Jessica Stroud

HCPL adds Harrison County Election Documents to Digital Archives

Notices / Jessica Stroud / July 8, 2021

The Harrison County Public Library has recently added Harrison County Election Documents, 1833-1864 to its online digital archives. This collection of important historic documents consists of more than 1,700 images of original nineteenth century election records. Full transcriptions of the documents accompany the digital images and are easily searchable.

These documents are official, handwritten, election records from each township in Harrison County. Elections include local, state, and national ballots and range from voting for township constables and justices of the peace to county sheriffs and coroners, to state officers and legislators, governors, congressmen, and senators, as well as presidents and vice-presidents. Typically, there are three types of documents per township for each election. These are: 1) a list of voters, which is a numbered list of the names of those who voted in the election; 2) a tally sheet that contains tally marks next to the names of each candidates; and 3) an official returns statement that lists confirmed results. For several larger elections there is also a “canvas sheet” that provides totals from across the county. Beginning with the 1856 set of records, printed forms and poll books were used to record the information. However, the information recorded on the forms continued to be written by hand.

Polling sites were located in principal communities within each township such as Bradford, Buena Vista, Corydon, Elizabeth, Laconia, Lanesville, Mauckport, New Amsterdam, New Salisbury, and Springdale. In less populated areas, such as Blue River, Scott, and Spencer Townships, early elections took place at an individual’s home, and later at schoolhouse or other community building.

These unique and valuable resources will be of interest to researchers, genealogists, and the public as both important primary sources of Indiana’s early history and significant genealogical records that document residency in Harrison County.

This digitization project was made possible by a Library Services Technology Act (LSTA) digitization grant through the Indiana State Library and the Institute for Museum and Library Services (IMLS).

Click an image to view

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Raising a Ruckus: coming to a device near you

Adult Program, Notices, Virtual program / Jessica Stroud / April 13, 2021

On August 26, 1920, Hoosier women won the right to vote.

At first glance, the meaning behind that statement is simple enough, but the real story goes much deeper. In Indiana, almost seventy years passed between the first calls for women’s voting rights and the passage of the 19th Amendment. Though momentous, 1920 is just one milestone in a long and ongoing journey, and access to the voting booth is just one part of what it means to be an equal part of the democratic process.

Explore this chronological history of women’s suffrage in Indiana on April 20, 2021, at 12:30 pm virtually from your favorite device with access to Facebook! Join in on HCPL’s Facebook page to view the live virtual presentation “From Amanda to Zerelda: Hoosier Suffragists Who Raised a Ruckus” by Marsha Miller, a member of the Indiana Women’s Suffrage Centennial’s Speaker’s Bureau.

Dressed in historical costume and carrying a suffragist song (or two), special guest speaker Marsha Miller introduces Hoosier women who helped shape the movement, including:

Amanda Way, “mother of Indiana suffrage”
Helen Gougar, a feisty publisher and lawyer based in Lafayette
Zerelda Wallace, one of the founders of Indiana’s Equal Suffrage Society
Women who moved into the national suffragist sphere including May Wright Sewall (educator and civic organizer) and Ida Husted Harper (journalist and close friend and biographer of Susan B. Anthony).

Marsha Miller has taught more than 4,800 information literacy sessions at Indiana State University from 1985-present and coordinates library social media. Her degrees are from Central Michigan University (History) and the University of Michigan (Library Science). Since 2012, as a member of the League of Women Voters of Vigo County, she has served on the steering committee for the annual celebration of Women’s Equality Day. She has created biographical badges of suffragists and collected the songs that they sang when they gathered and marched. She currently serves as the Indiana president of the American Association of University Women, which was founded in 1881. She plays the clarinet and is known as the “Purple Librarian.”

This virtual program was made possible through a grant from the Indiana Women’s Suffrage Centennial, Lilly Endowment, Inc., and Hillenbrand, Inc.

If you cannot make the live event or do not have a Facebook account, it will be recorded and made available on HCPL’s Program Videos page for future viewing. Click here to view and share the Facebook event.

For more information, call the the Frederick Porter Griffin Center (FPGC) for Local History and Genealogy at 812-738-5412.

Click image to see the Story of Women's Suffrage in Indiana. — Click image to see the Story of Women’s Suffrage in Indiana.

