Libraries in Nashville
Nashville Public Library serves 712,334 people in and around Nashville from 21 locations. Last year it lent 8.4M books, movies and e-books and logged 2.8M visits.
Nashville’s library, in brief
Most of Nashville’s borrowing is digital
E-books, e-audiobooks and streaming make up 61% of loans, more per resident than at 98% of similar-size libraries. Print still makes up 39%, much of it kids’ books. What people borrow ↓
Three times the programs of a typical library its size
Nashville Public Library ran 18,652 programs last year, about 359 a week. That’s 26 per 1,000 residents, against a typical 9. People show up: 332,000 attended. Kids & programs ↓
21 places to borrow in Nashville
Nashville Public Library runs 21 locations, and one card works at all of them. The buildings ↓
People come to Nashville Public Library a lot
Nashville Public Library logs 3.9 visits per resident, against a typical 2.1 for libraries serving 100,000+ people, more than 90% of similar-size libraries. Borrowing is above typical too, at 4.6 print items per resident. How it compares ↓
Nashville invests in its library
Nashville Public Library spends $75 per resident a year, about twice the typical $36 for a library its size. Almost all of it (96%) comes from local taxes. What your card is worth ↓
This summary is written from the numbers on this page. Numbers are the library’s own report to the Public Libraries Survey, fiscal year 2024.
About 146 kids’ programs a week
Story times, clubs, classes and events, by who they’re for.
Programs last year by age group
story times and programs a week for ages 0–5, on average.
61% of borrowing is digital
8.4M loans last year: print, kids’ and digital.
Each of the 1.3M books and other items on the shelves went out about 2.5 times last year, on average.
5,120,861 e-books, e-audiobooks and streams last year. Borrow from home with your card, plus research databases: courses, journals, genealogy and more.
Every hour the doors are open, about 166 items go out
Fiscal year 2024. The library’s own count.
For every $1 it spends, the library lends about $2.42 worth
Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average Nashville cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $36. Operating budget $53M.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $129M worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $53M budget.
Fine-free. No late fees on books returned late.
Retail prices are typical, rounded down: a new book $17, a kids’ book $12, an e-book or e-audiobook $15, a movie rental $4, a class or program $10, a computer or Wi-Fi session $3. The average cardholder’s month = the library’s yearly loans, attendance and Wi-Fi sessions ÷ its 305,583 cardholders ÷ 12.
21 places to borrow in Nashville
Nashville Public Library, 615 Church Street, Nashville.
No late fees. E-books and audiobooks from home. Loans renew on their own if no one’s waiting. Research databases: courses, journals, genealogy.
New in Nashville? The Handbook →Hours are the survey’s yearly average. Check the library’s own site for today’s hours.
Other libraries in Nashville
And 8 more in Nashville.
Ahead of most similar-size libraries on 5 of 8 measures
Per resident, against libraries serving 100,000+ people across the U.S. A tiny town’s library always looks busier per person, so it’s only compared with its own size.
library systems for visits per resident.
Nashville Public Library serves 712,334 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving 100,000+.
Libraries next door
Nashville ranks 2nd of 7 for borrowing per resident. Tap a town to see its library.
| Town | Library | Loans per resident | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brentwood | The John P. Holt Brentwood Library | 15.0 | 66 |
| Nashville | Nashville Public Library fine-free | 11.8 | 53 |
| Goodlettsville | Goodlettsville Branch Library fine-free | 11.8 | 44 |
| Mount Juliet | Mt. Juliet-Wilson County Public Library | 5.6 | 60 |
| Hendersonville | Hendersonville Public Library of Sumner County | 2.6 | 40 |
| Millersville | Millersville Public Library of Sumner County | 1.4 | 40 |
| La Vergne | La Vergne Public Library fine-free | 1.0 | 54 |
| Ashland City | Cheatham County Public Library fine-free | — | 55 |
| Rural Hill | None of its own | — | — |
| Green Hill | None of its own | — | — |
| Coopertown | None of its own | — | — |
Loans = print + digital items borrowed in the library’s fiscal year, per person it serves. — = no library of its own, a county or regional system (its numbers cover many towns), or no report.
About these numbers
From the Public Libraries Survey, fiscal year 2024.
- Hours are an average. The survey reports a building’s public hours for the whole year. We divide by the weeks it was open, so check the library’s own site for today’s hours.
- Compared by size. “Similar-size” means libraries serving about as many people, nationwide. Per-resident numbers always flatter the smallest towns, so they’re never compared with big cities.
- The library’s own count. Libraries report their own visits, loans and programs. A library that didn’t respond keeps its address and hours here, with no numbers.
Book talk
Reading, story times and the library in Nashville.
Your answer becomes a post in Town Square.
Libraries: Institute of Museum and Library Services, Public Libraries Survey, fiscal year 2024. Each library reports its own numbers. Distances are straight-line from the town center. “What your card is worth” uses typical retail prices and is an estimate, not an official figure.