As customers trickled into the Pruitt branch of the Nashville Public Library around lunchtime on a recent Thursday, they were greeted by the sounds of music, clippers, and overlapping conversations more familiar from a barbershop than from a public library.
Students from Legacy Master Barber Academy on Jefferson Street were giving free haircuts to community members, many of whom are residents of the nearby Napier Place public housing community. They do this every week.
Nate Hodge, 21, of Napier, said he heard about the service from his uncle, but was skeptical that student barbers working for free would be able to give him a satisfactory cut.
“Then when I finally got here, they cut my hair and did it the way I wanted it,” he said. “Keep $10 in your pocket, yeah, you better come over here.”
James Pedigo, a student at the school who calls himself marketing director, often goes out and talks about haircuts to people waiting in line for free food, which is provided weekly at the library branch.
“Barbering is more than just cutting hair,” Pedigo says. “You are a counselor, a friend, a shoulder to lean on. …For those 10 or 15 minutes, we feel good. Their problem is solved, they have a new perspective and a good pep talk. I will leave through the gate.”
The haircut program is held every other afternoon, and the clientele that day is mostly school-age children. The no-cook hair shop was founded by Pruitt librarian Shandi Demanbreum and has been running for two years. She said between 10 and 50 people use the service on a regular basis.
This is just one of a growing list of Nashville Public Library programs that push the traditional limits of what libraries can offer.
Public library operations were changing long before the COVID-19 pandemic, with collections shifting from printed books to electronic materials, but pandemic closures have accelerated that change. It was just that. Libraries across the country have sought to meet changing desires in other ways as well, such as the introduction of makerspaces in recent decades with the trend to encourage STEM education. When NPL launched its Library of Things program last year, Interim Director Terry Luke said the move was a sign of one of his mottos: “Whether you're a bookworm or not, NPL has something for you. I thought it was because of the location.
After a conversation with a patron who had to choose between a free haircut and a guaranteed bed for the night, Demanbrium started a barbershop program at his Pruitt store because the two services were performed at the same time. did. At the time, Demanbreum was recovering from chemotherapy, needed more regular haircuts, and had been out of the house himself once, so he empathized with Demanbreum's plight.
“I had no intention of keeping a mullet, so I kept getting haircuts,” said Demanbreum, who also lives in Napier. “They come here to prepare for interviews. And there are also single mothers with six, seven, eight kids. They save a lot of money by having their kids get haircuts. You can.”
Other products
As libraries across the country undergo changes, NPL has sought to keep pace.
The Library of Things, which opened last year, offers patrons the opportunity to check out kitchenware, tools, musical instruments, sporting goods and sewing machines. Over 3,000 items have been rented since April 2023. Some of the most popular include tools (1,200+ checkouts) and pickleball kits (104 checkouts).
Nashville library branches host workout classes, offer job application assistance, and provide access to 3D printers and recording studios. Homeless service providers frequently set up shop in separate branches, providing shelter to many people who have nowhere else to go during the day. Library staff, other Metro departments, and independent organizations are providing connections to mental health counseling, hygiene kits, housing guidance, and other resources. Serving the unhoused has long been a priority for the Nashville library system, especially as the community grows, congregating at Church Street Park, across the street from the main building. In 2015, the store rearranged part of its third floor with these patrons in mind, adding tables, power outlets and computers, and removing rows of bound magazines.
There is also a proposal to build apartment complexes on top of nearby branches.
“Metro funds books, buildings and organizations, and we're there to rally support for new initiatives that don't fit into those three areas,” said Nashville Public Library, an independent fundraising organization. said Christy Graham of the foundation. Supports a lot of non-traditional programming. “It’s important to look at everything a library has to offer and how it can be an important resource for the community beyond just the books on the shelves.”
In addition to changing appetites, library advocates across the country suggest that libraries are adding such services to fill the void as community facilities and free public gathering spaces decline. are.
Small World Yoga offers free classes at nearly every library branch in Nashville (in addition to programs at schools, the Davidson County Jail, and other community facilities). This is part of the Be Well at NPL wellness program launched in 2016 in partnership with Small World Yoga.
The service began nearly 10 years ago in four branches and currently has active classes in 17 branches. For the past year, Small World has offered yoga at all NPL branches, including one-time temporary classes, said Liz Vail, the organization's executive director.
The group recently launched a fundraising campaign, as funding for the show's production is expected to run out by the end of the year. Vail said Small World Yoga will continue to offer classes no matter what, but may have to scale back its schedule.
She said classes at the Edmondson branch are particularly popular, with regulars at the weekly classes in Bordeaux often inviting the instructors out for lunch and wine after class. Vail said library patrons can sometimes “discover yoga” simply by checking out a class at a local branch.
“I think it’s great that the library and the metro government are choosing to use library facilities that way,” she said. “Ten years ago, I wasn't thinking about programming of any kind other than going to the library to buy books.”
On a recent afternoon at the Studio NPL Center in the youth section of the main library downtown, students practiced guitar, sewing, recording and digital design as 3D printers whirred in the background.
Studio NPL Manager Nick Tognoni said the facility and its programs offer mobile services at eight branches, as well as schools and other libraries, for middle school and high school students to use after school or during vacations such as summer vacation. It is designed to provide engaging and productive activities for students. He helped launch the program almost exactly 10 years ago after studying a similar model in Chicago.
“It was a challenge to think about how we could re-engage young people in the library in a way that they felt comfortable but also felt meaningful and practiced,” Tognoni said.
Room setups change over time as activities rise and fall in popularity with students. While recording studios have always been popular, students experience waves of interest in rapping, producing, instrumental music, and podcasting. Sewing and sewing jobs have become so popular that there is now a dedicated section. During the week-long camp earlier this year, students visited thrift stores to buy used clothing and upcycled it using library supplies.
The program has grown over 10 years and now serves thousands of students each year.
bold plan
As what happens inside libraries continues to change, some are considering changing what happens around them.
Metro City Councilwoman Emily Benedict, whose District 7 includes Madison and parts of Inglewood, has been talking about replacing the Inglewood Library branch since before she was first elected more than four years ago. Doing so has been a priority for metro authorities for even longer.
Built in 1969, this branch just north of 5,000 square feet serves far more visitors than libraries of similar size. However, it is located on 1.8 acres of prime land on Gallatin Pike.
Last year, Mr. Benedict proposed using the property to fund construction of a 20,000-square-foot replacement facility. The idea is to build dozens of housing units above the new library, allowing Metro to split the cost 50-50 with developers and add housing units to the busy transit corridor.
Benedict said the reaction has been mixed, with some residents objecting to the plan, which would lead to the demolition of decades-old buildings. But city council members are on board, with funding for the project listed as a county-wide top priority in this year's ranking of capital improvement budgets.
“This is public land, and the city needs to make the most of it to best serve Nashville residents,” Benedict said. “If we can provide housing as a public benefit in addition to the civic benefit of the library, to me that's the best use of the land.”