Encyclopedia of Indianapolis Content Update

Updated information is available in the Encyclopedia of Indianapolis, a free-access, web-based encyclopedia that tells the stories of the people, organizations, places, and events that define Indianapolis.

New entries include information on local churches, entrepreneurs, broadcasters, and basketball stars. African American firsts are highlighted such as the first Black woman to establish her own medical practice as well as information about La Voz de Indiana, a bilingual newspaper that serves the Hispanic and American markets in Central Indiana. The Indianapolis Timeline in the Encyclopedia has also been updated to include recent events, with the last entry dated June 2022.

A newly developed section of The Encyclopedia of Indianapolis titled “Guides” debuts its first entry, The Unigov Handbook, a publication produced by the League of Women Voters. This handbook is a guide to local government that provides history and information regarding city limits, departments, budgets, and more.

“When the digital Encyclopedia of Indianapolis launched in November 2021, we planned a regular six-month update cycle,” said Mike Williams, manager of special projects at The Indianapolis Public Library. “By keeping the Encyclopedia of Indianapolis up to date, we will ensure this resource will be valuable for years to come. The addition of The Unigov Handbook in the new ‘guides’ section continues to fulfill our goal to collaborate with partners to provide information that helps users understand and appreciate important institutions, services, and developments that affect Indianapolis and Central Indiana.”

With this first update, the Encyclopedia now contains over 2,000 entries, with 200 new entries planned for future update cycles through December 2023. New features in the works include "Redlining", a look at the effects of discriminatory mortgage lending practices that reinforced 20th-century residential racial segregation, "Lost Indianapolis", which helps us understand the city as it once existed, and "Ethnicity", a look at the increasing diversity in a place that once proudly adopted the slogan "100% American City."

Since its launch in November 2021, the Encyclopedia of Indianapolis has welcomed over 63,000 visitors for over 458,000 searches.