Indiana State Library

Indianapolis, Indiana, 46208

Last updated on August 14, 2024
Grant awarded by
TPS Midwest Region
Region
Midwest(includes South Central states - AL, AR, LA, MS, and TN)
Organization Type
State Agency
Congressional District(s)
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9
Fiscal Year Of First Grant
FY 2023 [10/01/22 - 09/30/23]
Contributing Organization(s)
Benjamin Harrison Presidential Site, Hamilton East Public Library, Chanute Aquatorium Society, Indiana Historical Bureau
Organization description

The Indiana State Library (ISL), located in downtown Indianapolis, serves Indiana State Government as well as the citizens of Indiana. ISL provides Indiana citizens and libraries with specialized library services like databases, a library courier service, training for library employees, shared purchasing, shared library catalogs and more.

Throughout its history, the ISL has developed strong collections in the fields of Indiana history and culture, Indiana state government and United States government publications, Indiana newspapers, genealogy and family history resources on Indiana and the eastern United States, Braille, large print, and books on tape for the visually impaired, library science, and American history, politics, and economics. Its collections in these areas support research by state agency employees, scholars, genealogists, librarians, students, Indiana residents who are blind or have physical disabilities, and the general public. The Indiana Historical Bureau provides public and digital history publications, programs, and educational opportunities that promote a more thorough and diverse understanding of Indiana history and the process of creating history. They have operated the State Historical Marker Program since 1946 and the Indiana Legislative Oral History Initiative since 2017, among other public programs. The Library Development Office and Professional Development Office work to improve and support the libraries of Indiana through assistance, training, and supervising the distribution of state and federal funds.

Project description

The Indiana State Library is developing “escape room” type experiences where participants are left in a room with clues, puzzles, and locked boxes and must work together to search the room, crack codes, and eventually unlock the last box that will allow them to escape or find the missing item. There will be six experiences total. All six experiences include narratives based on Indiana history and feature facsimiles of actual primary source documents located in the Indiana State Library’s collections or collections from the Library of Congress. Most of the experiences have the same “villain,” Sammy the Interviewing Toucan, who traditionally interviews Indiana authors via the Indiana State Library’s YouTube channel.

Escape rooms are perfect for teens – and even adults – as they promote teamwork, collaboration, communication, problem solving, independent thinking, leadership, curiosity and more. The Escape Room Experiences can be used independently or with lesson plans to further explore the topics. Topics covered by the Indiana Escape Rooms include:

President Benjamin Harrison – Featuring the only Indiana president to date.
Genealogy – Featuring a diary written in 1904 by a 9-year-old from Rensselaer, Indiana.
Aviation – Featuring Octave Chanute, an early aviator from Indiana who worked with the Wright Brothers.
Basketball – Featuring the Crispus Attucks High School state championships in 1955 and 1956.
Quakers – Featuring Levi and Catherine Coffin, Indiana Quakers and abolitionists.
Hoosier Women – Featuring Madame C. J. Walker, Amelia Earhart, Eva Kor and more.

The kits have been designed with varying levels of difficulty, so that students young and old will be able to enjoy the mysteries.

TPS project focus
  • Teaching Materials
Content focus
  • Art
  • Civics
  • Cultural Studies
  • English Language Arts
  • Equity and Inclusion
  • Gender Studies
  • General Studies
  • History
  • Information Literacy
  • Journalism
  • Library/Media Studies
  • Literacy
  • Math
  • Religion
  • Civil Rights
Audience
  • Activists
  • Administrators
  • Archivists
  • Artists
  • Classroom teachers
  • Clergy
  • Curriculum coordinators
  • Homeschoolers
  • Librarians/Media specialists
  • Students
  • Teacher candidates/Student teachers
Level(s)
  • 6 - 8
  • 9 - 12
  • Adult learning
  • Undergraduate
  • Graduate
Population focus
  • African Americans
  • Men and boys
  • Rural
  • Women and girls
Organization Contact
Suzanne Walker
[email protected]
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