55 Organizations Awarded Next Indiana Bookshelf Sets

The Indiana Center for the Book and Indiana Humanities have awarded 55 libraries, schools and organizations a free Next Indiana Bookshelf set. Awarded organizations span the state, from Aurora to Gary, Evansville to Angola.

The Next Indiana Bookshelf is a set of 13 titles designed to encourage thinking and discussion about the present and future of Indiana during the Hoosier Bicentennial. It features fiction, nonfiction, essays and poetry. Each book has a strong connection to Indiana, either set in Indiana and/or written by a Hoosier author. To learn more about the titles featured on the Next Indiana Bookshelf, visit www.indianahumanities.org/next-indiana-bookshelf.

“The Next Indiana Bookshelf has the ability to create powerful conversations around our state as we use the Bicentennial to contemplate not only our past, but also our future” said Keira Amstutz, president and CEO of Indiana Humanities. “With 90 applications from across the state, its exciting to see so many communities interested in celebrating Indiana’s Bicentennial.”

Each awarded organization has a unique plan for programming the Next Indiana Bookshelf around Indiana Bicentennial’s celebration.  For example, the Jackson County Public Library will use reading and conversation to unite the community to understand the various cultures that make up the area, while Marion Public Library plans to use the set as a complement to its interactive exhibit on the Gas Boom era.

The full list of Next Indiana Bookshelf recipients are:

• Anderson Public Library, Anderson
• Argos Community Schools, Argos
• Aurora Public Library District, Aurora
• Benton County Public Library, Fowler
• Berne Public Library, Berne
• Bloomfield-Eastern Greene County Public Library, Bloomfield
• Brazil Public Library, Brazil
• Brook Iroquois Washington Public Library, Brook
• Brownsburg Public Library, Brownsburg
•  Brownstown Public Library, Brownstown
• Cambridge City Public Library, Cambridge City
• Daleville Community Library, Daleville
• Delphi Public Library, Delphi
• Eckhart Public Library, Auburn
• Evansville Vanderburgh County Public Library, Evansville
• Fairmount Public Library, Fairmount
• Franklin County High School, Brookville
• Fremont Public Library, Fremont
• Friends of the New Ross Public Library, New Ross
• Fulton County Public Library, Rochester
• Garrett Public Library, Garrett
• Gary Middle College, Gary
• Harrison County Public Library, Corydon
• Hartford City Public Library, Hartford City
• IU East Library, Richmond
• IU South Bend Library, South Bend
• Ivy Tech Community College, Central Indiana Region, Indianapolis
• Jackson County Public Library, Seymour
• Jasper Public Library, Jasper
• Jennings County Public Library, North Vernon
• La Porte County Public Library, La Porte
• Ladoga-Clark Twp. Public Library, Ladoga
• Lake County Public Library, Griffith
• Lawrenceburg Public Library District, Lawrenceburg
• Marion Public Library, Marion
• Monroe County Public Library, Bloomington
• Morgan County Public Library, Martinsville
• Morton High School, Hammond
• New Castle-Henry County Public Library, New Castle
• Newton County Public Library, Lake Village
• North Webster Public Library, North Webster
• Peabody Public Library, Columbia City
• Roachdale Public Library, Roachdale
• Roanoke Public Library, Roanoke
• Rushville Consolidated High School, Rushville
• Shelby County Public Library, Shelbyville
• Southport High School, Indianapolis
• Southwestern High School, Hanover
• Switzerland County Public Library, Vevay
• Trine University, Angola
• Union County Public Library, Liberty
• Union School Corporation, Modoc
• Veedersburg Public Library, Veedersburg
• Washington Carnegie Public Library, Washington
• Westchester Public Library, Chesterton

“It’s clear that communities are hungry for this type of opportunity to provide unique Indiana-based programming that uses the power of the written word to unite their communities,” said Jacob Speer, state librarian and director of the Indiana State Library. “We’re thrilled to be able to support these important conversations.”

The Next Indiana Bookshelf is made possible by a grant from the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services, administered by the Indiana State Library.