Indiana State Library

If you have a fascination with early Marion County history or have ancestors from the area, you may be interested in the Indiana State Library’s digitized collection of early Marion County birth returns. This recent blog post details the life of Rosalind English, beginning with her birth return. https://tinyurl.com/29b44eyj

This photo, taken by members of the 113th Observation Squadron of the Indiana Air National Guard, shows what Indiana Dunes State Park - adjacent to the present-day Indiana Dunes National Park - looked like nearly a century ago. https://tinyurl.com/3czzk6px

Don't forget that the voting for the Indiana Early Literacy Firefly Award closes on Friday, July 31. Read more about the award and learn how to vote here: https://www.in.gov/library/icb/firefly/

The Fort Branch-Johnson Township Public Library had a blast with their Escape Experience program last week!

Did you know that the Indiana Talking Book and Braille Library produces audiobooks via Indiana Voices at the Indiana State Library? Read more about it here: https://tinyurl.com/pr58m79u

Don't forget! The Summer Lecture Series returns to the Indiana State Library this Saturday, June 13, with “Unlock Your Family’s DNA Story." Professional genealogist Angela Guntz will help attendees understand their DNA results, break through DNA mysteries and connect the dots in their family history. Register here: https://isl.libcal.com/event/16694096

This "correct map" of the U.S. and Canada includes British and Spanish territories "carefully laid down agreeable to the Treaty of 1784" and was recently added to the Indiana State Library's digital collections.

The Indiana Affiliate Center for the Book is delighted to announce its Great Read titles for 2026. The Center has chosen "The Last Adieu: Lafayette’s Triumphant Return, the Echoes of Revolution, and the Gratitude of the Republic" by Ryan L. Cole for the 2026 Great Reads adult selection. When the Marquis de Lafayette returned to the United States in 1824, the aging hero of the American Revolution was defeated politically and distraught over the fate of liberty in Europe. He set sail one last time from France for America after an absence of 40 years. He was welcomed with the grandest celebration the young republic would ever stage, as he traveled to every state in the Union and met with parades and delirious crowds. The Great Read books are recognized each year at the National Book Festival. The Library of Congress will host the 2026 festival on Saturday, Aug. 22, at the Washington Convention Center. Learn more here: https://tinyurl.com/4dfjt7hp