Fort Ben Branch Library

What a fabulous new library for the Fort Ben and Lawrence area! You can't beat this location on the Fort Ben property - grab a meal, go for a walk and pick up some books. That's a perfect day.This location is sleek and filled with floor to ceiling windows similar to the newer locations on Michigan and in Glendale. There are several tables and meeting areas along with a large room with a projector for events and larger gatherings.The self checkout area is well organized with a stool for kiddos to scan the books, which I especially appreciate. The staff wasn't as interactive as I've seen in some of the other locations. Parking on the street surrounding the building was easy peasy. Overall, a great experience!

Libraries are such magical places! The Fort Ben Branch is brand new! You walk in and smell those new books just waiting to be read!I have little ones so I love to visit the branch for their kid friendly events. So far we've been to a creative writing class and a shoebox architect building design class. My kids have loved both classes and the teachers are always super engaging and fun!They have quiet rooms to reserve so it's perfect to go when you need a solo space for meetings, homework, tutoring and more.My kids also love the kid area. They have a greenhouse, garden tools, farmers market stand, and more for the kids to engage in imaginative play!

One of the things I hated missing because of a recent hospitalization was the opening of Indianapolis Public Library's latest branch at Fort Ben. Whether you call this area Fort Ben, Fort Harrison, or Fort Benjamin Harrison, this Indy/Lawrence location has become quite the neighborhood and the Fort Ben Branch is a great addition to it. While I'm not yet driving post-surgery, I was able to make the trip with a friend to finally check out this cool new library branch. I will admit I've wrestled with how to rate this branch library. Is this really a 5-star branch? It's probably somewhere between a 4-5 star rating, though with some of it's more unique features I'm going to go ahead and go with the 5-star.First off, Fort Ben Branch is the first Indianapolis public library to be named a Certified Autism Center. This is certainly one of the most disability friendly branches within the system and it's exciting to see all the ways it has been made more inclusive. Bathrooms are very accessible and there's even a comfort room here available for nursing mothers or those who need a calmer environment. The 22,000 square foot Fort Ben Branch also includes:Engaging and functional spaces for children, teens, and adultsComputer access along with additional technologies; Microsoft Office on computersEarly learning computer stationsFree wifiSelf CheckoutDocument ScannerColor PrinterOutgoing FaxExam ProctoringWalk-up Book ReturnBike RackColor Copy Machine/mobile printingGroup study rooms/tutoring spacesA community room with a capacity of 100 personsEnergy and resource conservationRoof-top solar photovoltaic systemThe library worked with Easterseals Crossroads to create an accessible workstation. This means: height-adjustable desklarge-key keyboardlarge-print keyboardtrackball mouse with programmable buttons and arm supportsSoftware on the workstations include:text reading appLive transcription appmath appmagnification appscreen reading app for blind and visually impaired-individualsThese tools can "read" information to patrons, respond to voice commands and help people with learning disabilities and mobility limitations complete tasks like writing a document or accessing the internet. These workstations are available for all patrons, with shorter use periods than other stations to decrease wait times.These accessible work stations will eventually be in all branches (and are already in some). Like all branches, Fort Ben hosts a variety of events - from teen D&D events to story hours and much more. I'm so excited to have a library that is a certified autism center that I simply refuse to go less than 5 stars here. This is relatively close to my home (Glendale is slightly closer) and I can't wait to visit here often.

This is a nice, clean, new library and happens to be the closest to me. However after today I've had enough. This is consistently the noisiest library I've ever been to in my life--and I've been to MANY. From kids yelling, phones ringing, people talking loudly, women's fingernails clacking on the keyboard as they type, I just can't do it anymore. I don't understand why they allow it to be so noisy in here. And what happened to all the kids computers, now there's only two? I will find a larger quieter library this summer.

Beautiful building, Staff was very friendly and helpful. I was able to find what I required without any difficulty.