpret your results with confidence. You’ll see exactly how DNA evidence is gathered, analyzed, and documented using the Genealogical Proof Standard, giving you a roadmap you can apply to your own research challenges.

Date: Saturday, June 13, 2026
Time: 11:00 AM - 3:00 PM

05/28/2026

MORE IMAGES FROM THE INDIANA STATE LIBRARY "BROADSIDES" DIGITAL COLLECTION, Circa 1940s

Posters from the 1940s promoting Indiana Parks and conservation, swimming, picnics, hiking, fishing and horseback riding!

05/28/2026

SUMMER IS UPON US and so are the outdoor activities! Visiting a park, swimming, hiking in the woods, biking on trails, and so much more! Please remember to be careful, and don't throw cigarette butts, matches or any flammable materials on the ground. Protect our resources! Be safe and have fun!
This image is from the Indiana State Library Digital Archives, Broadside Collection.
Creator
Indiana. Department of Conservation; Indiana. Division of Forestry;
Date of Original 1945

Indiana State Library Foundation, Inc.

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