Collection Partners

Allison Transmission is the world’s largest manufacturer of fully automatic transmissions for medium- and heavy-duty commercial vehicles and a leader in hybrid-propulsion systems for city buses. Allison transmissions are used in a variety of applications including refuse, construction, fire, distribution, bus, motorhomes, defense and energy. Founded in 1915 by James A. Allison, the company is headquartered in Indianapolis with additional manufacturing facilities in Hungary and India.

Arsenal Technical High School is a public high school in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States which is run by the Indianapolis Public Schools school system. Established in 1912, the school consists of a 76-acre (31 ha), multiple building campus east of downtown Indianapolis and is the only such type school in Indiana. The school was originally a U.S. Civil War Arsenal, which was closed after the Spanish-American War.

Dr. Ray C. Friesner, Professor and Chair of the Botany Department, 1920-1952. Many students and other Butler faculty have contributed plants through the years.  The specimens, with their carefully documented labels, comprise a reference library on historical distribution, habitats, and timing of flower and fruit production.

The mission of the Calumet Regional Archives shall be to collect, preserve, and make available records from organizations and individuals to document the history of Indiana's Calumet Region (Lake and Porter Counties) for use by students, scholars, and the general public.

The Carmel Clay Historical Society (CCHS) was formed in 1975 by a group of local residents as part of the nation’s Bicentennial celebration and dedicated the study of Carmel and Clay Township’s history. That same year the City of Carmel gave the historic 1883 Monon Railroad Depot to the society, which it maintains today as a museum of local history.

The Center for Earth and Environmental Science is a research center that works to make dramatic contributions to environmental science within the State of Indiana, the Midwest, and beyond. In 1996 IUPUI began a collaboration with the Center for Earth and Environmental Science (CEES) and the IUPUI Department of Geology to produce and convert spatially-referenced data sets and maintain an archive of GIS data. This cooperative agreement between CEES and the IUPUI University Library increases the availability of a wide variety of spatial information and provides exciting opportunities in the use of GIS for students and the local community. A grant from the Library Fund of the Indianapolis Foundation provided the ability to create the Electronic Atlas of Central Indiana.

The Columbus Indiana Architectural Archives was created to collect, conserve, preserve, and promote the use of records that document the architecture, engineering, and arts associated with the built environment of Columbus, Indiana and Bartholomew County.  The archives’ collection includes materials on both Historical and Modernist projects, including many of the 60 plus designs by world famous architects of the last half century that are located in Bartholomew County. 

The digital collection presented here showcases the planning and execution of 5 Bartholomew County building projects: Columbus Regional Hospital, Central Middle School, Mill Race Park, BCSC Administration Building, and Columbus Learning Center.  The story of how these projects progressed from initial sketches through construction is told in these digitized sketches, photographs, blueprints and various planning and construction documents.

Located in Fishers, Indiana, Conner Prairie is one of the premier Interactive History Parks in the nation. Long an acknowledges leader in the living history field, Conner Prairie specializes in providing unique, engaging educational experiences that fuel the curiosity and imagination of its guests. Conner Prairie is the only Indiana institution to be named a Smithsonian Affiliate site. IUPUI University Library and Conner Prairie are collaborating on three projects highlighting the craft traditions preserved at Conner Prairie.

Crispus Attucks was Indianapolis' first segregated high school built for African-Americans in 1927. It was named after Crispus Attucks, a black man who was the first American to die in the Boston Massacre in 1770, a precursor to the American Revolutionary War. In 1986, the school converted from a high school to junior high school. This digital collection captures the history of the high school through its yearbooks (1928-1986), newspapers, and graduation programs.

The Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western art was founded by Indianapolis businessman and philanthropist Harrison Eiteljorg. Its mission—to inspire an appreciation and understanding of the art, history and cultures of the American West and the indigenous peoples of North America. The museum executes this charge in exciting and often surprising ways.

EMHS is the premier environment for learning in Indianapolis. Students, staff, and the community are offered a sense of purpose, tradition, pride, and achievement through life-long learning, character development, and culture of excellence. EMHS promises to serve all students to the highest level of their potential on their way to college and career readiness.

