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Nashville Public Library’s new Library of Things offers a new set of tools for the community

BY CHELSEA JACKSON

A new addition to the downtown Nashville Public Library gives the community the opportunity to check out more than books.

The Nashville Public Library, location on Church Street, introduced The Library of Things in early February — it’s a new program that allows anyone with a valid library card to check out items ranging from ukuleles to screw driver sets.

The demand is “exceptionally big,” said Ed Brown, public information officer for the library system.

In the collection, there are things such as a radon detector and an air quality monitor. These items were immediately checked out and had more than 100 holds placed on them, Brown said.

But the idea of The Library of Things wasn’t an original creation.

When NPL started looking at programs like this one, they started looking into libraries around the world. The one that they examined the closest was in Sacramento, Calif. As a result, NPL did a trial run and asked a bunch of questions to other libraries.

The library asked questions about what challenges that they had to overcome to implement the program as well as technical questions like how did they determine what to buy with the budget they had and at what scale.

The feedback they received from the libraries and the internal workshops deemed to be very helpful feedback such as what they should provide explains Brown.

When deciding this, NPL wanted to make sure that the things chosen were practical things that people need because they are common items, says Brown.

The library wanted to put items in the collection that would “engage people's curiosity,” Brown says.

The items range from pickleball sets to an ice cream maker.

Another goal of the library is to give people the opportunity to try things out before they buy them, such as kettlebells, which most of the time in order to use you need a gym membership or have to purchase on your own.

The checkout process for the collection is only slightly different from checking out a book.

When someone wants to check out an item from the collection, they can simply come to the library, call the library or simply log on to the website catalog and put a hold on the item then select where they want to pick up the item, says Brown.

The items that are available are all brand new, explains Brown.

The funding for these items come from The Nashville Public Library Foundation. This foundation's sole purpose is to advocate and fundraise for the library. In addition the library, being a part of the Metro Nashville government receives funds from them as well.

When it comes to the future of The Library of Things, “We want Nashville to tell us,” Brown said.

The library’s future is “bright but we’re not sure what it looks like yet,” Brown said.

The library needs Nashville to tell them where the program is heading. The community can send emails through the library’s general submission or connect with the library through their social media pages.

“Even if you're not a reader, book lover, there's a place for you at NPL,” Brown said.

The library also offers programs including adult literacy programs that connect people with resources to teach them how to read as well as ESL programs for people learning English as a second language. The Library of Things is just “a continuation of that mission to educate,” Brown said.