Indiana State Library

To be one of the best state agencies. To be one of the best state libraries in the country. To be an innovator and a leader amongst libraries in Indiana and the U.S. To encourage excellence in our profession. To offer service that is second to none. To offer a diversity of information resources. To develop relationships with non-traditional partners and expand our reach. To serve as a facilitator amongst libraries for discussions of topics that affect all of us. To reach out to special populations. To support diversity. To be the keeper of the public record for the federal government.

We support the governor and the legislature in their strategic initiatives. We support all state agencies as they move Indiana forward.

The Indiana State Library is responsible for:

1. Developing and providing library services to state government, its branches, its departments and its officials and employees;
2. Providing for the individual citizens of the state those specialized library services not generally appropriate, economical or available in other libraries of the state;
3. Encouraging and supporting the development of the library profession; and
4. Strengthening services of all types of publicly and privately supported special, school, academic, and public libraries.

Through its history, the Indiana State Library has developed strong collections in the fields of Indiana history and culture, Indiana state government and United States government publications, Indiana newspapers, genealogy and family history resources on Indiana and the eastern United States, Braille, large print, and books on tape for the visually impaired, library science, and American history, politics, and economics. Its collections in these areas support research by state agency employees, scholars, genealogists, librarians, students, Indiana residents who are blind or physically challenged, and the general public. The Library Development Office works to improve and support the libraries of Indiana through assistance, training, and supervising the distribution of state and federal funds.