By Catherine E. Porter
 marketing and communication ’16
                              
                              JAN. 11 – The Trine University LINK Sponsel Library was selected to receive the Next
                                 Indiana Bookshelf, a collection of 13 titles designed to spark conversation during
                                 the 2016 Indiana Bicentennial. In a competitive application process, the LINK was
                                 chosen to receive one of 55 sets awarded in 42 counties across the Hoosier state.
                              
                              
The Next Indiana Bookshelf was created by Indiana Humanities and the Indiana Center
                                 for the Book and is designed to encourage thinking and discussion about the present
                                 and future of Indiana. The collection features 12 books including Hoosier classics
                                 such as “Raintree County,” the writings of Kurt Vonnegut and the poetry of Etheridge
                                 Knight, as well as contemporary books like “The Girl in the Tangerine Scarf” and “Invincible,
                                 Indiana.”
                              
                              Additionally, the LINK received a poster of “The Indiana Chant,” written for the bicentennial
                                 by South Bend, Ind.-based children’s author April Pulley Sayre. Teachers and librarians
                                 are encouraged to use the chant for readings and performances in the weeks and months
                                 leading up to Statehood Day on Dec. 11, 2016.
                              
                              “We are making a number of plans for the bicentennial in collaboration with the Department
                                 of Humanities and Communication, so we are thrilled to receive the Next Indiana Bookshelf.
                                 We hope to use the bookshelf not only in a bicentennial library display, but also
                                 in a Next Indiana book club to talk about who Hoosiers are, how Indiana is changing
                                 and how we envision our state going into the future,” said Heather Howard, information
                                 services librarian at Trine. Everyone is welcome and encouraged to see the books at
                                 the LINK in the Rick L. and Vicki L. James University Center, 720 Thunder Drive. Hours
                                 are 7:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. Monday through Friday, 1 to 5 p.m. Saturday and 1 to 9 p.m.
                                 Sunday. The library will be closed from Jan. 16-18, March 5-13 and March 25-27.
                              
                              The Next Indiana Bookshelf is made possible by a grant from the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services,
                                 administered by the Indiana State Library.