Author name: Eden Ransdell

Author Janna Matthies visits Lanesville Elementary School

Notices / /

In January 2026, Harrison County Public Library challenged the community to read 10,000 books together to raise funds for Harrison County Community Service.  Eight schools participated in the challenge, with 2,385 students reading over 15,000 books.  Lanesville Elementary was the top school this year, with full student participation and more than 3,000 books submitted.  As a reward, Indiana author Janna Matthies visited the school and presented to pre-K through third grade.  Ms. Matthies, who also teaches music at an Indianapolis elementary school, told students about her journey to becoming an author and gave interactive, musical presentations of her books Here We Come, My Towering Tree, and Baby, Let’s Go to the Orchestra.  The visit was funded by HCPL and a grant from Indiana Humanities’ Indiana Author Awards Speaker Program.

2026 was the sixth annual Read to Feed Harrison County Winter Challenge.  This year’s fundraiser was sponsored by Duke Energy, Lucas Oil, Caesars Southern Indiana, Eckart Supply, and Harrison REMC.

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Indiana State Park Passes Now Available at HCPL

Reading Program / /

Planning a trip to one of Indiana’s thirty-two state parks and reservoirs?  Harrison County Public Library now circulates 2026 Indiana State Park Passes as part of its Adventure Packs program.  Two backpacks with passes are available, each containing binoculars, a field guide to the Nature of the Midwest, a magnifying glass, and an Indiana State Park Pass, good for regular admission to any state park property until December 31, 2026.  Four additional backpacks are available without the Park Pass.

Library patrons age 18+ may check out an Adventure Pack at the Youth Services Desk of the Corydon Branch.  The backpacks are limited to one per household, for a one-week checkout with no renewals.  Indiana State Park Passes cannot be checked out separately from the backpack.

HCPL’s Library of Things began in 2022 with LovEvery toy kits, and has since expanded to include American Girl dolls, cake pans, board games, puzzles, microscopes, portable CD players, and more.  To see all that is available, view a Library of Things binder at any library branch.  For questions, please contact the Youth Services Desk at 812-738-4110.

 

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The Results Are In! Read to Feed Harrison County 2026

Reading Program / /

Harrison County Public Library is proud to announce the final results of the 2026 Read to Feed Harrison County Winter Challenge.  A total of 2,801 participants submitted their reading throughout the month of January, including 2,385 students across 7 schools–more than double our 2025 participation numbers.  With 17,984 books read, we have met and surpassed our community goal of 10,000 books! The top school this year was Lanesville Elementary, with over 3,000 books submitted.

 

Thanks to our hard-working readers, Harrison County Community Services will receive $1,000 from Duke Energy, $1,000 from Lucas Oil, $500 from Caesars Southern Indiana, $250 from Eckart Supply, and $200 from Harrison REMC.  These donations will help provide food and clothing to our neighbors in need.  Thank you so much to all of our readers and sponsors for helping Read to Feed Harrison County!

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Read to Feed Harrison County 2026

Reading Program / /

Get cozy this January while you Read to Feed Harrison County!  The winter reading challenge is open to all ages, January 1 – 31.  The goal is to read 10,000 books as a community. If the goal is reached, Harrison County Community Services will receive $1,000 from Duke Energy, $1,000 from Lucas Oil, $500 from Caesars Southern Indiana, $250 from Eckart Supply, and $200 from REMC. Canned food will be collected at all library branches.

During the Winter Reading Challenge, everything counts! Books, eBooks, audiobooks, and magazines can be used from any source, both library and personal. Check out free books and audiobooks from Overdrive or the Libby app, and enjoy digital materials without wait times on Hoopla. Track your reading with Beanstack to earn badges and explore activities inspired by this year’s theme, Read with Benny! You are challenged to read at least 10 books in the month of January to unlock the badges.

If you have participated in a reading challenge with us before, you already have a Beanstack account. The library will assist you if you have any difficulties logging on. If you do not want a Beanstack account, the library will be happy to log your reading for you. Just stop in at any library branch to pick up a Winter Read bookmark. HELP READ TO FEED HARRISON COUNTY!

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Second Lady’s 2025 Summer Reading Challenge

Notices / /

The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) has just announced the Second Lady’s 2025 Summer Reading Challenge!  Kids in grades K-8 can submit the books they have already read for HCPL’s Summer Reading Challenge to receive a personalized certificate, a small prize, and a chance to win a trip to Washington, D.C.

To enter the challenge:

  1. Download the Summer Reading Challenge Tracker
  2. Log 12 books
  3. E-mail your completed tracker to read@mail.whitehouse.gov by September 5, 2025

Embark on wild adventures, get lost in imagination, and open new worlds of learning and discovery when you accept the Second Lady’s 2025 Summer Reading Challenge!

