Welcome to the Trafalgar Branch of the Johnson County Public Library! Opened on November 8, 2006, the Library is a true reflection of the community it serves. The design process was a collaborative effort, with architects holding public meetings to gather input from our community. The community's mandate was clear: create a building that is environmentally friendly and preserves the integrity of the Trafalgar landscape. The result is a building that seamlessly blends into its natural and cultural surroundings, and a library grounds that honors our Indiana past with an ecologically sound, easy-to-maintain tallgrass prairie.

Native tallgrass prairies are now the most endangered ecosystem in North America. In pre-settlement times, these grasses stretched from Missouri and Iowa to central Ohio and comprised about 15% of the Hoosier landscape. At their most prolific, prairies served as one of our land's most diverse ecosystems. Extensive development and agriculture have since reduced Indiana's prairies to about 1% of their original size.

There continues to be interest in revitalizing our natural heritage. Small intentional prairies, such as the one covering much of Trafalgar Library's property, are becoming an increasingly popular alternative to traditional lawns. These dense communities of tall grasses, flowers and other native herbaceous plants have many advantages over turfgrass lawns. They require less mowing and other long-term maintenance, they are more drought and weed-resistant, they have few disease and insect problems, they rebuild the soil with rich organic matter, and they provide habitat for birds and other wildlife. Native prairies have extensive root systems, some reaching 15 feet under the soil and weighing as much as 12 tons per acre. These root masses offer superior erosion control, filter stormwater, and help minimize flooding by absorbing as much as nine inches of rainfall per hour.

The Johnson County Public Library is proud to play a part in the restoration of this vanishing ecosystem. While visiting the Trafalgar Branch Library, we invite you to take some time to walk around the property and enjoy this historic slice of heritage Indiana landscape. Before you do, please visit our Welcome Desk and ask for our wildflower identification guide, “Wildflowers of the Trafalgar Library Prairie.” We encourage you to take it with you on your walk around the library grounds and see how many of our wildflower species you can identify!