Allen County Public Library

Allen County Public Library. The library is located in Fort Wayne, Indiana, and serves the residents of Allen County, Indiana. It was established in 1895 with the help of Andrew Carnegie, Melville Dewey, and Justin Winsor. The library has a long history of providing excellent services to its community, including Fort Wayne Community Schools, Indiana University–Purdue University Fort Wayne, and Ivy Tech Community College of Indiana.

● History

The library's history dates back to 1895, when it was founded with a collection of Harvard University-donated books and a Carnegie library grant. The library has since grown to become one of the largest public libraries in Indiana, serving a population of over 350,000 people, including residents of New Haven, Indiana, Leo-Cedarville, Indiana, and Grabill, Indiana. The library has been recognized for its excellence by the American Library Association, Library of Congress, and National Archives and Records Administration. Notable figures such as Theodore Roosevelt, Herbert Hoover, and Dwight D. Eisenhower have visited the library, which has also hosted events featuring Pulitzer Prize winners like John Updike and Toni Morrison.

● Collections

The library's collections include over 800,000 items, including books, DVDs, CDs, and ebooks from OverDrive, Inc.. The library also has an extensive collection of genealogy resources, including materials from the National Genealogical Society, New England Historic Genealogical Society, and Daughters of the American Revolution. The library's Genealogy Center is one of the largest in the country, with resources from Library of Congress, National Archives and Records Administration, and FamilySearch. The library also participates in the Indiana State Library's Indiana Memory project, which provides access to historical newspapers, photographs, and manuscripts from Purdue University, Indiana University Bloomington, and University of Notre Dame.

● Services

The library offers a wide range of services, including interlibrary loan through OCLC, test preparation resources from Kaplan, Inc., and career development tools from LinkedIn. The library also provides access to online databases like JSTOR, EBSCO Information Services, and ProQuest, as well as language learning resources from Rosetta Stone (software). The library's Youth Services department offers programs and services for children and teens, including storytime sessions, book clubs, and summer reading programs sponsored by Scholastic Corporation and American Library Association. The library also partners with Fort Wayne Parks and Recreation and Boys & Girls Clubs of America to provide outreach services to the community.

● Branches

The library has several branches throughout Allen County, Indiana, including the Aboite Branch, Dupont Branch, and Georgetown Branch. The library also has a bookmobile that serves rural areas of the county, including Huntertown, Indiana and Leo-Cedarville, Indiana. The library's branches offer a range of services, including computer access, printing and copying, and meeting rooms for community groups like Rotary International and Lions Clubs International. The library also has a makerspace at its Main Branch, which offers access to 3D printing, laser cutting, and sewing machines from Singer Corporation.

● Architecture

The library's Main Branch is located in a historic building in downtown Fort Wayne, Indiana, which was designed by Louis Kahn and features a postmodern architecture style. The building has undergone several renovations, including a major expansion in 2007 that added a new atrium and reading room. The library's branches are also designed to be energy-efficient and sustainable, with features like solar panels and rain gardens from United States Environmental Protection Agency and National Park Service. The library's architecture has been recognized by the American Institute of Architects and National Trust for Historic Preservation, and has been featured in publications like Architectural Record and Library Journal. Category:Libraries in Indiana