I want to give a sincere thank you to Ryan Donnelly for the outstanding assistance he provided. He…read moretook the time to patiently answer my questions, explain information I didn't fully understand, and made sure I left with a much better understanding of everything. His professionalism, knowledge, and willingness to go the extra mile were truly appreciated. Thank you again, Ryan--I genuinely appreciate the time and effort you spent helping me!

This library is an excellent place to host an event and a true community resource. I have attended…read moreseveral events here, from CreativeMornings to a minority career fair, and every experience has been well organized and welcoming. The space is gorgeous, flexible, and works beautifully for both professional and creative gatherings. We also host our neighborhood meetings here, which has been a great experience. The library consistently offers free classes, helpful staff, and access to a wide range of resources that make it more than just a place to study or work. It genuinely serves the community. When I am there working or attending events, I always try to sit by the windows overlooking the courtyard. The view of the skyline is a bonus and makes long days feel lighter. Highly recommend this library for events, meetings, or simply spending a productive day.

I brought my niece here the other day. It was my first time really spending time in the children's…read morearea and was so impressed with how many stations they had for the kids. They had a special playroom with kids toys, a nature center, computers with kids games, an amazing selection of books, and more. I really love this library. They also have a free seed library which I think is so neat!

Talk about an incredible library! I have had this place bookmarked for quite some time and finally…read moregot to check it out after a farmers market visit. The children's section definitely did not disappoint. The library is walking distance from the heart of downtown Zionsville. Even the garden of the library provides entertainment with musical instruments for play. Once you enter the front door, you will find a massive children's section that includes a fish aquarium, playroom, toy train model set and wonderful book displays. It also appears that they have an extensive events programming calendar throughout the week. If we lived closer, I would definitely visit here often. There's also a nature center room off the back of the children's section that features snakes, turtles and more fish. Overall, you can easily pass an hour or two with your kids exploring the different areas. I can't speak for the adult sections, but I'm sure it's Equally impressive. Highly recommend recommend this library!

We spent our morning bopping around Garfield Park neighborhood and I was excited to knock out…read moreanother library with my toddler. This location is congenitally nestled into the actual park neighboring the conservatory, a bus stop and several restaurants and bakeries. In the summer months, it neighbors the fabulous Garfield Park farmers market. Parking can easily be found on site and it's less tab. A fifteen minute drive from downtown. As for the library itself, it's a bit on the older side with not nearly as much natural light as you'll find out the other newer libraries. I also found that the staff wasn't as engaging as I've seen elsewhere. Nonetheless, we enjoyed finding some new books and kid books to take for the road. I also thought the kids book section was organized in a somewhat odd way making it hard to see very many covers, they had a few displays, but otherwise you had to pull them in and out, which can be a little chaotic with little hands. Overall, a lovely neighborhood library, and part of our rotation.

This branch of the library is small but mighty. Located on Shelby right off of the park- the branch…read morehas a computer lab, amble kids & adult section and tables for studying. When I worked closer to this branch- I would stop by to pick up holds. I did a program a few weekends ago out of this branch and the library staff member was friendly and helpful.

