The Night Land

The Night Land January 13, 2019 A planet covered in darkness and filled with monsters can be a serious impediment to true love. In the distant future, Earth’s Sun has died and almost…

Overlooked Gems of 2018

Overlooked Gems of 2018 January 3, 2019 All three of these books were very well-reviewed, but sadly are not racking up the holds queues that they deserve! Please consider helping to remedy that situation…

Coding with Stories

Coding with Stories January 29, 2019 Using stories as the basis for coding games encourages children to explore early computer programming principles in a fun and interactive way.…

New Year, New Reading Goal

New Year, New Reading Goal January 21, 2019 A fresh new year means it is time to set a fresh new reading goal. Whether you are hoping to finally break 100 books read in a year, or you are hoping to finish at least one book this year, here are a few ways…

My Favorite Picture Books of 2018

My Favorite Picture Books of 2018 January 11, 2019 2018 was definitely a wonderful year for picture books! Some books were thoughtful, while others were hilarious. Altogether, they made for a good year…

Ben English

Ben English, Librarian

Banner Clippings: Cowpokes and Sing-alongs

Banner Clippings: Cowpokes and Sing-alongs January 12, 2019 One of our most-utilized resources here in Special Collections is the Nashville Banner clippings: articles about every aspect of Nashville life from the 1950s through the 1990s. In this post, I…

Parents* Are the Best Teachers

Parents* Are the Best Teachers January 15, 2019 Dear Parent, Yes, you there. Reading this blog post on the library’s website. You are your child’s best teacher, and you’re doing a great job! Go ahead; give yourself a pat on the back or a self-five…

90 Years Ago, Nashville makes history with "The Seeing Eye"

90 Years Ago, Nashville makes history with "The Seeing Eye" January 26, 2019 The first school to train dogs to be service animals for the assistance of the blind opened in Nashville on January 29th, 1929, as "The Seeing Eye…

2019: You've Got This. And We Can Help.

2019: You've Got This. And We Can Help. January 16, 2019 Did you know a third of people who make New Year’s resolutions don’t keep them past January? We asked our readers what they want to accomplish in 2019 and matched them with free library…

Mary Oliver (1935 - 2019)

Mary Oliver (1935 - 2019) January 17, 2019 Mary Oliver passed away today. She was the first poet that made me appreciate poetry. I’m not the biggest fan of poetry. Never have been.…

The Extraordinary Wangari Maathai

The Extraordinary Wangari Maathai February 12, 2019 Born in rural Kenya and educated in the United States, Wangari Maathai was the first woman in East Africa to earn a doctoral degree, a Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, and is the founder of the Green Belt…

Trailblazer: Librarian and Storyteller Pura Belpré

Trailblazer: Librarian and Storyteller Pura Belpré March 5, 2019 The publication of a new picture book biography of Pura Belpré is the perfect opportunity to learn about this trailblazing librarian and storyteller…

Required Reading I Loved

Required Reading I Loved January 31, 2019 I've taken quite a few literature classes in my day, and while some texts were a struggle to read (I still don't really know what happened in The Faerie Queene), others I couldn't put down. Here are a few…

Sealed with a Kiss!

Sealed with a Kiss! February 5, 2019 Have you ever read a book that you just want to hug when you finish? And maybe not let anyone else touch it until you’re ready to let it go? Maybe that's just a children's librarian thing? Anyway, I had that experience…