A Light in the Circle City: A History of Public Library Services to African Americans in Indianapolis, Indiana

This article focuses on the history of public library services to African Americans in Indianapolis, Indiana. Early efforts in establishing libraries for African Americans include a deposit station placed by the Indianapolis Public Library in 1919 at the Flanner Guild Settlement, a social services agency for African Americans. It was not until 1922 that a branch for African Americans, the Paul Laurence Dunbar Branch, was established by the Indianapolis Public Library. The Dunbar Branch’s success spurred the creation of two additional African American branches, the George Washington Carver Branch and the Crispus Attucks Branch. At a combined operational history of fifty-two years, these three branches were instrumental in fostering a love for reading and an appreciation for literature in Indianapolis’s African American community.