 This week's new Indiana library jobs
Teen Focus Librarian
Allen County Public Library
Public Services Librarian
Anderson Public Library
Circulation Services Manager
Carmel Clay Public Library
Children’s Assistant- Outreach
Frankfort Community Public Library
Children’s Assistant- School Age
Frankfort Community Public Library
Processing Archivist
Indianapolis Museum of Art at Newfields
Youth Services Manager
Kendallville Public Library
Community Engagement Makerspace
La Porte County Public Library
Assistant Director
Muncie Public Library
Those who would like an Indiana library job posting to be listed in the Wednesday Word should submit the position and its description to the Indiana State Library. Click here for submission guidelines and to submit.
This supermarket-turned-library has aisles and freezers stocked with books
Carmel Clay Public Library
Book benches unveiled
Greensburg-Decatur County Public Library
Hamilton East Public Library brings award-winning authors
Hamilton East Public Library
Documentary filmmaker donates Jean Shepherd memorabilia to Hammond Public Library
Hammond Public Library
Library swimming in donations for aquarium
Kendallville Public Library
What does the Lebanon Public Library have to offer?
Lebanon Public Library
NCPL tackles rise in 'unattended child' incidents
Noble County Public Library
7 U.S. libraries and collections named after trailblazing women
Ruth Lilly Medical Library at IUPUI
Friends of the Library hold meeting
Washington Carnegie Public Library
Library participants transported to Greece
Washington Carnegie Public Library
Waveland library changes directors
Waveland-Brown Township Public Library
Willard Library hosting outdoor family movie night
Willard Library
Email news links for inclusion in the Wednesday Word's "In the news" section.
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 Follow the Indiana State Library's blog for weekly posts covering all aspects of the State Library. Visit the blog here.
If you are an Indiana library employee and would like to contribute a guest blog, please send us an email here with your idea.
Back issues of the Wednesday Word are available here.
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 Registration is now open for the 2021 The Difference is You conference. The conference will take place virtually on Friday, Sept. 17 from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. This year's conference will include nine presentations over three sessions. Attendees must register for each session individually. An additional session that includes the announcement of the Difference is You Award winner and the keynote presentation - delivered by William Ottens - is also scheduled.
Sessions this year include "Developing Welcoming Spaces for LGBTQ+," presented by Jayne Walters of the Indianapolis Public Library; "Book Connections @INSPIRE: New for Indiana Children’s & Teen Services," presented by Nick Glass of BookConnections; "Teen Tips" presented by Beth Yates, children’s coordinator at the Indiana State Library; "How to Talk With Your Boss," presented by Lynn Hobbs, Chris Scandling, Donna Seaton and Jason Fields; and more. Each session is worth either one LEU or one TLEU for Indiana Library staff.
Click here to read all nine session descriptions and to register.
The annual The Difference is You conference is a training event for library support staff and paraprofessionals. "Taking Charge of Change" is the theme of the 2021 conference.
Please contact Kara Cleveland, Professional Development Office supervisor at the Indiana State Library, with any questions.
 On Wednesday, Sept. 22 from 10-11 a.m., the Indiana State Library will present "Content Creation for Your Library," a webinar presented by Jenn Bartlett, head of reference and adult services at the Manchester Public Library in the Town of Manchester, Connecticut.
Bartlett, also known as the Board Game Librarian, will discuss creating content for a library's social media accounts; social media posts that will engage followers; where to start when it comes to creating graphics that will excite an audience; and whether or not hashtags are all they're cracked up to be.
The webinar is eligible for one TLEU for Indiana library staff and will be held via Zoom. Click here to read more and click here to register. Those who would like to receive only a recording of the webinar can fill out this request form.
Please contact George Bergstrom, Southwest regional coordinator at the Indiana State Library, with any questions regarding the webinar.
 Genira Newell, a library services supervisor at the Lawrence Branch of the Indianapolis Public Library and a graduate student studying human resources development at Indiana State University, was recently selected as the library's Human Resources Diversity Fellow.
Newell was a teenager when she started working for IndyPL as a summer reading clerk at a branch in the Martindale-Brightwood neighborhood. When she attended college at Indiana State University, she’d come back to Indianapolis over summer breaks and work with the summer reading program. After graduating from Indiana State University, she worked with IndyPL full-time and gained new responsibilities with each role. Her love of hiring, coaching, supporting and training staff inspired her to work toward a master’s degree in human resources.