The Hamilton County Historical Society was founded in 1963 as a not for profit educational institution created to collect, preserve and interpret the history of Hamilton County, Indiana. The Society has endeavored to promote historical awareness in the communities within one of the fastest growing counties in the United States, through tours of the museum, brochures, their newsletter and personal recollections recorded by the members of the society. The society runs the Hamilton County Museum of History on Courthouse Square in Noblesville. It is housed in the Old Sheriff’s Residence and Jail, which was built in 1875-1876 and served as the county jail until 1977. The Hamilton County Historical Society has restored the interior and developed the museum for the public to visit and enjoy.

Originally entitled Hamilton County in 1900: Through a Young Person's Lens, this collection includes the photographs of Earl Brooks (1883-1968), who acquired a camera as a young man and took pictures between approximately 1897 and 1904 of friends, teachers, the countryside and events in central Indiana, California, Kentucky and Ohio. Photographs of the Hamilton County Township Schools taken between 1892 and 1909 are also included.

The Hamilton East Public Library currently serves the four southeastern townships of Hamilton County, Indiana with buildings in Noblesville and Fishers. The first library in Noblesville was supported by the Working Men's Association and opened in 1856, and the first township library was opened in 1883. In 1913, a Carnegie Library opened with about 4,000 books. The current Noblesville Library was built in 1986 and the Fishers Library in 1993 with major renovations to both concluded in 2005. In 2008, over 2 million items were circulated. The Indiana Room is located on the second floor of the Noblesville Library and houses a special collection dedicated to preserving and providing local and state history, genealogy and family history.

The Indiana Academy of Science is a professional membership organization of Indiana scientists.  Founded in 1885, it is a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting scientific research and diffusing scientific information; to encouraging communication and cooperation among scientists and to improving education in the sciences.

The Indiana Historical Bureau evolved from the Indiana Historical Commission, which was established in 1915. This organization offers publications and programs relevant to the history of Indiana and provides ample opportunities to educate the public about Indiana's relations with the rest of the nation and the world. The Indiana Supreme Court has collaborated with the Indiana Historical Bureau on the Road to Indiana Statehood project. Together, with University Library, these organizations have worked to make original materials relating to Indiana's constitutional history available online.

Since 1830, the Indiana Historical Society has been Indiana's Storyteller ™, connecting people to the past by collecting, preserving, interpreting and disseminating the state's history. A private, nonprofit membership organization, IHS maintains the nation's premier research library and archives on the history of Indiana and the Old Northwest. IHS also provides support and assistance to local museums and historical groups, publishes books and periodicals; sponsors teacher workshops; and provides youth, adult and family programming.

Indiana Landmarks works to rescue and restore unique and significant architectural structures, including national landmarks, historic houses, barns, and bridges in Indiana. This organization strives to revitalize buildings and enrich lives through preserving Indiana's historic landmarks. University Library has collaborated with Indiana Landmarks to inform the general public about Indiana's historic structures and to provide online access to some of this organization's valuable materials.

The Indiana Library Federation is one of the largest library associations in the United States and holds the largest state library convention in the country. The mission of ILF is to foster the professional growth of its members and to promote all types of libraries in Indiana.

The Indiana Medical History Museum is located in the "Old Pathology Building", found on the grounds of the former Central State Hospital in Indianapolis. This is a registered historic place, where a collection of scientific artifacts from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries are presented in a completely authentic setting. The museum represents the beginning of scientific psychiatry and modern medicine in Indiana. University Library collaborated with this cultural institution to make Dr. William Niles Wishard's Scrapbook available in digital format.

The Indiana School for the Deaf (ISD) is a fully accredited school for Deaf and hard-of-hearing students in nursery school through high school. It provides services to approximately 342 students enrolled on campus and over 829 students through outreach services. About 60 percent of the students live on campus during the academic year. ISD offers a full range of social activities, including sports, clubs, and organizations.

The Indiana State Archives is the official repository of Indiana government records of permanent historical and legal significance. It principally contains records generated by state government and state agencies, but also holds many county and local government records. Records of the executive, legislative and judicial branches begin in the 1790s and include papers of every governor; bills, acts and reports of the General Assembly; and proceedings of both the supreme and appellate courts. The lives of Indiana citizens are recorded in the many ways they intersect with government including military service, naturalization procedures, the state land office and state institutions. IUPUI University Library has collaborated with the Indiana State Archives to digitize the telegraph correspondence of Governor Oliver P. Morton, governor during the American Civil War (1861-1865).

