Indianapolis Public Library
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Central Library (The Indianapolis Public Library)
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Front of Central Library
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| Location | 40 E. St. Clair St., Indianapolis, Indiana |
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| Coordinates | 39°46′42″N 86°9′24″W / 39.77833°N 86.15667°WCoordinates: 39°46′42″N 86°9′24″W / 39.77833°N 86.15667°W |
| Area | 1 acre (0.40 ha) |
| Built | 1917 |
| Architect | Paul Cret; Borie and Medary Zantzinger |
| NRHP Reference # | 75000045 |
| Added to NRHP | August 28, 1975 |
The Indianapolis Public Library (formerly known as the Indianapolis-Marion County Public Library) is the public library system serving the citizens of Marion County, Indiana, United States and its largest city, Indianapolis. The library was founded in 1873 and has grown to include a Central Library building, located adjacent to the Indiana World War Memorial Plaza, and 22 branch libraries spread throughout the county. The library attracts over four million visitors each year and circulates nearly 16 million items. The library's mission is to enrich lives and build communities through lifelong learning. Its vision is to be a center of knowledge, community life and innovation for Indianapolis.
The Central Library building was designed by architect Paul Philippe Cret, (with Zantzinger, Borie and Medary) and completed in 1917. A complete historic renovation and a major addition to the library was designed by Woollen, Molzan and Partners. The newly renovated Central Library building opened on December 9, 2007, ending a controversial multi-year rebuilding plan.
The Central Library also houses the Nina Mason Pulliam Indianapolis Special Collections Room containing a variety of archival adult and children’s materials, both fiction and nonfiction books by local authors, photographs, scrapbooks, typescripts, manuscripts, autographed editions, letters, newspapers, magazines, and realia. The collection features Kurt Vonnegut, May Wright Sewall, the Woollen family, James Whitcomb Riley, and Booth Tarkington.
Besides the Central Library, The Indianapolis Public Library also operates twenty-two branch libraries and provides bookmobile services. In April 2016, the boards of the Indianapolis and the Beech Grove public libraries voted to merge, with the Beech Grove library becoming the 23rd branch library of the Indianapolis library system on June 1, 2016.
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