The challenge is open to children in grades K – 8, from now until September 5th. To participate, download the Summer Reading Challenge Tracker and read 12 books of your choice. Completed trackers should be submitted to read@mail.whitehouse.gov by Friday, Sept. 5 to receive a personalized certificate, a small prize, and entrance into a raffle to visit the Nation’s Capital.

The Institute of Museum and Library Services is proud to support Second Lady Usha Vance’s nationwide Summer Reading Challenge. The challenge encourages kindergarten through eighth-grade students to continue their intellectual and personal development. As the nation’s leading supporter of museums and libraries, IMLS recognizes the critical role that public libraries play in ensuring that students have year-round access to books.

For more information, visit https://www.whitehouse.gov/read/

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Read to Feed Harrison County 2025

Reading Program / /

Are you ready to become a Reading Machine?  Wednesday, January 1 is the first day of the 2025 Read to Feed Harrison County Winter Challenge! The challenge is open to all ages, January 1 – 31.  The goal is to read 10,000 books as a community. If the goal is reached, Harrison County Community Services will receive $1,000 from Duke Energy, $1,000 from Lucas Oil, $500 from Caesars Southern Indiana, $250 from Eckart Supply, and $200 from REMC. Canned food will be collected at all library branches.

During the Winter Reading Challenge, everything counts! Books, eBooks, audiobooks, and magazines can be used from any source, both library and personal. Check out free books and audiobooks from Overdrive or the Libby app, and enjoy digital materials without wait times on Hoopla. Track your reading with Beanstack to earn badges and explore activities inspired by this year’s theme, Reading Machine! You are challenged to read at least 10 books in the month of January to unlock the badges.

If you have participated in a reading challenge with us before, you already have a Beanstack account. The library will assist you if you have any difficulties logging on. If you do not want a Beanstack account, the library will be happy to log your reading for you. Just stop in at any library branch to pick up a Winter Read bookmark. HELP READ TO FEED HARRISON COUNTY!

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Pete the Cat Visits Corydon Elementary School

Reading Program, Youth Activities / /

Library mascot Pete the Cat visited Corydon Elementary School on Tuesday as a reward for CES being the top school in this year’s Read to Feed Harrison County Winter Challenge.  Eden Ransdell, Youth Services Manager, read and sang Pete the Cat: Rocking in My School Shoes, while Pete acted out the story and showed off his dance moves.  Corydon Elementary students read 6,194 books in the month of January 2024, helping to raise $2,700 for Harrison County Community Services.  Way to go, CES!

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Total Solar Eclipse Programming at HCPL

Adult Activities, Classes, Crafts, Online resources, Teen Activities, Youth Activities / /
Are you ready for the Total Solar Eclipse?  Come to one of HCPL’s eclipse events to learn everything you need to know for April 8, 2024.  Attendees at each event will receive 1 free pair of solar glasses, as supplies last.
 
Programs for Kids:
Nature Club (ages 4+) – 4 pm Wed., Feb. 28 at Corydon – Learn about the science of eclipses and make a solar viewer to take home.  Please bring 1 cereal box per child (the library has some extra if you do not have one available.)
Eclipse Crafts (all ages) – 2-4 pm Mon., Mar. 25 at Corydon and 1-7 pm Thurs., Mar. 28 at Elizabeth – Make a variety of eclipse-themed crafts and viewing tools.  Please bring 1 cereal box per child if you would like to make a solar viewer.
Pinwheel Festival (all ages) – 11 am-2 pm Sat., Apr. 6 at Bicentennial Park – Stop by the library’s booth to get your face painted and pick up information about the eclipse.
 
Presentations for Adults and Families: Learn how to safely and successfully view April’s total solar eclipse.
Corydon Presbyterian Church – 6 pm Thurs., Feb. 29
Palmyra United Methodist Church – 6 pm Thurs., Mar. 14
Harrison County Community Foundation – 6 pm Tues., Mar. 19
 
Can’t make it to one of HCPL’s events?  Here are some resources to help teachers and families prepare on their own:
 
Totality, Minute by Minute – HCPL has prepared this handout to remind you which phenomena to look for at each stage of the eclipse.
 
Cereal Box Viewer instructions – This viewing method is safer for children than solar glasses, as they will be observing the eclipse with their backs to the Sun, so there is less chance for injury.  Highly recommended project for school groups.
 
NASA Punch Pinhole Projector – This site has in-depth explanations of how pinhole projection works and how to apply it to the eclipse.
 
