Indy Reads

According to the National Center for Education Statistics, 1 in 6 adults in Indiana read at or below a fifth-grade level. Since the 1980s, Indy Reads has worked to address this issue and advance social equity by helping adult learners increase their English language and literacy proficiency, prepare for their High School Equivalency (HSE) diploma, build workforce skills to improve their employability and advancement potential, and engage more confidently in the community. 

Founded in 1984, Indy Reads was originally an Indianapolis Public Library program that paired adult students with volunteer tutors for beginning-level literacy tutoring and civic engagement activities. To further sustain the program and its mission, several librarians and community activists established the Greater Indianapolis Literacy League as an independent nonprofit organization. Fourteen years later, the organization changed its public name to Indy Reads. 

In 2012, Indy Reads opened Indy Reads Books on Massachusetts Avenue in Indianapolis. At the time, it was the only bookstore in downtown Indianapolis and generated revenue for Indy Reads’ English literacy programs. The community bookstore hosted local author readings and workshops and served as a site for volunteer and student recruitment for its English literacy programs. 

In 2014, Indy Reads Books published its anthology, Indy Writes Books: A Book-Lover’s Anthology, featuring the work of 27 writers, poets, and puzzle-makers with significant Indiana connections. The featured writers included Dan Wakefield (Going All the Way), John Green (The Fault in Our Stars and Turtles all the way down), Will Shortz, and others who supported Indy Reads’ mission. 

Indy Reads underwent numerous changes from 2015 to 2020. It moved its headquarters from the Indianapolis Public Library’s Library Services Center to the Central Public Library; its executive leadership changed; its programming model pivoted from 1:1 tutoring to Community Classrooms; and it expanded its Community Classrooms to offer High School Equivalency (HSE) programming. 

In November 2021, Indy Reads Books and Indy Reads merged under a single banner: Indy Reads. The organization moved from Massachusetts Avenue and the Central Library to a single location in historic Fountain Square. Indy Reads also began to offer Customer Service and Paraprofessional certification programming. 

In 2022, Indy Reads hosted more than 150 community and family programs open to the public, including author readings, multilingual story hours, financial literacy workshops, and more. It also launched its Customer Service Skills Program, enabling adult students to participate in an earn-while-you-learn internship at the community bookstore. These adults received a living wage and earned a national customer service credential. Indy Reads also began offering two-generation programming where children of adult learners received tutoring while adults attended classes, mitigating childcare barriers and promoting a two-generational approach to literacy.  

Indy Reads is one of few organizations that has served adults of all literacy skill levels, including the most beginning-level and beyond. To learn more about Indy Reads visit indyreads.org.