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The Art of Taking It Easy: the next Big Library Read encourages you to relax

eBooks and audio books, Reading Program / Jessica Stroud / April 5, 2021

Big Library Read begins today! Visit HCPL’s digital collection or download the Libby app to borrow the featured title The Art of Taking It Easy by Dr. Brian King with no waitlists or holds.

If you share your thoughts on social media using #biglibraryread, you will be entered for a chance to win a tablet and a book signed by the author

The Art of Taking It Easy

From a psychologist and stand-up comedian comes a practical, yet laugh-out-loud guide to embracing humor to reduce stress and live a happier, fuller life.

Dr. Brian King got a degree in psychology before becoming a world-touring comic and the host of humor therapy seminars attended by more than ten thousand people each year. In this brilliant guide he presents hands-on techniques for managing stress by rewiring our brains to approach potentially difficult situations through a lens of positivity. To do so, Dr. King explores what stress is, where it comes from, and what it does to our bodies and brains. He delves deep into how to address everyday stress—as well as anxiety, insecurities, repression, and negativity—and gives insight into resulting ailments such as anxiety disorders, depression, hypertension, obesity, substance abuse disorders, and more. Dr. King’s techniques are chemical and cost free, and embrace humor, resilience, relaxation, optimism, gratitude, and acceptance. Instead of a dry medical approach to dealing with stress, this unique volume is filled with life-changing tips and instructions presented with humor and a wealth of memorable, smile-inducing anecdotes.

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IUS to hold virtual International Festival

exhibit, Notices, Virtual program / Jessica Stroud / March 29, 2021

Practioners of Bharatanatyam, a sacred dance of India, from the Guru Vandana Arts Academy. Photo courtesy of Akila Iler.

On April 5, the Study Abroad and Global Awareness (SAGA) Committee will hold the annual virtual International Festival to celebrate cultural diversity. This festival will feature a wide variety of entertainment and cuisine. Christopher Lee Proctor II, the representative of Indiana University Southeasts’s SAGA committee says that “we are excited to welcome international performances from cultures spanning the globe. Examples include, inter alia: Andalusia, Cuba, India, Ireland, West Africa, and Zimbabwe.”

The calendar and registration are available here. Join and explore the world virtually!

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Her Story: reads for Women’s History Month and beyond

Notices / Jessica Stroud / March 24, 2021

Women’s History Month was borne from a week-long celebration of women’s contributions to culture, history and society organized by the school district of Sonoma, California, in 1978.

A few years later, the idea had caught on across the country. In 1980, President Jimmy Carter issued the first presidential proclamation declaring the week of March 8 as National Women’s History Week. The U.S. Congress followed suit the next year, passing a resolution establishing a national celebration. In 1986, the National Women’s History Project successfully petitioned Congress to expand the event to the entire month of March. More information about the history behind Women’s History Month is available at History.com.

Following are select titles to commemorate Women’s History. Click here to browse OverDrive for all Women’s History titles.

eBooks and Audiobooks | available from OverDrive and the Libby app

800 Years of Women's Letters — 800 Years of Women’s Letters

Being Heumann: An Unrepentant Memoir of a Disability Rights Activist

For Her Own Good: Two Centuries of the Experts Advice to Women

The Book of Gutsy Women: Favorite Stories of Courage and Resilience

Liar, Temptress, Soldier, Spy: Four Women Undercover in the Civil War

10 Women Who Changed Science and the World

Conversations with RBG: Ruth Bader Ginsburg on Life, Love, Liberty, and Law

The Feminist Revolution: A Story of the Three Most Inspiring and Empowering Women in American History: Susan B. Anthony, Margaret Sanger, and Betty Friedan — The Feminist Revolution: A Story of the Three Most Inspiring and Empowering

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Bring the Internet home from HCPL

New services, Notices / Jessica Stroud / March 2, 2021

Mobile hotspots are now available to check out from your local HCPL branch!

The library offers twenty Alcatel Link Zone 2 hotspots that are connected to the Sprint/T-Mobile network and twenty Kajeet SmartSpots. Of the Kajeet SmartSpots, ten are connected to the Verizon network and ten are connected to the AT&T network. Kajeet SmartSpots are best suited for students, as they are filtered for content and are unavailable to use from 1:00 a.m. to 6:00 a.m.

Click below to place a hold on a hotspot from the Enterprise catalog:
Kajeet SmartSpots (AT&T or Verizon)

Alcatel Link Zone 2 (Sprint/T-Mobile)

You may also call your local HCPL branch to request that staff place a hold for you.