This branch has a long history and was actually the second branch within the Indy Public Library…read moresystem. The branch started in 1967 as the Westlane branch in the Westlane Shopping Center area at 71st and Michigan Road. In 1974, the system purchased three acres of land from Pike Township in this location adjacent to Pike High School. The original 13,000sf Pike Branch was officially opened in 1986 and expanded to 20,000sf in 1999. Meetings are actually currently being held for another renovation in the near future (which it definitely needs). I had the opportunity to visit the Pike Branch last evening for a meeting. You can definitely tell it's an older branch as it looks just a little more worn and lacks some of the amenities of newer branches. Aisles are a little more narrow and even some of the ADA adaptations are a little antiquated - for example, while they do have accessible parking the actual ramps are located in unusual locations. I got out of my car and had to go around a sidewalk to access the ramp. I'm definitely a fan of Indy's public library system. Having attended Pike (though I graduated prior to this branch opening), I'm a fan of this branch. Geocachers should note there's a geocache located in the parking lot. This branch offers public computers with Microsoft Office, early learning stations, and free wifi. There are meeting rooms available for reservation and I saw at least four study rooms that could be reserved (it looked like the limit was four people in the study rooms). I did use one of the simply decorated study rooms for my meeting with one other person. Pike has a bike rack outside and automatic doors for entry. The branch has an accessible stall in the bathroom and I believe I saw two family bathrooms (though you have to get the key from a librarian. I'd imagine since it's next to a high school they're a bit more careful about that sort of thing, ya know?). They offer self-service check-out, scanning, copying, a color printer, and mobile printing services. They also offer exam proctoring, a walk-up book return, and a seed library from March-October. At this point, Pike Branch pales somewhat in comparison to some of the other branches with no really strong fun areas for kids. They do have an aquarium and at least one mural. I checked out the events and it appears that story events for smaller children dominate the schedule. Librarians were friendly, though perhaps a tad less outgoing than some other branches I've experienced. One was very helpful in terms of getting us into a study room where we could have a conversation. There's a strong multicultural flavor here. This makes sense since Pike is a very diverse township and the library reflects that diversity. Overall, I wouldn't call this one of Indy PL's better branches but it has a lot of history within the system and it'll be fun to see what happens with the new renovations. I look forward to returning in the future.

Why do we continuously choose to forget what a great resource the library is? I started coming to…read morethe PBL for prints and copies and fell in love all over again with libraries. Sure they "house books", but there are so many amenities to enjoy that you don't need to be a bookworm to visit. Although this library is a little older (in comparison to new ones in the area) it is still marvelously upkept. It is quiet and tranquil, lots of available computers, and quiet working spaces. Their hours are great, there's ample parking, job board and tools, and lots of community events. I've seen Cookies with a Cop, Crochet/Knitting classes, and so many more fantastic and *free* collaborations with talented people who devote their time to giving back to the community. The kiddo's section is my favorite as I was so amused to see all they provide for children now; there's two computer stations for kids to do countless interactive activities on, stuffed toys, learning board games, a great big sitting area, and a glorious fish tank. I hope to continue to see this library being a strong pillar for its community and I hope more people venture back into libraries to rediscover how resourceful they are. I'll be getting my own library card, after many years, to officiate the relationship and I have plans to "discover" more libraries in the area but the Pike branch will always be a favorite.

You can find nicer library branches in Indianapolis than the Irvington branch…read more You can find newer library branches in Indianapolis than the Irvington branch. You can certainly find bigger library branches in Indianapolis than the Irvington branch. Yet, there's something about the Irvington Branch of Indianapolis Public Library that is simply dazzling. It's warm, inviting, comfortable, and just fits really well with the unique community that is Irvington. This branch has served the Irvington area since 1903 when the Bona Thompson Library was donated to what was then Butler College (and was originally located in Irvington). It soon became a public library branch. The branch relocated in 1914 and 1921. In 1956, a new facility was opened on East Washington Street and named for Hilton U. Brown (Hoosiers should recognize the name). He was also an Irvington resident. The Brown Branch closed in 2001 and made way for the late 2001 opening of this 16,000-square foot branch. The Irvington Branch is directly on East Washington Street, though parking is actually behind it. Accessible parking is easily available. While nearly all branches offer push-button automatic doors, Irvington has actual automatic doors. I was super impressed (and grateful - I was tired.). While I wouldn't call the Irvington Branch small, it's definitely smaller than most newer branches and definitely feels smaller. That said, it offers the usual amenities: The meeting room here is actually still named for Hilton U. Brown. The branch also offers internet access, public computers with Microsoft Office, early learning computer stations, free wifi, meeting space, study area rooms, accessible work stations, self-checkout, color printer, color copy machine, document scanner, mobile printing, outgoing fax, exam proctoring, walk-up book return, and bike racks. The bathrooms do offer accessibility. I did not see a family bathroom - which most new branches are offering. The layout was very wheelchair friendly. I was easily able to get everywhere I wanted to get. The librarians were super friendly - I actually found a copy of my own book here and asked a librarian if she would take my photo with it. She did. In fact, she took three just to make sure. So kind. The lighting here was rather dim and the atmosphere subdued. They offer a variety of community events. I will note that they are closed on Sundays. I also noted they had a memorial bench in their yard and a neat little plaza garden area that I really appreciated. I'd been in this branch before, though it had been a while since I'm closer to Glendale and Fort Ben. However, I'll easily return to this location when I'm in the area.

