NASHVILLE PUBLIC LIBRARY FOUNDATION

BEGIN BRIGHT IS NASHVILLE PUBLIC LIBRARY'S EARLY LITERACY CAMPAIGN TO SET CHILDREN UP FOR KINDERGARTEN READING SUCCESS THROUGH A GROUNDBREAKING TRANSFORMATIONAL PLAN. NPL'S APPROACH INCLUDES DELIVERING A "LITTLE LIBRARY AND CORRESPONDING RESOURCES TO EVERY CHILDCARE CENTER IN THE COUNTY, PROVIDING IN-PERSON AND ON-DEMAND DIGITAL TRAININGS FOR PARENTS AND TEACHERS, AND ENLISTING A NATIONAL RESEARCH ORGANIZATION TO STUDY THE IMPACT OVER FOUR YEARS, CREATING AN ACTIONABLE, MEASURABLE MODEL THAT WILL TRANSFORM THE EARLY LITERACY LANDSCAPE. BASED ON THE SUCCESS OF THE BRINGING BOOKS TO LIFE MODEL, THIS INITIATIVE IS IN ITS EARLY IMPLEMENTATION STAGES. BRINGING BOOKS TO LIFE (BBTL) IS AN AWARD-WINNING EARLY-LITERACY PROGRAM THAT HELPS TEACHERS AND PARENTS FOSTER A LOVE OF READING IN CHILDREN THROUGH TEACHER TRAININGS, FAMILY LITERACY PROGRAMS, AND STORY-RELATED CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES. FOUNDED IN 2003 AND DEVELOPED IN PARTNERSHIP WITH EDUCATORS AND EXPERTS IN EARLY CHILDHOOD DEVELOPMENT, BBTL IS CENTERED ON NPL'S LITERATURE-BASED PUPPET PERFORMANCES. BBTL PROMOTES EARLY CHILDHOOD LITERACY THROUGH INTERACTIVE STORY TIME, PUPPET PERFORMANCES, PARENT WORKSHOPS IN ENGLISH & SPANISH, AND TRAININGS FOR EDUCATORS. BRINGING BOOKS TO LIFE SERVED 15,888 CHILDREN, TEACHERS, AND PARENTS THROUGH 502 IN-PERSON PROGRAMS AT 139 LOCATIONS AND 597 VIRTUAL PROGRAMS IN FY25. BBTL CONTINUES TO GROW AS A PROGRAM WITH THE BEGIN BRIGHT CAMPAIGN, OFFERING THESE ESSENTIAL SERVICES TO CHILDREN, EDUCATORS, AND PARENTS.

LIMITLESS LIBRARIES STARTED IN 2009 AS A PILOT PROJECT LED BY FORMER MAYOR KARL DEAN TO PROVIDE METRO NASHVILLE PUBLIC (MNPS) HIGH SCHOOLS WITH ACCESS TO NASHVILLE PUBLIC LIBRARY BOOKS AND MATERIALS. TODAY, LIMITLESS LIBRARIES (LL) ENSURES STUDENTS AND EDUCATORS HAVE ACCESS TO THE BEST EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES AND LIBRARY CONNECTIONS. LL PROVIDES 81,000+ STUDENTS AND 5,000+ EDUCATORS WITH ACCESS TO OVER 2.3 MILLION ITEMS AT NPL THROUGH AUTOMATIC ACCOUNT CREATION, DIGITAL RESOURCES, COLLECTION DEVELOPMENT, AND OUTREACH SUPPORT. THE ACCESS PROVIDED ELIMINATES TRANSPORTATION BARRIERS BY DELIVERING MATERIALS TO SCHOOLS AND MAKES EDUCATION AND LITERACY EQUITABLE FOR ALL. IN FISCAL YEAR 25, LIMITLESS LIBRARIES SUPPORTED 81,397 STUDENTS, AND 5,021 EDUCATORS AND LIBRARIANS ACROSS 159 SCHOOLS BETWEEN JULY 2024-JUNE 2025AND FACILITATED THE CIRCULATION OF 62,516MATERIALS. IN ADDITION TO MATERIALS, LIMITLESS LIBRARIES PROVIDED CLASSROOM VISITS, PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT, AND COMMUNITY EVENT ATTENDANCE. LIMITLESS LIBRARIES IS DEDICATED TO ENRICHING THE LIVES OF MNPS STUDENTS, LIBRARIANS, AND EDUCATORS BY PROVIDING ACCESSIBILITY THROUGH COLLECTION DEVELOPMENT, MATERIALS DELIVERY, OUTREACH, ADVOCACY, AND DIGITAL RESOURCES.