About

Limitless Libraries serves as the managerial entity overseeing the collaborative partnership between the Nashville Public Library (NPL) and Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools (MNPS). Through this partnership, enrolled students and MNPS employees are provided with public library accounts, utilizing their respective student and employee IDs. These accounts grant access to materials within the NPL collection, which can be checked out in person at any NPL branch. Additionally, select schools offer in-school delivery for requested materials.

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. Our goals are:

• To enable students, educators, and librarians to have access to the best collections possible;
• To lay a foundation for a lifelong love of reading and learning;
• To prepare students to be productive citizens within their communities after graduation;
• To support educators as they build self-awareness, encourage exploration, and nurture life skills within students.

The integration of MNPS and NPL is facilitated through a shared Integrated Library System (ILS), utilizing The Library Corporation's CarlX and Carl Connect platforms. This system merges the catalogs of both institutions, allowing users to view available materials across all participating schools and public library branches. To streamline access, students and educators accessing materials through school-based technologies will only see materials available at their respective schools. Elementary students can access the juvenile catalog, while secondary students have access to the complete catalog. However, outside of school premises, all NPL account holders can access the full catalog and place holds accordingly.

Limitless Libraries maintains a stance of non-involvement in monitoring individual user activity, including hold requests and checkouts. Instead, parents are empowered to link their accounts to monitor their child's reading interests and activity. Furthermore, parents have the option to opt their children out of Limitless Libraries services by completing the provided Opt-Out Form.

The program implements measures to ensure age-appropriate material selection and access. This includes a thorough review process conducted by professional librarians who adhere to guidelines set forth by the American Library Association (ALA), MNPS School Library Policies, MNPS Board of Education textbook and instructional materials selection policies, Limitless Libraries collection development policy, and State of Tennessee Rules for School Libraries.

At its core, Limitless Libraries is committed to providing students and educators with access to high-quality, curated materials that support literacy and education. The overarching goal is to foster a lifelong love for reading, ultimately empowering students to become productive citizens who positively contribute to their communities.

History

It all started with a grand vision: granting students easy access to top-notch educational resources, both in our libraries and online.

In 2009, Nashville Mayor Karl Dean approached Nashville Public Library(NPL) with a groundbreaking proposal: to spearhead a novel partnership between public and school libraries. NPL was tasked with recommending specific measures to enhance school libraries, promote resource sharing between the two entities, and bolster student access to learning materials. With a mandate for collection development and procurement to meet state standards for both quantity and quality of materials, NPL embarked on this ambitious mission.

A pilot initiative kicked off in 2009 involving three high schools and a ninth-grade academy. City funding was subsequently expanded to extend the program to all MNPS traditional schools. Presently, Limitless Libraries partners with MNPS school libraries, guaranteeing enhanced access to educational materials district-wide. This translates to all MNPS students and staff having public library accounts by way of their IDs, facilitating seamless access to NPL resources.

Starting in the fall of 2024, Limitless Libraries will introduce a bookmobile to cater to schools lacking their own libraries.

Limitless Libraries Timeline