1. New Donelson: A Bigger Team for A Bigger Location

The new Donelson Branch Library, set to open in late 2024, will grow by more than 18,000 square feet, house nearly 30,000 books and materials, and be open seven days a week.

We will grow the Donelson team to 17 staff. They’ll offer daily programming for all ages and take library programs and resources into Donelson’s neighborhoods, to reduce transportation and other barriers to library access.

2. Equal Access Division: Stronger Team, Stronger Accessibility

Right now, NPL’s Equal Access Division has only six employees to serve 700,000 residents with disabilities.

We will grow that team by three staff. They’ll help enhance our Equal Access collection, programs, and services.

The team will train staff across NPL so that we deliver better customer service at every touchpoint. And they’ll create an infrastructure blueprint for stronger accessibility across our 21 locations.

3. NAZA: More Opportunities for Students

The school day accounts for a mere 20 percent of a child’s waking hours — making quality out-of-classroom programming essential for their success.

However, only about 10 percent of middle schoolers at Metro Nashville Public Schools take part in structured out-of-classroom time.

By funding and supporting a citywide network of afterschool and summertime providers, our Nashville After Zone Alliance creates equitable access to quality out-of-classroom time – all at no charge to families.

NAZA will add to its network, with 250 more afterschool slots for the coming school year and an additional 100 slots for summer 2024.

4. Limitless Libraries: A New Ambassador

Imagine what can happen when a school library’s collection grows from hundreds of books … to two million.

With two million-plus books, e-books, research databases, curriculum resources, and more, NPL’s collection offers unlimited learning potential.

Our Limitless Libraries lending partnership with Metro Nashville Public Schools (MNPS) connects more than 86,000 students, educators, and school librarians to the power of two million.

Students browse and borrow from NPL’s catalog, right from their school libraries, and MNPS delivers to them every weekday.

A new Limitless Libraries outreach specialist will help schools build their campus collections.

And they’ll go beyond the school library, too: they’ll point educators to curriculum kits, book clubs in a bag, and academic databases for their classrooms and help students find books and materials that support their personal learning goals.

5. Votes for Women: A Metro-Funded Coordinator Position

Votes for Women is one of its kind in the U.S.

People from across our city and country visit this permanent exhibit at the Main Library to learn about the history of the 19th Amendment and join community conversations about women’s movements, voting, and gender.

Last fiscal year alone, Votes for Women hosted 23 programs for 1,081 attendees.

This staff position, initially funded by the Nashville Public Library Foundation, is now Metro-funded.

6. Early Literacy: Two New Children’s Librarians

Eight NPL branches – East, Edgehill, Hadley Park, Looby, North, Pruitt, Old Hickory, and Watkins Park – serve six Nashville zip codes, which are home to an estimated 6,162 residents younger than 5 years old.

However, none of these locations has a full-time children’s librarian.

We’ll hire two new traveling librarians, who will bring at least one weekly children’s program to each of these branches.

This will enable NPL to offer 104 more early literacy programs to an estimated 1,560 additional families.

7. The Library Website: Better Accessibility

NPL’s website is a digital gateway to unlimited stories and ideas.

It’s where our customers go to put books and materials on hold, so they can pick them up at any of our 21 locations.

Last fiscal year, patrons used the library’s website 4.3 million times.

We’ll increase the library’s online accessibility by translating key portions of NPL’s website into Spanish.

When a City and a Library Come Together, Great Things Happen

The NPL team appreciates the support we receive from Metro Nashville government, from the Nashville Public Library Foundation – and from you, the customers who give meaning to our work.

I hope these customer service improvements will inspire you as much as they inspire us.

We look forward to serving you soon.

Terri Luke, Interim Library Director