<
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2025-10-14/library-designs-showcase-new-roles-as-social-hubs-and-downtown-boosters>
"When Bonnie and Barry Augustine moved to the Nashville suburb of Donelson in
1980, they found a quiet neighborhood — too quiet.
“Very little traffic, very few restaurants,” said Barry, 80, a retired VA
hospital administrator. “Not a great deal of things to do in the area.”
But Donelson has boomed since then, along with Nashville itself. One major sign
of its transformation is the opening of the new Donelson branch of the Metro
Nashville Public Library system in June 2024. Sited in the middle of a
once-sleepy 1960s strip mall, the 25,000-square-foot facility is a major
expansion over the previous branch library, and it has an ambitious goal: to
serve as a vibrant community anchor for an older first-suburb that has long
lacked a traditional downtown.
More than just a repository for books, the new branch offers a range of
non-printed programming, including repair services, tool lending and yoga
classes. A flexible floor plan allows stacks and shared spaces to be
reconfigured as needs change. It’s also a showcase for sustainable design
features: Geothermal heating and cooling and a rooftop solar array ease energy
costs, while its location across the street from the Donelson station of
Nashville’s WeGo Star commuter rail makes it transit-accessible. Meanwhile, the
parking lots surrounding the new building are slowly filling up with
apartments, restaurants and other amenities.
Ryan Darrow, Donelson’s branch manager, calls the library “the real nexus of a
community.” Attendance is up significantly, and “we have this interplay in the
community here where not only are people coming to the library, but they also
have the opportunity to go to the restaurants that are in this area.”
The Augustines, who live about four blocks away, visit the branch at least four
times a week. “It’s just what Donelson needed,” said Bonnie, 79. “We have a
town center now. That’s something we didn’t have before.”"
Via David Byrne at
Reasons to be Cheerful:
<
https://reasonstobecheerful.world/what-were-reading-vending-machine-for-books/>
Share and enjoy,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