Hotspot Policy

Borrowers of the Harrison County Public Library Hotspots must hold a current residential or paid Harrison County Library card, be 18 years of age or older and have an account in good standing. Any fees present on an account must be paid and any overdue materials must be returned before a Hotspot can be checked out. Hotspots are available 1 per household only!
When checking out a Hotspot, the patron must sign a form assuming complete responsibility for any damage to and/or loss of the equipment or software configurations. Cost for replacement of Hotspot is between $95 and $129.88 (depending on device) with any damages being capped at replacement cost.
Patrons must return the Hotspot by the time specified. Hotspots overdue for more than 14 days will be declared lost and full replacement costs will be charged to the patron’s account.
Hotspots may be checked out for a two-week period. Hotspots cannot be renewed.
Hotspots must be physically returned to a library employee. Hotspots may NOT be returned to the Book or Media Drops; any damage caused by returning the Hotspot via Book or Media Drop will be charged to the borrowing patron. Failure to return the Hotspot to a library employee will result in a six-month suspension in Hotspot privileges.
Hotspots must be able to be turned on to check for functionality before being removed from the patron account.
If a Hotspot becomes overdue, it will be deactivated until it is returned.

The Alcatel Link Zone 2 hotspots were largely funded by an Indiana Library Services and Technology (LSTA) Grant. The Kajeet SmartSpots were funded largely by the Marilyn M. Rhodes Community Foundation Endowment Fund.

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eBooks and audio books for Black History month and beyond

eBooks and audio books / Jessica Stroud / February 23, 2021

February is Black History Month–truly, 28 days of the year are not enough to properly recognize and appreciate the authors and books that tell the stories of Black Americans. Following are eBooks and audio books available from HCPL’s OverDrive/Libby collection that reveal, inform and celebrate Black Americans.

Browse all available titles

Biographies/Autobiographies

Juvenile Nonfiction

Juvenile Fiction

Harrison County Public Library also offers the Advancing Racial Equity Collection, which was funded by the Indiana Humanities Advancing Racial Equity Collection Development Grant. Click here to read more about the collection and to access these titles.

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Together We Read: Love Lettering

eBooks and audio books / Jessica Stroud / February 12, 2021

HCPL joins nearly 16,000 public libraries and tens of thousands of readers across the United States in offering the latest Together We Read: US digital book club selection. From February 10 to 24, HCPL patrons can enjoy author Kate Clayborn’s witty romance ebook and audiobook, Love Lettering, for free with no waitlists or holds. Readers can access the digital book by downloading the Libby app or visiting HCPL’s OverDrive collection, and then participate in an online discussion.

The Together We Read: US digital book club connects readers through U.S. public libraries with the same ebook for two weeks and only requires a Harrison County Public Library card to get started. This free program is facilitated by OverDrive.

In Love Lettering, Meg Mackworth’s hand-lettering skill has made her famous by designing custom journals for her New York City clientele. She has another skill too: reading signs that other people miss. Knowing the upcoming marriage of Reid Sutherland and his polished fiancée was doomed to fail is one thing but weaving a secret word of warning into their wedding program is another. A year later, Reid has tracked Meg down to find out how she knew that his meticulously planned future was about to implode. As they gradually open up to each other, both try to ignore a deepening connection between them. But the signs are there—irresistible, indisputable, urging Meg to heed the messages Reid is sending her, before it’s too late.

Love Lettering is published by Kensington Books. The ebook and audiobook can be read on all major computers and devices, including iPhone®, iPad®, Android™ phones and tablets and Chromebook™ without waitlists or holds. Through Libby, readers can also “send to Kindle®”. The title will automatically expire at the end of the lending period, and there are no late fees.

More information about Together We Read: US can be found here.

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Have fun at home with Crafts to Go

Adult Program, Crafts, Youth Activities / Jessica Stroud / February 8, 2021

Did you know that HCPL offers fun and creative Crafts to Go for both adults and youth? Many of the crafts are accompanied by a video recorded by HCPL staff who guide you through the steps to make your craft.

To see all available Crafts to Go, please visit the library Adult and Youth calendars. The library also posts new crafts to the HCPL Facebook page.

To register for a take-home craft, please call your local library branch.

Some HCPL patrons snapped photos while working on their crafts: