Summary

Enormous strides in wireless and other technological areas have changed the face of businesses and services all over the world, including libraries. These changes, combined with limited public resources, have prompted the library to think creatively and innovatively about its future.

We can’t do this thinking alone. The library exists for the community. We need input and ideas from the people we serve to effectively meet both the challenges of the future and the needs of our city.

Beginning in March 2008 and over the next ten months, we’ll be talking with our community about the future of the Nashville Public Library in a process we’re calling “A Strategic Conversation about the Nashville Public Library.” We intend to address these two questions:

• What would excellence look like with limited resources?
• What would excellence look like with optimum resources?

The library will gather information from the community using such means as focus groups, data collection, and a web survey. That feedback will form the basis of the conversation.

To structure and guide the conversation, we’ve devised a Planning Committee, made up mainly of employees from the main library and its branches; and an Advisory Committee, made up of community and civic members. The role of the Planning Committee is to keep the conversation on course and to provide input and information when needed. The role of the Advisory Committee is to propose new ideas of its own, review community feedback, and to ultimately combine those two factors to create three or four scenarios about what our future library might look like.

The culmination of the conversation will occur in a series of town meetings, held in the fall at various library branches, to present the scenarios and receive feedback from the community. The resulting information will be used by the library Board of Trustees and the library staff to plan future programs and services.

Donna Nicely
Library Director
Nashville Public Library
April 2008

If you are interested in becoming part of a citizen focus group, or if you would like to make comments or suggestions, please send an e-mail to us.