“I’m currently in school, almost done. When you go to school, you get the basics, you get an internship. But this is a learning opportunity for real-world coaching, feedback and mentorship as an HR professional. I grew up in the library, and I believe it is a great place to work, a learning institution where you can grow,” Newell said. “Specifically, with my HR skills, I want to hone in on the areas of diversity and inclusion. As a hiring supervisor, I’ve had the opportunity to make an impact in hiring a diverse workforce at the Lawrence branch. I look for diverse candidates, and sometimes I have to reach out to networks and people I know to get the word out about these positions. I want to create a workplace that encourages equal opportunity.”
The Diversity Fellow program got its start in the early 2000s. The goal was to create a position similar to the training librarian position that was available in the ‘80s and ‘90s, but with a renewed focus on diversity and inclusion.
Newell is the third IndyPL Diversity Fellow and will be the first to work in the Human Resources Department, partnering with generalists to ensure recruitment efforts and hiring processes are equitable while supporting retention and employee engagement, especially focused on diversity, inclusion, anti-racism, hiring, career pathways and talent development.
Read the full press release here.
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What’s Up Wednesday: An Empathetic Approach to Customer Service Training
When: Aug. 25, 10-11 a.m.
Where: Webinar
What’s Up Wednesday-Get INSPIRED: Top INSPIRE Databases for Assisting Students
When: Sept. 8, 10-11 a.m.
Where: Webinar
Difference is You Conference
When: Sept. 17, 9 a.m.-4 p.m.
Where: Virtual Conference
Content Creation for Your Library
When: Sept. 22, 10-11 a.m.
Where: Webinar
What’s Up Wednesday: Navigating Fiscal Body Approval for Library Bonds
When: Sept. 29, 10-11 a.m.
Where: Webinar
Welcome to the Government Information Minute. Every other week, government information librarians at the Indiana State Library cover current resources on governmental data at the state, national and international levels, all to keep the public well-informed. Follow the Indiana State Data Center on Facebook and Twitter and feel free to leave comments and suggestions.
 Last week, redistricting data was released from the results of the 2020 census. The redistricting process occurs across the nation every 10 years after each U.S. census to determine state and local legislative and other boundaries based on changes to population numbers. The significance of this data to the public is that population data is available down to the census block level. Small area data is valuable to local and county officials as they make decisions and create policy throughout the decade. The data released Aug. 12 by the U.S. Census Bureau is publicly available via an FTP site here; see Accessing 2020 Census Redistricting Data from the Legacy Format Summary Files.
Files will be available in Excel format via StatsIndiana here. For easy access to Indiana’s data by county, city or town, U.S. Congressional District and Indiana legislative district, visit Indiana’s 2020 Redistricting Dashboard here. The latest statewide analysis of the new data is provided by Matt Kinghorn, state demographer, on the Kelley School of Business blog. For further information about the release of 2020 census data, contact the State Library’s Indiana State Data Center.
 The Indiana State Library received $3.47 million as part of the American Rescue Plan Act to support libraries and library services in the State of Indiana. The Institute of Museum and Library Services distributed $178 million to state libraries, who were then tasked with putting the funds to good use. The Indiana State Library opted to put their allocation directly in public and academic libraries’ hands by awarding ARPA sub-grants.
This isn’t the first grant the State Library created in response to the COVID pandemic. Last year’s CARES Act mini-grants helped libraries to defray the unexpected expenses necessitated by the COVID pandemic: masks and plexiglass dividers, stanchions for curbside pick-up, additional e-books and streaming movies for the times the buildings were closed. 335 mini-grants were awarded in the amount of more than $650,000. While CARES addressed immediate needs, ARPA grants ask libraries to look into the future and consider what they can do to welcome back and safely serve the public moving forward.
In total, the State Library received 154 applications detailing projects costing anywhere from the $5,000 minimum to even more than the $100,000 maximum possible award. The funds will allow libraries to pursue a multitude of projects, programs and training. Funds will be used for staff training centered on a post-pandemic reality and projects that increase remote and outdoor access to library services. For example, libraries will create outdoor areas equipped with Wi-Fi and furnishings that will allow patrons access to the internet, even while the doors might be closed. These areas will also offer safer, open-air venues for programming. Some libraries are looking to add bookmobiles or delivery vehicles to make home services a reality. Other libraries are choosing to pursue remote locker systems that would allow the public to pick up library materials after hours or during closures with no staff interaction.
The State Library will now take on the challenging task of reviewing each project and deciding how much to award. While the State Library aims to offer at least some assistance for all eligible projects, more than $7 million dollars were requested against the approximately $2.84 million dollars allocated for aid. Grants should be awarded in October – allowing for some libraries to start start work as early as this fall.
The State Library’s ARPA Grants for Indiana Libraries page offers more information on the grants, including a timeline of important 2021 deadlines and events.
Any questions regarding ARPA grants may be sent here.
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