INDIANAPOLIS – More than 16,000 photos, videos, and historical documents detailing the history of Indianapolis parks are now available to view on The Indianapolis Public Library’s Digital Indy website.
The Indy Parks and Recreation Digital Collection is the newest addition to the library’s Digital Indy archive, which includes collections of documents, images, videos and recordings that highlight local history. Digital Indy’s content may be printed or downloaded free for personal use, study or research.
The new Indy Parks Collection includes photographs of 86 parks and golf courses, videos of historic events – such as the U. S. Women’s Olympic Swimming Trials at Broad Ripple Park – and board meeting minutes ranging from 1908-2017. Community events, performances, and groundbreaking ceremonies make up the bulk of the collection, offering a unique visual record of Indianapolis’ past.
“The collection provides a clear and striking picture of the changing city landscape,” said Roberta Jaggers, president of The Indianapolis Public Library Foundation. “Parks and libraries are free public spaces and have always been great partners. We are happy to work with Indy Parks and the Andrew Seager Archive of the Built Environment to ensure more of our city’s history is available.”
The Indy Parks and Recreation collection is the final addition to a five-year project funded by a $1.8 million grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. to The Indianapolis Public Library Foundation.
At a press event on June 7, Mayor Hogsett and representatives from The Indianapolis Public Library, The Indianapolis Public Library Foundation, Ball State University and Indy Parks and Recreation gathered at Garfield Park to officially launch the collection.
Read the full press release here.
