Indianapolis Public Library

The story of the Indianapolis Public Library begins not with a grand building, but with a sermon. In 1868, Reverend Hanford A. Edson of Second Presbyterian Church called for a free public library in the city. This idea gained traction, and in 1870, under the leadership of public schools superintendent Abram C. Shortridge, a revision to Indiana's school law was drafted to allow for publicly funded libraries. The library officially opened on April 9, 1873, in a single room of a high school, with Charles Evans serving as the first librarian. It began with just over 12,000 volumes and 500 registered borrowers. The playbook was clear: provide access to information for the city's citizens. A key growth catalyst arrived between 1910 and 1914 in the form of a $100,000 grant from Andrew Carnegie, which funded the construction of five branch libraries. A major turning point was the 1968 merger with the county library system, forming the Indianapolis-Marion County Public Library and establishing it as a separate municipal corporation. This move expanded its service area significantly. Decades later, the library embarked on a massive, and challenging, capital project: a $104 million renovation and expansion of the Central Library. The project, completed in 2007, doubled the library's size but was beset by construction flaws, budget overruns, and lawsuits, ultimately opening two years behind schedule.