For over fifty years, the Indiana chapter of the Special Libraries Association has promoted the work and interests of library specialists in a multitude of diverse fields and emphasized professionalism in library work. A broad membership of academic, business, government, and law librarians participates actively in the chapter. In 1936, a small cadre of Indiana libraries, under the leadership of Irene Macy Strieby and Ethel Cleland, began a series of meetings in Indianapolis that focused on common professional concerns and offered the participants a chance to learn about other libraries in the state. The group continued to meet periodically for several years, and the success of its activities reached a peak when it hosted the Special Libraries Association's national annual meeting in Indianapolis in 1940. As the convention came to a close, the success of the small group in organizing the meeting was clearly evident. It was also apparent that the state could support a chapter of its own in its capital city. Strieby and Cleland began to organize the Indiana chapter by seeking membership status from the national Special Libraries Association, which was granted on June 15, 1941.

In September 1941, the chapter drafted its constitution and bylaws, which have been revised and amended several times since 1950. The chapter began publishing a newsletter, SLANT, in October 1943. By 1950, the chapter had published two guidebooks, the Procedures Manual and Indiana Chapter Manual, which established policies and standards for its operation. It also published compilations of union lists to promote interlibrary cooperation, including the following: Directory of Special Libraries of Indiana (1943); Union List of Serials (1943); Organized Groups in Indiana (1944); Hoosier Librarians (1960); and Indiana Chapter's Speaker's Guide (1981).

During the 1940s, the chapter began the tradition of holding the annual business meeting and special program meetings in conjunction with its other activities. These included the recruitment of new professionals into the special libraries field, the promotion of high professional standards and management skills, and the utilization of new technologies in library settings.

By the mid-1950s, an ever increasing number of library professionals showed a keen interest in computers. During the 1960s and 1970s, the chapter conducted seminars and workshops on computer applications in library work. By the late 1980s, special librarians began using computerized information networks and online cataloging on a regular basis, developments that the chapter endorsed and advanced in its special programs and at conference sessions. The chapter also worked to foster good working relations among the diverse group of libraries in the region. In 1967, several joint conferences of the Indiana and Michigan chapters addressed the subject of regional libraries and its implications for special libraries. Individiaul divisions within the chapter have been an important facet of the organization. The chapter has two divisions, consisting of the medical librarians group that meets at the Indiana University Medical School in Indianapolis, and the Science-Technology group.

Officers of the chapter serve for a year's term and are elected to their posts. The chapter has a list of distinguished librarians who have served as officers. Among the most notable include Ethel Cleland, who was director of the business branch of the Indianapolis Public Library and became one of the co-founders of the chapter. Irene Macy Strieby, from Eli Lilly & Co., co-founder of the chapter and one of the organizers of the Special Libraries Association Indianapolis Convention in 1940, served as president in 1941-1942. John H. Moriarty, head of the Audio Visual Center at Purdue University-Lafayette, gave 45 years of service to the chapter and was president in 1947-1948. The chapter created distinguished service awards in the names of both Strieby and Moriarty for their leadership qualities.

Special projects and programs for professional development are important components of the chapter's work. Program and award meetings were held at least four times a year, and special projects were usually conducted annually. In the decades leading up to the 1990s, the chapter's special events focused on themes such as recruitment into the profession, an emphasis on managerial skills and professional development, and the promotion of information technology through the use of computers and electronic databases. These programs emphasized the need for special librarians to adapt to rapid change to accommodate the explosion of information in modern society.