The Indiana State Library, which serves as the meeting grounds for the statewide digital library project in Indiana, has within its vast holdings strong collections of materials relating to both Indiana history and culture. Its vision involves providing access to information and services for Indiana's government, libraries, and residents. Through the Library Fund of the Indianapolis Foundation, a grant has provided IUPUI University Library the ability to collaborate with the Indiana State Library and the Indianapolis-Marion County Public Library to digitize a collection of historically significant materials that currently have been taken out of circulation.

The Indiana Historical Bureau evolved from the Indiana Historical Commission, which was established in 1915. This organization offers publications and programs relevant to the history of Indiana and provides ample opportunities to educate the public about Indiana's relations with the rest of the nation and the world. The Indiana Supreme Court has collaborated with the Indiana Historical Bureau on the Road to Indiana Statehood project. Together, with University Library, these organizations have worked to make original materials relating to Indiana's constitutional history available online.

The resources in this collection are historical maps of Indiana, its counties and cities, from the collections at Indiana University. Efforts were made to represent various areas of our state, but selection was based on G. K. Hall and Co.'s Checklist of Printed Maps of the Middle West to 1900 Volume 3 covering the state of Indiana. The Checklist was a cooperative project involving several institutions. Its purpose was to identify and catalog cartographic materials published prior to 1900. The collection attempts to not duplicate other digital projects, such as the Library of Congress's American Memory Project or the David Rumsey Map Collection projects. Additional maps will be added to the collection as we develop partnerships with libraries around the state.

The Columbus Indiana Architectural Archives (www.columbusarchives.org) was created to collect, conserve, preserve, and promote the use of records that document the architecture, engineering, and arts associated with the built environment of Columbus, Indiana and Bartholomew County. The archives’ collection includes materials on both Historical and Modernist projects, including many of the 60 plus designs by world famous architects of the last half century that are located in Bartholomew County. The CIAA is a partnership of the Visitors Center, the Bartholomew County Public Library, the Bartholomew County Historical Society, and Indiana University-Purdue University Columbus (IUPUC).

Opened in 1996, the Indianapolis Firefighters Museum’s mission is to celebrate the history of the Fire Service in central Indiana and the Fire Departments’ contributions to the community. Located on the north end of the Massachusetts Avenue corridor and originally built in 1872, the Museum resides in the remodeled Fire Station #2, the oldest remaining fire station building in the city.

The Indianapolis Motor Speedway is the world's largest spectator sporting facility. It plays host annually to three events in three major racing series: Indianapolis 500 Mile Race (IZOD IndyCar Series), Brickyard 400 (NASCAR Sprint Cup Series) and Red Bull Indianapolis GP (MotoGP World Championship). The Indianapolis 500 and Brickyard 400 take place on the 2.5-mile oval, while the Red Bull Indianapolis GP is contested on the 16-turn, 2.621-mile road course.

Founded in 1883, the Indianapolis Museum of Art is among the 10 largest and 10 oldest general art museums in the nation. With an encyclopedic collection of more than 54,000 works spanning 5,000 years, the IMA offers significant holdings of African, American, Asian, European and contemporary art, textiles and fashion art, as well as a growing collection of design arts.

The Indianapolis Public Library is comprised of 22 individual branches that offer materials, programs, and services in support of lifelong learning, recreational, and economic interests of all Marion County citizens. Their collections include some very interesting resources representing Indiana's history, including books, local newspapers, and dense city directories. Through the Library Fund of the Indianapolis Foundation, a grant has provided IUPUI University the ability to collaborate with the Indiana State Library and the Indianapolis Public Library to digitize a collection of historically significant materials that currently have been taken out of circulation.

What began as a two-page church bulletin by co-founders George Pheldon Stewart and William H. Porter, the Indianapolis Recorder is now one of the top African-American publications in the nation. Established in 1897, the Indianapolis Recorder focused on local people and events in Indianapolis but also reported national events.

