The state constitution of 1816 provided for the establishment of public libraries. A majority of Indiana cities opened such libraries but neglected to provide adequate financing. Semiprivate libraries did better: workingmen's libraries were set up by a bequest at New Harmony and 14 other towns. After the state legislature provided for township school libraries in 1852, more than twothirds of the townships established them, and the public library system has thrived ever since. In 2000 there were 24 public library systems, and every county received some form of library service. In total, there were 239,000 public libraries in Indiana. Total income was $224,581,000. Federal grants-in-aid to all public libraries totaled $1,347,486; state grants, $19,089,385. The largest book collections are at public libraries in Indianapolis, Fort Wayne, Gary, Evansville, Merrillville, and Hammond; the total book stock of all Indiana public libraries was 21,730,000 volumes in 2000, and circulation was 57,133,000.
The Indiana State Library has a strong collection of documents about Indiana's history and a large genealogical collection. The Indiana University Library has special collections on American literature and history and an extensive collection of rare books; the University of Notre Dame has a noteworthy collection on medieval history; and Purdue University Libraries contain outstanding industrial and agricultural collections, as well as voluminous materials on Indiana history.
Private libraries and museums include those maintained by historical societies in Indianapolis, Fort Wayne, and South Bend. Also of note are the General Lew Wallace Study museum in Crawfordsville and the Elwood Haynes Museum of early technology in Kokomo. In all, Indiana had 179 museums in 2000 registered with the American Association of Museums. Many county historical societies maintain smaller museums, such as the Wayne County Historical Museum.
Indiana's historic sites of most interest to visitors are the Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial near Gentryville, the Levi Coffin Home (one of the Underground Railroad stops) in Fountain City, the Benjamin Harrison Memorial Home and the James Whitcomb Riley Home in Indianapolis, and the Grouseland Home of William Henry Harrison in Vincennes. Among several archaeological sites are two large mound groups: one at Mounds State Park near Anderson, which dates from about ad 800–900, and a reconstructed village site at Angel Mounds, Newburgh, which dates from 1300–1500.