Franklin Road branch reports strong growth, expanded programming and dementia-friendly certification

Franklin Road branch Manager Jill Wetnight reported to the Indianapolis Public Library Board of Trustees on April 28 that the branch is experiencing rapid community growth, rising card registrations and strong program participation.

Wetnight told trustees the Franklin Road service area’s population and housing units have roughly doubled since February (from a base of about 32,000 to 65,524 in the staff summary), and the branch recorded 1,338 new card registrations and more than 90,000 patron visits systemwide in 2024; branch-specific circulation and program totals for Franklin Road were included in the board packet. She described a staffing pattern that includes four full-time public service librarians, two adult librarians, two children’s librarians and a complement of support assistants and volunteers.

Wetnight described the branch’s regular offerings—weekly baby, toddler and preschool story times; children’s Dungeons & Dragons sessions introduced in 2024; adult discussion groups; technology classes; seed-library services; and scavenger-hunt activities used to increase engagement. She said the branch hosted 73 programs in 2024 with over 8,000 attendees and distributed nearly 1,748 books through a children’s reading incentive. Wetnight also noted partnerships with the Franklin Township Chamber of Commerce, Franklin Township Civic League, the mayor’s neighborhood advocate Delia Novak and local schools, and described a pilot internship arrangement with Jobs for America’s Graduates (JAG) that paid and placed high-school interns with the branch in summer 2024.

On accessibility and customer service, Wetnight said the branch completed an online staff training and certification to be recognized as a dementia-friendly business through SECOA; staff members completed an hour-long course and quiz to earn the certification and implement adjustments in signage, layout and staff approaches to better serve patrons with dementia. Board members asked about outreach to newly built neighborhoods, how the branch publicizes services and how staff plan to reach older adult communities and new HOAs; Wetnight said the branch is expanding outreach, mailing calendars to community groups and working with the library communications team to increase visibility.

Trustees praised the branch’s anniversary events and community partnerships, and there were no public comments related to the report during the meeting. Wetnight’s presentation was accompanied by slides showing demographic and usage statistics and was followed by questions from trustees about growth-related challenges and outreach strategies.