diff --git a/packages/seacas/scripts/exodus3.in.py b/packages/seacas/scripts/exodus3.in.py
index 7075b31438..51ff7867ca 100644
--- a/packages/seacas/scripts/exodus3.in.py
+++ b/packages/seacas/scripts/exodus3.in.py
@@ -164,13 +164,12 @@ class ex_options(Enum):
 if os.name == 'nt':
     so_prefix = ''
     so_suffix = 'dll'
+elif os.uname()[0] == 'Darwin':
+    so_prefix = 'lib'
+    so_suffix = 'dylib'
 else:
-    if os.uname()[0] == 'Darwin':
-        so_prefix = 'lib'
-        so_suffix = 'dylib'
-    else:
-        so_prefix = 'lib'
-        so_suffix = 'so'
+    so_prefix = 'lib'
+    so_suffix = 'so'
 pip_path = os.path.dirname(__file__)
 pip_so_path = os.path.join(pip_path, f"{so_prefix}exodus.{so_suffix}")
 try:
@@ -673,7 +672,7 @@ def __init__(self, file, mode=None, array_type='ctype', title=None,
 
 
         >>> ex_pars = ex_init_params(num_dim=numDims, num_nodes=numNodes,
-        ...                          num_elem=numElems, num_elem_blk=numElemBlocks, num_assembly=numAssembly)
+        ...                          num_elem=numElems, num_elem_blk=numElemBlocks, num_assembly=numAssembly, num_blob=numBlob)
         >>> exo = exodus(file_name, mode=mode, title=title,
         ...             array_type=array_type, init_params=ex_pars)
         >>> with exodus(file_name, mode=mode, title=title,\
@@ -729,6 +728,11 @@ def __init__(self, file, mode=None, array_type='ctype', title=None,
                     numElems = 0
                 if numBlocks is None:
                     numBlocks = 0
+                if numBlob is None:
+                    numBlob = 0
+                if numAssembly is None:
+                    numAssembly = 0
+                    
 
                 info = [title, numDims, numNodes, numElems, numBlocks,
                         numNodeSets, numSideSets]
@@ -842,6 +846,7 @@ def put_info_ext(self, p):
         self.numNodeSets = ctypes.c_longlong(p.num_node_sets)
         self.numSideSets = ctypes.c_longlong(p.num_side_sets)
         self.numAssembly = ctypes.c_longlong(p.num_assembly)
+        self.numBlob = ctypes.c_longlong(p.num_blob)
 
         EXODUS_LIB.ex_put_init_ext(self.fileId, ctypes.byref(p))
         return True
diff --git a/packages/seacas/scripts/tests/test_exodus3.py b/packages/seacas/scripts/tests/test_exodus3.py
index 72cc16ad04..69b008f0a5 100755
--- a/packages/seacas/scripts/tests/test_exodus3.py
+++ b/packages/seacas/scripts/tests/test_exodus3.py
@@ -17,6 +17,7 @@
 
 ACCESS = os.getenv("ACCESS", "@ACCESSDIR@")
 sys.path.append(os.path.join(ACCESS, "lib"))
+sys.path.append(os.path.join(ACCESS, "lib64"))
 import exodus as exo
 
 
@@ -59,6 +60,19 @@ def test_exodus_context_manager_reraises_exceptions(self):
             with exo.exodus(self.temp_exo_path, mode="r"):
                 self.assertFalse(True)
 
+    def test_ex_init_params(self):
+        ex_pars = exo.ex_init_params(
+            num_dim=2,
+            num_nodes=9,
+            num_elem=4,
+            num_elem_blk=1,
+            num_assembly=0,
+            num_blob=0,
+        )
+        new_temp_exo_path = os.path.join(self.tempdir.name, "newexodusfile.e")
+        with exo.exodus(new_temp_exo_path, mode="w+", init_params=ex_pars) as exo_file:
+            exo_file.summarize()
+
     def test_copy_opened_in_append_mode(self):
         new = exo.assembly(
             name="Unit_test", type=exo.ex_entity_type.EX_ASSEMBLY, id=444