As the nation's only late-Victorian preservation open to the public, the James Whitcomb Riley Museum Home in downtown Indianapolis is a window not only into another era, but also into the personal life of the famed "Hoosier Poet," James Whitcomb Riley. The home showcases many of Riley's personal belongings, including his top hat and cane, a portrait of his beloved dog, Lockerbie, and the desk where he wrote Little Orphant Annie and some of his most famous poems.

The Riley Museum Home is owned and operated by the Riley Children's Foundation. Visit www.RileyKids.org.

The Indiana Jewish Post & Opinion is a biweekly newspaper available by subscription.  Gabriel M. Cohen (1908-2007) began publishing a Kentucky edition of the newspaper in 1930 and founded the Indiana edition 5 years later.  The National Jewish Post & Opinion premiered in 1948.  Subscribers to the national edition come from all over the United States, Canada, and Israel, with a few international subscribers.

Marian University is a small academic institution in Indianapolis, Indiana. Though its status as University is still in its infancy, it has much history as a college when it was officially founded in 1937. The archives at Hackelmeier Memorial Library contain within its collection a wealth of information representing the growth of the institution, so it has been a priority of the library to find a way to both preserve and promote that content. One source of such content is a faculty-supervised, student run publication called The Phoenix (spanning the years 1937-1981).

The Park Tudor School Legacy Initiative, founded in 2001, connects talented high school students with families and war veterans across the United States in order to preserve documents and oral histories. The Initiative collects copies of unpublished wartime accounts, letters, diaries and photographs; conducts oral history interviews for the Library of Congress' Veterans History Project, and publishes volumes in its anthology series: Words of War: Wartime Memories. Since 2002, more than 480 oral-history interviews with veterans and civilians and corresponding transcripts have been completed.

The Rare Book & Manuscript Library (RBML) is Columbia’s principal repository for primary source collections.  The range of collections in RBML span more than 4,000 years and comprise rare printed works, cylinder seals, cuneiform tablets, papyri, and Coptic ostraca; medieval and renaissance manuscripts; as well as art and realia.  Some 500,000 printed books and 14 miles of manuscripts, personal papers, and records form the core of the RBML holdings.  One can find literary manuscripts from the 14^th century to the papers of authors Herman Wouk and Erica Jong.  Archives as varied as the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, Random House, NGOs such as Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International-USA, and the archives of Columbia University are available for research.  The history of printing, graphic arts, and the performing arts are strengths of RBML.

Greenfield is the birthplace and boyhood home of the famed "Hoosier Poet," James Whitcomb Riley. Before his death in 1916, Riley wrote over 1000 poems during his extraordinary literary career, including "Little Orphant Annie" and "When the Frost is on the Pumpkin."

The Riley Home, where James Whitcomb spent his boyhood years, was built in 1850 by his father, Reuben, and is located at 250 West Main Street. The City of Greenfield purchased this home in 1936 and the Riley Old Home Society was established.

Today, The Riley Home is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is open to visitors (April - November).

The IUPUI School of Liberal Arts strives to create and exchange knowledge that promotes understanding of the human experience. The school contributes to the social, cultural and economic development of the state by fostering life-long learning. IUPUI University Library has collaborated with the School of Liberal Arts to digitize older issues of the Saoirse Irish Freedom newspaper which were previously unavailable online.

The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis was founded in 1925 through the stewardship and inspiration of Mary Stewart Carey (1859–1938), a citizen of Indianapolis. With the help of several civic-minded women and contributions from children in nearby neighborhoods, the museum sprang to life. Over the course of 95 years, The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis has grown in size and stature to become the biggest and best children’s museum in the world.

The town of Irvington was annexed to Indianapolis in 1902 with the promise of a high school to serve the area. That school finally opened its doors in September of 1938 as Thomas Carr Howe High School, named for a former president of Butler University. The school's yearbook was named the Hilltopper for the original site of the school, a 10.9-acre tract known in the community of Irvington as Violet Hill.

Some notable alumni of Howe include Betty H. Wilson, President & CEO, The Health Foundation of Greater Indianapolis; Robert W. Schrier, Professor of Medicine, University of Colorado; Richard Gunderman, Professor of Radiology, Indiana University School of Medicine and Howard Caldwell, TV personality and former news anchor at WRTV.

The high school was closed in 1995, then reopened in 2002 as Thomas Carr Howe Academy, later becoming Thomas Carr Howe Community High School.