Visited this location for the first time yesterday to get a library card. The folks working there…read morewere very friendly and helpful. It's a great old nostalgic smelling library with lots of seating available and plenty of space to look around.

I love all library's, but had not been to this one before, I'm glad I stopped in, it's beautifully…read moredecorated! I had to check everything out, whoever did/commissioned this, awesome job! I found four great books to check out as well! Stop in if you are in the area!

While I'm not quite ready to call the Haughville Branch Public Library one of Indy's best branches,…read moreit's a definite gem with a nice interior design, friendly staff, and enough upgrades to make it a great place to study, work, look for work, and/or bring the kids for homework. Haughville is the longest continuously operating branch in the IndyPL system. It began on the city's east side in 1896, however, it moved to Haughville after 1897. A fire partly destroyed it in 1904. As many of us know, it existed as a storefront in the Michigan Plaza Shopping Center until 2003. At that point, the current 12,000-square-foot branch opened on West Michigan Street. The Haughville Branch is a dementia-friendly branch with staff having taken "Dementia Friendly Business Training" in an effort to better serve and support those living with dementia and their friends/family/care partners. I really like the layout here. While it's common for Indy's branches to be wheelchair friendly, Haughville just has a very friendly, easy to navigate design. Amenities/Services include the usuals - free Wi-Fi, meeting spaces, early learning computer stations, public computers with Microsoft Office, study rooms, color printing, document scanning, mobile printing, a bike rack, a walk-up book return, a March-October seed library, and more. There's a blood pressure monitor and information hub here. There's exam proctoring. There are events held regularly here. The librarians here are also perfectly matched to the area and the branch. They are friendly, helpful, intelligent, and super supportive of lots of different people. There's just so much to love at this branch. Again, I wouldn't say it's quite one of Indy's best, however, it's a definite gem in this neighborhood and I periodically get the urge to visit this branch despite living very close to Glendale.

I came here's to have a meeting. I was surprised that this library didn't have rooms but instead…read morehad like a little capsule space that you could reserve for 2 hours. The capsule was nice because it's quiet in it and people don't hear your meetings. The capsule space is free to rent. This library was a little cold while being in there. The workers were really nice. The environment was okay.

Im surprised no one has reviewed this Eastside staple. Many memories of my dad bringing my brothers…read moreand I here every. Single. Saturday. Morning. Lol Anyway, I met one of my mentees here who is determined to build her reading comprehension skills so we got her signed up for the summer reading enrichment program. The staff here is amazing and very helpful to the youth who frequent here! They even have an area to scan and bag your findings, yourself! Great teaching and accountability moment for kiddos! Happy Reading!

Spades Park branch is a small, cozy library location. It's in a house-like building, so be prepared…read morefor stairs OR go to the side of the building and call for the elevator and staff will help you. They have a good selection of books for the size of this branch! And staff was super friendly. If I lived closer, this would make a lovely "home branch". As it is, it'll be occasional visits for me! I attended a storytime here with my mini BFF and it was a lot of fun. It took place upstairs, in an open room, and we had a great time! Story, music, dancing ... the good stuff!

This would be the most alternative lifestyle library in town but I think it does fit the area…read more They didn't have the book Devils's Arithmetic, which I needed for an English class I taught, because it was banned. I really do not understand why it was banned (or any book for that matter) except it is a very confusing book for the older adults I was teaching let alone middle school kids who I think was the target audience it was written for. You can get books in the children section as well as adult section on material that is considered xrated though. There is always a hint of pot in the air as well. No wonder the staff is so nice! It does have a historical feel as is reasonable quiet. Very nice for someone wanting to sit by the park and read