Nashville Public Library (Memphis: theater, university, live)

[Lamplight]

I was off all last week and I'd been meaning to check out Nashville's library, so on Tuesday I made a visit.

WOW. If you haven't been, I highly recommend it. I was expecting it to be decent but not especially great, but I drastically underestimated it. It was one of the few public libraries I've been to that was nearly on par with good university libraries. Now if I lived close by I could visit more often! Fortunately I have easy access to MTSU's library, which is extremely good.

[vivelafrance]

I also LOVE the Main Nashville Public Library. If you can remember the old one you'd appreciate this one even more!

[nashvols]

Originally Posted by vivelafrance

I also LOVE the Main Nashville Public Library. If you can remember the old one you'd appreciate this one even more!

Ohhh yes. Not that the old library was terrible...just not interesting or comfortable. Plus parking was an issue at times.

The new main branch, as well as some of the new community branches, is great.

Compared to a university library, the main branch might not offer the shear number of volumes or resources, but it is far better aesthetically than the university libraries I have been in (I will say MTSU's relatively new library is very nice!).

For those who haven't been...definitely go and check out the Grand Reading Room, as well as the murals of the city's history throughout it's development. The library was exceptionally well done. They didn't cut corners. It's the way a main library branch should be.

[DonCorleone]

Absolutely...it is really a gem. The Grand Reading Room is truly amazing. Likewise the children's puppet theater room is great too. They have an incredible collection of marionettes and puppets and put on a very entertaining kids' show for free.

I remember going to the old Ben West Library when I was a kid and it was still very exciting to check out the old microfiche newspapers and the huge kids' section. But it doesn't even remotely compare to the new library. It would be like comparing a warehouse to the Parthenon.

[buddyjo143]

Loved the courtyard. A secret garden in the city.

[Brandoncraig]

Many cities have built new main libraries over the last 10 to 15 years and of all the ones I've been to, the one in Nashville is the best. They really did it right.

20 years ago, Memphis had a far superior library than Nashville. I always thought the old downtown Nashville library was a dump while the Memphis library though cramped had more of a library atmosphere.

Both cities built new libraries around the same time. While the new Memphis library is an interesting building, it seems mainly designed for noisy people to play on the internet. The Nashville library is perfectly designed for those who want to play on Facebook on the computers or those who are there for reading or research.