Westfield Washington Public Library

The new Westfield Washington Public Library is a mega library! The building is huge and conveniently located in the heart of Westfield. The parking lot was almost full when we arrived. The building is modern with some lovely details. The facility is designed to assist people who work remotely. Many small conference rooms and work areas were occupied by people working remotely. Of course, they have books, audio tapes and dvds. Upstairs is a history room with info about the previous and historical libraries. My granddaughters enjoyed the children's play space. They played for over and hour and were intrigued by the computer stations with kid friendly programs. The library offers a summer reading programs with prizes for milestones. There is a Rivet coffee shop near the entrance of the building. I tried a blueberry bread, which I thought was overpriced and dry.

I love that Westfield Washington Public Library got a new space! To be honest, though, I loved the old library just a little bit more, especially the children's area: The old one was a huge area dedicated just to kids. The children's area of the new library is segmented: on one side is all of the toys and playthings, and on the other is just shelves of books. In the middle, there are some computers. When I visited, there was a story time happening, and there were lots of kids and parents scrunched into an area by the bookshelves that didn't look like it was meant for story time. I wasn't able to walk on that side of the bookshelves because there were people sitting there. I feel like things need to flow a little better in this space. One thing I did like was the computer area in the children's section. Each computer has an empty desk by it with an outlet, so hypothetically, a grown-up could work alongside their child. It's a nice and thoughtful touch. The teen area, which is located upstairs, was small but peaceful. There is space to lounge, computers and a charging station.On an aesthetic level, I really like the main lobby of the library, with its floor-to-ceiling windows. There's a beautiful, wide staircase / seating area that looks like theatre seating. Of course, my child went directly to this area and wanted to parkour on it, and I'm sure other children had and will continue to have that same idea, because there are signs on the staircase that say no jumping. This is another area that probably needed someone (who knows children) to think through. Of course children are going to want to climb and jump on this staircase. If you look at my photo of it, you probably would want to, too.By the entrance, there's a coffee shop with seating (Rivet), with some tasty-looking treats in the display case. The new library is an improvement, but there are just a few things that I wish were a bit better. My family and I will definitely be coming back, thought, because the programming at Westfield Washington Public Library -- especially the children's programs -- is some of the best in central Indiana.

Beautiful new library! A cute coffee shop available inside the front doors, lots of open space for lounging to read/study, extensive video collection, community rooms, and a lovely kids area for play and reading. Westfield residents come and enjoy!

This library was recently rebuilt down the road from the original location and just opened to the public. The building itself is nice, new, and full of potential. I went to check it out with my one-year-old and here's what we thought (hehe): What we loved: - Rivet Coffee, a local coffee shop down the road, has a small shop inside on the main floor (they also carry local Becky the Bakester cake pops - cute!).- There are many different styles of tables to work from.- They have a fun line-up of classes and events going this summer.- There's a beautiful room with high ceilings, big windows, cool light fixtures and terraced seating (I'm guessing for future presentations/events).- The cute 'shop' and 'train' area in the kids section is fun and interactive. Things that can be improved: - When you walk in, the first thing you see is a little alcove with sparsely-featured books. There didn't seem to be a theme or display and seemed anticlimactic as the first visual.- The kids area is in a part of the library where there's a dead end, yet it was the most busy spot in the place. It was PACKED with kids, parents, and strollers. Since it's not in an open area, it felt too tight, with nowhere to put strollers and nowhere for parents to sit. I was also bummed that I couldn't pick out many kids books while my son played since most of the kid books are away from the kid playing area. I'd also love to see more fun color where the kids books are as there is a lot of white/gray everywhere.- The biggest/grandest space of the entire library seems to be the least used space. This is the main/central area with the terraced seating, tall ceiling, and huge windows. There are currently no cushions on the terraced seating but kids shouldn't really play on it either, so I'm not sure how anyone would use it on the day-to-day. While the ceilings in here are super high, the racks in this main room are short and full of audio books, which if I had to guess, aren't the central focus of the library but are the section that seems to have the most options/space/focus.- There were a couple magazine covers on displays low to the ground at the entrance that I wouldn't want a young child seeing, so might be something to note too.All in all, I love libraries, I love reading, and I love community spaces, so am delighted that this is here. While we left feeling slightly confused about the intentions of the space, it's nice to see and will be a place that we will most likely return.