LSTA Supports Indiana Libraries

Statewide Library Services

INSPIRE is a collection of academic, scholarly, and occupational resources available to all Hoosiers 24/7 through their home, work, school or library via the internet. Notable resources include scholarly and professional journals, student research tools, practice tests and guides (inc. GED, SAT, and licensure exams), and career resources, such as the online résumé builder and the professional development eBook collection. INSPIRE resources are used in every institution of higher learning statewide and a majority of primary and secondary schools.

Evergreen Indiana is a growing consortium of over 90 public, school and institutional libraries located throughout Indiana that use the Evergreen ILS. Patrons of member libraries can use their Evergreen Indiana library card to view the catalogs and borrow materials from the other member libraries. The Evergreen Indiana catalog holds over 2.4 million bibliographic records and provides access to over 6 million items. As of September 2011, ninety-four Indiana libraries (including the Indiana State Library) are live on Evergreen and serve over 820,000 Indiana residents.

The State Library purchases Indiana's statewide FirstSearch license at a cost of over $300,000 per year, which includes FirstSearch, Ebook Database Index and Clase Periodica components. FirstSearch is essential to Indiana libraries that offers interlibrary loan services via WorldCat. FirstSearch connect users to the information—both print and electronic—they need, whether it's available in your library's collection or in the collections of other libraries around the world.

The Indiana State Data Center makes the Census as well as other federal and state statistical, demographical and economical information available through a statewide network of affiliates. It provides data and training services to all sectors of the community, as well as products and services used in marketing, economic development, community planning and analysis, grant writing, and much more.

The Indiana Talking Book & Braille Library (TBBL) serves Hoosiers who cannot read
standard print due to a visual or physical impairment. Talking Books offers books and magazines in braille, large print, and digital audio formats. They also provide specialized playback equipment, reader advisory services and equipment repair. All services, materials, and delivery costs are free to eligible Indiana residents.

Every Child Ready to Read® @ your library® (ECRR) is a parent education initiative. It stresses early literacy begins with the primary adults in a child's life. The ECRR toolkit empowers public libraries to assume an essential role in supporting early literacy within a community. The Indiana State Library will continue its support of the ECRR program by providing each Indiana public library (including branches) with a 2nd Edition Toolkit and train-the-trainer workshops. This initiative is funded by a Library Services & Technology Act grant.

LSTA Sub-grants to Indiana Libraries

The Indiana State Library offers up to $325,000 ($10,000 per grant) in Technology Sub-grants to help Indiana libraries provide their users with the new and improved technology necessary to meet their residents’ ever-changing needs for library services and access to information. Libraries may use these sub-grants to better meet the technological needs of their community.

LSTA Sub-grants for Unserved Populations

Roughly 6.5% of Hoosiers do not have public library service, no information safety net or alternative point of access to information exists for those unable to afford or access online resources at home. The Indiana State Library will use these grant monies to provide support for Indiana libraries making a concerted effort to extend their current service area or services such that un-served or underserved populations gain increased access to library services and electronic resources.

The Indiana State Library offers all Indiana library the opportunity to apply for up to $500,000 in federal funds for the purpose of developing innovative library technology projects with the potential for state-wide impact. With assistance from these grant funds, libraries should incorporate innovative methods and emerging technologies into their current library services to address the ever-changing needs of their patrons. Libraries may use these funds to test the effectiveness of new program and service implementation and to discern their applicability and potential as a model for enhancing library technology & service.

The Indiana State Library provides grants to institutional libraries in Indiana for the primary purpose of facilitating improved literacy among the individuals under custody of the state. Institutions strive to meet literacy goals at multiple educational levels and may request funds for library materials that meet their specific literacy needs. Materials that are frequently borrowed through interlibrary loan may also be purchased through the institutional literacy grant program. The Indiana State Library annually awards $50,000 in grants to state institutions such as prisons, juvenile detention centers and state hospitals.

The Indiana State Library is offering $200,000 in LSTA sub-grants to libraries in Indiana for the purpose of digitizing Indiana’s historical records. The primary goal is to develop content for Indiana Memory, a digital library for Indiana residents. Libraries should use these funds to digitize artifacts and documents important to Indiana history and relevant to researchers today. Libraries should also be looking to establish partnerships with cultural institutions that house unique and important collections of Indiana history. The lead project director in these partnerships must be a library, and the library will be responsible for managing the project and acting as fiscal agent and grant administration.