NPLF
Something special happened in Nashville this spring. Across the city, from the Southeast Branch to the Main Library downtown, library staff arrived to find gift baskets waiting for them on National Library Workers Day. Inside: treats, stickers, and something more lasting than either — a handcrafted book filled with handwritten notes from the people whose lives they touch every single day.
This was the Nashville Public Library Foundation’s third annual Thank-a-thon, and it was unlike anything we’d done before.
In past years, the Thank-a-thon mobilized library users to write notes of gratitude to the elected officials who fund Nashville Public Library. This spring, we turned that energy toward the people on the front lines: the librarians, program coordinators, circulation staff, and every team member who shows up every day to make NPL one of this city’s greatest civic assets. NPLF handcrafted 21 library gratitude guest books, gathered 101 digital submissions, and worked with 50 Library Ambassadors who hosted postcard party writing packs across the community.
The notes that came back were extraordinary.
The Crist family wrote: “My family loves you in every single way. You help us print, find new stories, listen to audio books, and create a safe place to vote. You make our lives so much better. We LOVE YOU!”
Laura T., a graduate student at the Southeast Branch, put it plainly: “I’ve never left your branch without having all of my questions and concerns addressed. Thank you for being exemplary librarians.”
Paige M. captured what so many people felt: “Without you, the library would be a soulless group of rooms. You really make it a place that welcomes everyone.”
And one patron wrote with urgency and conviction: “You fight a battle every day to keep libraries a free refuge of learning and inclusive knowledge. Keep on fighting the good fight.”
Notes arrived from library users of all ages — and from some notable corners of Nashville’s civic life, too. Council Member Terry Vo, who chairs the Arts, Parks and Libraries Committee, rallied her fellow council members to pick up pens alongside everyday patrons. Messages came from the Mayor, from NPL and NPLF board members, and — in an unexpected moment — from the Lord Mayor of Belfast, Nashville’s sister city across the Atlantic.
NPLF Director of Community Giving Caitlin Reed said it well: “The themes are as varied as the programs and resources on offer at NPL, but one thing is really clear: Nashville loves its library and the people who make it a treasure.”
Your support makes moments like this possible. When you give to NPLF or serve as a Library Ambassador, you’re not just funding programs — you’re helping build a community that shows up for its library and for each other. Join us. Give today at nplf.org, or ask us how to get involved as a Library Ambassador.
