An extensive collection of eBooks is now available to all Indiana residents through INSPIRE, Indiana’s Virtual Library. As electronic full-text copies of published print materials, eBooks can be viewed from any home, business, school or library computer with Internet access in Indiana. The Indiana Shared eBook Collection contains over 2,500 titles from leading publishers of reference, scholarly and professional books. Indiana residents have exclusive rights to check out a broad range of eBooks on subjects including psychology, history, social and political science, fine arts, language, medicine and technology.

To access the Indiana Shared eBook Collection simply go to www.inspire.in.gov and click on the “NetLibrary” icon on the lower left-hand side of the screen. This will direct you to the Indiana’s eBook collection. From here, users can perform simple searches to locate eBooks based on their criteria. Also, eBook titles will appear on the results page following a standard INSPIRE search.

NetLibrary also enables users to create a personal NetLibrary account that allows them to create bookmarks, add personal notes, and customize their search preferences. A personal account also enables the user to go directly to their current eBook from any computer (within Indiana) with Internet access.

The Indiana Shared eBook Collection includes content from leading publishers such as McGraw-Hill, Oxford University Press, AMACOM, Taylor & Francis Routledge and university presses including Indiana University Press. The collection’s strengths include eBooks focused on popular topics and information of great use to Indiana residents. In particular, the collection offers professional development resources that offer insight into writing effective résumés, learning simple and advanced computer skills and career guidance and job effectiveness strategies. Additionally, the collection contains extensive medical and personal health holdings from topics on diet and weight loss to information of all aspects of physical and mental health.

NetLibrary has a detailed interactive online tutorial on how to utilize eBooks and tips to maximize the eBook reading experience. Indiana residents using any computer equipped with an Internet Protocol (IP) address located in Indiana and a Web browser, such as Firefox or Internet Explorer, may access INSPIRE and the Indiana Shared eBook Collection. Indiana residents with an Internet Service Provider (ISP) that serves areas outside Indiana (such as AOL, CompuServe and Prodigy) will need to apply for an INSPIRE password.

The Indiana Shared eBook Collection purchase was made possible through a partnership between the Indiana State Library and SOLINET. The eBook collection is paid for through Build Indiana Funds as appropriated by the Indiana General Assembly.

LSTA GRANTS AVAILABLE FOR DIGITIZATION PROJECTS

Each year the Indiana State Library receives federal funds from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) through its Grants to States program that support statewide initiatives to benefit Indiana libraries and communities.  Indiana Memory is one of the statewide initiatives supported through this program.  As a means of developing Indiana Memory, the Indiana State Library is continuing its LSTA Digitization Mini-grant program for 2009 by offering up to $150,000 in grants for digitization projects.

The LSTA Digitization mini-grants provide an opportunity for public, academic, and school libraries and their partnering organizations to digitize unique historical materials significant to people throughout Indiana and share it via Indiana Memory. In 2008, the Indiana State Library awarded nine LSTA Digitization Mini-grants.  Successful grantees included, among others:

• Eckhart Public Library, to digitize two unique collections, one the correspondence of Thomas R. Marshall and the other records of the Horse Thief Detective Agency, donated by a local author and collector, John Martin Smith.
• Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis will collaborate with Conner Prairie to digitize part of its historic clothing collection.

A complete list of 2008 LSTA Mini-grants is available online.

Grant guidelines and applications for the 2009 grant year are available on the LSTA Grant Webpage. The LSTA Digitization Mini-grant program requires that materials be digitized using recommended standards and all projects must be made available through the Indiana Memory web portal.   For more information about Indiana Memory and/or the Digitization Mini-grants, contact Connie Rendfeld, Digital Initiatives Librarian, crendfeld@library.in.gov, (317) 232-3694 or Amy Holliday, LSTA Consultant, aholliday@library.in.gov, (317) 234-6550.

About Indiana Memory
Indiana Memory is a digital library providing free access to Indiana’s unique cultural and historical heritage through a variety of digital formats.  It is a collaboration of Indiana libraries, museums, archives, and related cultural organizations, administered by the Indiana State Library. Indiana Memory is funded by the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act.

NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS OFFER GRANTS TO PUBLIC AND SCHOOL LIBRARIES

Promoting library service earns award of $5,000
The Library Leadership and Management Association is accepting applications for the 62nd John Cotton Dana Library Public Relations Award. The deadline to apply is Dec. 4, 2008. The award is open to all libraries and agencies that promote library service. This award honors outstanding library public relations programs that support a specific project, goal, or activity or a sustained, ongoing program (for example: a year-long centennial celebration, fundraising for a new library, promoting a summer reading program, or an innovative partnership in the community). The winners of the John Cotton Dana Library Public Relations Award will receive $5,000. If you have any questions, contact the H.W. Wilson Company at (800) 367-6770.

For more information, visit http://www.hwwilson.com/jcdawards/nw_jcd.htm.

New books to disadvantaged students in public schools
The NEA Foundation has teamed up with the National Education Association to offer the Books Across America Library Books Award. Eligibility is open to practicing preK-12 school librarians, teachers, or education support professionals in a U.S. public school. Note that at least 70 percent of the students in the applicant’s school must be eligible for the free or reduced-price lunch program. The Books Across America Library Books Award will provide grants of $1,000 to public schools that are working to provide economically disadvantaged students with new books in their school libraries. The NEA Foundation will provide 50 awards through this program. The deadline to apply is Nov. 20, 2008. If you have any questions, contact Anita Merina at the NEA Foundation at (202) 822-7289.

For more information, visit http://www.neafoundation.org/programs/BAAawards2008.htm.

HAVE REFERENCE QUESTIONS? CALL THE STATE LIBRARY’S REFERENCE HOTLINE AT 866-683-0008 OR SUBMIT QUESTIONS ONLINE THROUGH e-REFERENCE

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