Unpopular opinion, I am not a huge fan of “A Christmas Story.” The movie adaptation is 40 years old now, but the origin of the story is that of Indiana author Jean Shepherd’s 1966 book, In God We Trust: All Others Pay Cash. This opinion is probably particularly sacrilegious as I grew up in Northwest […]
I’ve decided to expand my surname list by reaching out to my colleagues. Luckily, we’re all a curious sort, so a long list of new surnames and connections to research suddenly appeared. This month’s article features my long-time coworker and friend Susan’s family, the Stanfields. For more than 40 years IHS has had a collection […]
McGuire Studio Inc., owned and operated by Joseph and Georgia McGuire, documented the built environment, businesses, people, and events around greater Indianapolis from the 1960s-1990s. Their body of work has been archived as the Joseph and Georgia McGuire Photograph Collection at the Indiana Historical Society. They took many iconic photos of aerial views and landmarks […]
Visitors to the Indiana Historical Society November through early January each year, have no choice but to get into the Christmas spirit. There are Christmas trees everywhere thanks to our wonderful Festival of Trees. Our library likes to add a little holiday flair to our case exhibits as well. This year, I decided to focus […]
The American Library Association defines Reference Librarian as those who “recommend, interpret, evaluate, and/or use information resources to help patrons with specific information needs.” As a reference librarian, I was particularly drawn to a book while traveling in New York City last year, Peculiar Questions and Practical Answers: A Little Book of Whimsy and Wisdom […]
It probably comes as no surprise that the librarian authoring this blog loves libraries. When tasked with designing an exhibit to be on display in the IHS library, I chose to research libraries. I learned that the history of public libraries in Indiana is far more interesting than I anticipated. Though some public libraries in […]
You’ve hopefully seen part one of this blog series, House Hunting through the Collection. So, without further ado, the house in IHS digital collection that I wish was truly for sale and the winner of my “just browsing” house hunt, The Miller House in Columbus, Indiana. If you, like me, love mid-century modern architecture then […]
My favorite part of working in reference are the numerous fascinating materials I come across when fulfilling research requests. Recently, someone requested information on the Romantic era poet Rebecca Hammond Lard. A literature enthusiast myself, I was intrigued by her journey to Indiana. Rebecca was born in Massachusetts on March 7, 1772, until she moved […]
In 2016 the Indiana Historical Society launched a collecting initiative to collect, preserve, and share the stories of Hoosier Latinos. This vital work led to the 2018 exhibition, Be Heard: Latino Experiences in Indiana. From there a traveling exhibit, virtual exhibit, book, and lesson plans were formed. Of course, this work is ongoing, and the […]
Sylvia’s World was, especially by today’s quick and far moving standards, contained to a fairly small area- mostly her neighborhood and her workplace, peppered in with some trips to the downtown commercial center of Indianapolis. There was no talk of vacations, aside from a quick excursion on the train that would take her overnight to […]
