The Indiana State Library and Historical Bureau is a public library building, located in

Indianapolis Indianapolis ( ), colloquially known as Indy, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Indiana, most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana, Marion ...

Indiana Indiana ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the s ...

. It is the largest public library in the state of Indiana, housing over 60,000 manuscripts. Established in 1934, the library has gathered a large collection of books on a vast variety of topics.

History

The Indiana State Library and Historical Bureau has been open to the public since 1934. The first attempts to have a state library started when Indiana was still a territory with its capital in Corydon, making it the oldest agency of the Indiana government. However, the first actual Indiana state library would not be opened until the capital had moved to Indianapolis, starting on February 11, 1825, with the secretary of state acting as librarian. In 1867, the library's law books were transferred to the

Supreme Court In most legal jurisdictions, a supreme court, also known as a court of last resort, apex court, high (or final) court of appeal, and court of final appeal, is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...

to begin the Supreme Court Law Library, which has grown to 70,000 volumes. The library became its own institution in 1841. The State Board of Education gained control of the library in 1895, with the Department of Education gaining control in 1933. Between 1895 and 1933, the library amassed more material than it had in all its previous existence. Originally, the Library was only for the use of state employees and government officials. After assigning a two-cent tax to attain funds in 1929, and having architects send proposals for a new building in 1931, it was built to designs by Pierre & Wright Architects. In 1945 the library was directed by Howard Henry Peckham, an early American historian who was the first to publish the Revolutionary War journals of Henry Dearborn, a revolutionary war officer and Secretary of War under President

Thomas Jefferson Thomas Jefferson (, 1743July 4, 1826) was an American Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father and the third president of the United States from 1801 to 1809. He was the primary author of the United States Declaration of Indepe ...

. The building is made of Indiana limestone,

sandstone Sandstone is a Clastic rock#Sedimentary clastic rocks, clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of grain size, sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate mineral, silicate grains, Cementation (geology), cemented together by another mineral. Sand ...

, and

walnut A walnut is the edible seed of any tree of the genus '' Juglans'' (family Juglandaceae), particularly the Persian or English walnut, '' Juglans regia''. They are accessory fruit because the outer covering of the fruit is technically an i ...

. Interior features include

brass Brass is an alloy of copper and zinc, in proportions which can be varied to achieve different colours and mechanical, electrical, acoustic and chemical properties, but copper typically has the larger proportion, generally copper and zinc. I ...

accents, fanciful

mural A mural is any piece of Graphic arts, graphic artwork that is painted or applied directly to a wall, ceiling or other permanent substrate. Mural techniques include fresco, mosaic, graffiti and marouflage. Word mural in art The word ''mural'' ...

s, walnut-paneled walls,

stained glass Stained glass refers to coloured glass as a material or art and architectural works created from it. Although it is traditionally made in flat panels and used as windows, the creations of modern stained glass artists also include three-dimensio ...

windows, and woodcarvings. The external architectural sculpture was created by Leon Hermant and carved by

Adolph Wolter Adolph Gustav Wolter von Ruemelin (September 7, 1903 – October 15, 1980), transplanted sculptor in Indiana, was born on September 7, 1903, in Reutlingen (Baden-Württemberg), Germany, in the southern region of that country. The second of thr ...

. The library has seven main divisions: Talking Book and Braille Library, Genealogy, Indiana Collection, Rare Books and Manuscripts, Reference and Government Services, Professional Development, and Library Development. A 1993 inventory of the library's holdings included 60,000 books and pamphlets, 3,500 collected manuscripts, 1.5 million images, and 1,000 maps. Some of this included not only the history of Indiana, but that of the

Old Northwest The Northwest Territory, also known as the Old Northwest and formally known as the Territory Northwest of the River Ohio, was formed from part of the unorganized western territory of the United States after the American Revolution. Established ...

as well. It has been on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

since 1995. The Indiana Historical Bureau has a home at the library. Founded in 1915 as the Indiana Historical Commission, its initial purpose was to prepare for the centennial of Indiana's statehood. The bureau largely concentrates on the placement of new historical markers across Indiana and encourages education in Indiana history. The bureau runs a gift shop at the library. Wright-conservation-room-Indiana-State-Library

Wright-conservation-room-Indiana-State-Library

The library's Martha E. Wright Conservation Lab has specialized equipment devoted to conservation and restoration of historic documents.Indiana State Library Preservation Services
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References

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Notes

External links

*
Indianapolis, a National Park Service ''Discover Our Shared Heritage'' Travel Itinerary
{{Authority control Education in Indianapolis Library buildings completed in 1934 National Register of Historic Places in Indianapolis Public libraries in Indiana State archives of the United States State libraries of the United States Tourist attractions in Indianapolis 1934 establishments in Indiana

History

See also

References

Sources

Notes

External links