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Learn More about the Archives’ Collections

The Indiana State Archives collects, preserves, and makes available historical and evidential material relating to the state of Indiana. These records date from the territorial period to the present.

Plymouth Indiana courthouse

Records Management Bulletins

for County/Local Government

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Closed Vocational Institution Records

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Indiana Electronic Records Program

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COVID-19 Record Collection Guidelines

for Indiana Government Agencies

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Pile of three slides from a records management training course, with headers reading

Online Records Management Training

for State and Local Government Employees

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A-State-That-Works

Records Management Bulletins

for State Government

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Coming Soon!

County/Local Records Webinar 2: County Commissions


Blue and yellow flyer containing an image of the Indiana Archives and Records Administration logo, and the following text: WEBINAR MARCH 28TH, 2023 9:30 – 11:30 AM MICROSOFT TEAMS    
  WHAT IS THE  COUNTY COMMISSION OF PUBLIC RECORDS? Understanding your role as Secretary for your County Commission of Public Records  Each County Commission of Public Records helps YOU as a county/local government agency manage the public records created or received by your office.  This webinar will provide an overview of the County Commission of Public Records, its members and meetings, who the Secretary and Chairperson are, the Secretary’s duties, examples of documentation and disposition approval forms, and much more. For more information:  Amy Christiansen Records Management Liaison  (812) 929-3882 achristiansen@iara.in.gov 
  Are you a County Clerk or Recorder? ──── New to the role of Commission Secretary? ──── What is the Commission  all about? ──── How do I conduct a Commission meeting? ──── Attend this free webinar for answers!  INDIANA ARCHIVES & RECORDS ADMINISTRATION 402 W Washington St. Room 472 Indianapolis, IN 46204

Research Indiana Indexes


Indiana Archives and Records Administration Research Indiana Catalog banner

Welcome to the Research Indiana Indexes, the new home of the Indiana Digital Archives. Thanks to the work of our volunteers, over 1.36 million names are searchable online. More names and indexes will be added regularly.

Visit the State Archives


The Indiana State Archives is currently open for research by appointment only. For more information about scheduling an appointment, send an email to arc@iara.in.gov or give us a call at 317-591-5222. As always, you can utilize the Research Indiana Index and Catalog from home.


More information about the State Archives

Digital Exhibit: The History of Microfilm


Thumbnail image of slideshow/timeline feature: At the top, an image of boxes and microfilm reels with the text THE HISTORY OF MICROFILM followed by text rendered illegible due to the reduced size of the thumbnail. Below that image, a sliding left/right timeline with visible dates extending from 1796 to 1881.

The IARA Imaging and Microfilm Laboratory has been creating microfilm to preserve Indiana's history since 1937. Microfilm is the the scaled-down reproduction of documents on film, used to preserve important information for up to 500 years. Originally created as a novelty in the 1800s, the practice is now considered the most effective in the archival sciences for long-term preservation. Learn about microfilm's journey from useless parlor trick to the gold standard in historical safeguarding, in our new photo-filled slideshow and interactive timeline.

From the Vault Blog


Stories from the Archives

Dryer

Hello! My name is Myren Mitchell, and I’m this year's Friends of the State Archive’s summer 2022 intern.  Currently, I am enrolled in Indiana University’s Master of Library Science graduate program specializing in Archives and Special Collections.

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Online Training for State and Local Employees

Pile of IARA online training slides

IARA now offers six online tutorials! They're all available here on our website, and the five courses applicable to State Government employees can also be taken for credit through the State Employee Learning Center in SuccessFactors.

State Government Employee Courses:

  1. Records Management Basics (ELRN SOI_IARA_000001): How and why we manage public records in state government, and how the Archives and Records Administration can help.
  2. Reading and Interpreting Records Retention Schedules (ELRN SOI_IARA_000002): What a Retention Schedule is, what it looks like, and how to apply it.
  3. Creating and Updating Records Retention Schedules (ELRN SOI_IARA_000003): A guide to the process of working with IARA to make sure your agency Retention Schedule is current and accurate, and how to update it when that's not the case.
  4. Tips for E-Mail Management (ELRN SOI_IARA_000006):  Useful for any State or County/Local Employee!
  5. Forms Management (ELRN SOI_IARA_000005):  For State Employees who need to create or update State Forms for their agency.

County/Local Government Employee Courses:

  1. Records Management for Indiana County and Local Government (IARA website only): How and why we manage public records in local government, and how the Archives and Records Administration can help.
  2. Tips for E-Mail Management (IARA website version):  Useful for any State or County/Local Employee!

Read more, including who should take these courses, and how!

Join the Indiana Archives Virtual Volunteer Program!

Looking for something to do from home? Join our FromThePage project and become a Virtual Volunteer! We have started a new project to index some of our state’s Civil War records.

Near the start of the Civil War in the summer of 1862, the Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton directed all northern states to fill a draft call for 300,000 men. In Indiana, two separate lists were created, one for men who had already enlisted in the volunteer forces and another listing all white men between the ages of 18 and 45 years who were able to be potentially drafted into the military.

You can help create an index to these records from home - all you need is an Internet connection.

To help, visit our Indiana Draft Enrollment Lists of 1862 or the Indiana Volunteer Militia Enrollment Lists of 1862 on FromThePage.com and click Start Transcribing. You will be prompted to sign up for a free account.

For some transcription tips, check the Help tab on the page for any individual Work, and please send an email to arc@iara.in.gov if you have any questions.

Follow Us on Social Media

The Indiana Archives and Records Administration participates in social networking sites in order to share events, announcements, photos, and stories from the Indiana State Archives. Our goal is to share Indiana history and information with as many individuals as possible.

By clicking the icons below, you will be taken to a web service that is not owned by the State of Indiana and has different privacy and security policies. The State of Indiana is not responsible for, and does not endorse, guarantee, or monitor content, availability, viewpoints, products, or services that are offered or expressed on non IN.gov portal websites.

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