For over a century, the Indiana Historical Bureau (IHB) has promoted the study of Indiana history and has both produced and provided resources to aid citizens in learning about the state and its people. IHB’s efforts began in 1915 when the Indiana General Assembly created the Indiana Historical Commission to publish historical materials and plan historical and educational celebrations for the centennial of statehood.
After the conclusion of the centennial celebrations, the commission continued its work with a major project to collect records from World War I. By 1921, the Historical Commission received appropriations for marking historical sites across the state as well as continue its publications work. In 1925, the legislature established the Indiana Historical Bureau from the Indiana Historical Commission.
IHB maintained an educational focus through its publications, historical markers, archaeological surveys, public programs, and school-oriented initiatives. In 1996, IHB adopted the following mission statement: “The Indiana Historical Bureau provides publications, programs, and other opportunities for Indiana citizens of all ages to learn and teach about the history of their communities, the state of Indiana, and their relationships to the nation and the world.”
In the new millennium, IHB began utilizing 21st -century historical methods to continue sharing Hoosier history. It shifted away from print publications and adopted digital media. The Bureau continues to operate the State Historical Marker Program in addition to new initiatives such as a blog, podcast, newspaper digitization program, and an oral history project on the Indiana General Assembly. It is a promoter of the History Relevance campaign and has worked to infuse the idea that history is relevant to modern life into every facet of its programming.
In July 2018, Indiana Historical Bureau formally merged with the to become one of three library divisions. After an internal reorganization in February 2019, the Rare Books and Manuscripts department and Digital Initiatives department of the state library joined with the Bureau’s public historians to comprise a new division with the same name to provide history for all Hoosiers.
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