Safe Solar Viewer (SSV) instructions – An SSV is an excellent way for a group to safely view and photograph the eclipse at the same time, and even see sunspots.  This project can be built for as little as $5 and would work well for school viewing parties.
 
Path of Totality Map – The Sun’s corona, 360° sunset, and other exciting phenomena will only be visible on the path of totality.  Most of Harrison County is only at 99% – and even 1% of the Sun’s disc is enough to drown out the corona.  You MUST be at 100% to view the corona.  This map shows the timestamps and percent eclipsed for any location.
 
NASA Exploratorium – If you cannot make it to the path of totality, NASA will be livestreaming the event here.
 
Useful Apps:
 
Solar Eclipse Timer by Foxwood Astronomy (free for practice mode, $2 to unlock each eclipse) – This app will time the eclipse for you and give audio prompts to remind you what phenomena to look for at each moment.  It will even calculate the best times to take photographs.
 
Totality by Big Kid Science (free) – Click anywhere on the map to see how long totality will last for that location, and what time each phase will occur.
 
Stellarium Mobile (free, with optional in-app purchases) – This astronomy app helps you identify stars and other celestial objects. You can set it to the day and time of the eclipse to simulate what you will see. On eclipse day, it can help you identify the stars and planets that appear during totality.

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Read to Feed Harrison County 2024

Reading Program / /

This New Year, make a resolution to give back to the community.  Monday, January 1 is the first day of #WinterRead2024 – READ TO FEED HARRISON COUNTY! The challenge is open to all ages, January 1 – 31.  The goal is to read 10,000 books as a community. If the goal is reached, Harrison County Community Services will receive $1,000 from Duke Energy, $1,000 from Lucas Oil, $250 from Eckart Supply, and $200 from REMC. Canned food will be collected at all library branches.

During the Winter Reading Challenge, everything counts! Books, eBooks, audiobooks, and magazines can be used from any source, both library and personal. Check out free books and audiobooks from Overdrive or the Libby app, and enjoy digital materials without wait times on Hoopla. Track your reading with Beanstack to earn badges and explore activities inspired by the book Where We Come From by Diane Wilson. You are challenged to read at least 10 books in the month of January to unlock the badges.

If you have participated in a reading challenge with us before, you already have a Beanstack account. The library will assist you if you have any difficulties logging on. If you do not want a Beanstack account, the library will be happy to log your reading for you. Just stop in at any library branch to pick up a Winter Read bookmark. HELP READ TO FEED HARRISON COUNTY!

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Teen Volunteers conduct Water Quality Testing, September 2023.

Teen Volunteers Conduct Water Quality Testing

Teen Activities, Youth Activities / /

Eleven Teen Volunteers visited Indian Creek last Tuesday to test water quality for the Hoosier Riverwatch program.  The teens used a dip net and kick seine to collect macroinvertebrates (insect larvae and other tiny aquatic animals) that cling to rocks and plants in the creek’s riffles.  The species found included damselfly nymphs, stoneflies, riffle beetles, and water pennies, all of which can only survive in clean water.  Despite murky conditions caused by a recent drought, this diversity of insects scored a Pollution Tolerance Index of 25, which is considered Excellent Water Quality.

The teens also conducted a range of chemical tests.  Here are the results:

Dissolved Oxygen: The amount of oxygen available in the water for fish and other animals to breathe.  DO is reduced by excessive algae growth, which is in turn caused by fertilizer pollution.  Indian Creek scored 11.5 mg/liter.  The state average is only 9.6 mg/liter (higher=better).

5-Day Biochemical Oxygen Demand: The amount of oxygen used up by algae and bacteria over five days.  Indian Creek scored 4.5 mg/liter due to excessive algae.  The Indiana average is 2 mg/liter (lower=better).

pH: The acidity of the water.  Indian Creek scored excellent at 7.25 pH (the state standard is 6-9).

Orthophosphates: A type of fertilizer pollution.  The teens found no trace of orthophosphates in the water.

Nitrate: Another fertilizer pollutant.  Indian Creek scored 2.2 mg/liter.  The Indiana average is over 12 (lower=better).

Turbidity: The murkiness of the water.  Indian Creek scored 17 NTUs.  The state average is 15 (lower=better), but the EPA recommends a limit of 10.4.  Indian Creek is usually much clearer than this.

Although the drought caused poorer conditions than are typical, Indian Creek still earned a Water Quality Index of 80/100,  a rating of Good.  These results have been submitted to Hoosier Riverwatch, where the data will be freely available to scientists and the public.  Thanks to our Teen Volunteers for helping protect Indiana’s precious waterways!

Teen Volunteers meet most Tuesdays at 5 p.m. at the Corydon Branch.  Call the library at 812-738-4110 for more information or to learn how you can participate.

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