Looking for new favorites that support early reading skills like rhyme, repetition, colors, and numbers? Here is a list of books with diverse representation and inclusive themes for a young audience. 

Periods of self-distancing and isolation can make us feel anxious and BORED. Here are some recommendations for ebooks that help you fill the time with activity or stillness.

Activist Osta Underwood's papers reveal how important planning and preparedness are to organizing a movement.  

New exhibit of Gary Layda's photography at Main showcases change in Nashville from the 1980s to the 2010s. 

In honor of Pride Month and the 50th Anniversary of the Stonewall Riots, I looked at the papers of Larry Romans and news coverage about the Nashville LGBTQ community

Nashville's history with theatre and the performing arts is long and storied. You can find treasure after treasure documenting this history in NPL Special Collections. On May 25, Special Collections is playing its own role in the story.

The Jack Gunter Civil Rights Photography Collection is now open to researchers!

The Nashville Room's Special Collections wing is home to many invaluable resources, including a collection of nearly 200 oral histories about the 2010 flood.

The Nashville Room has a small exhibit of photographs to celebrate the availability of a new collection documenting the activities of the YWCA Blue Triangle Branch. Come see our resources!

One of our most-utilized resources here in Special Collections is the Nashville Banner clippings: articles about every aspect of Nashville life from the 1950s through the 1990s. In this post, I use Banner clippings to tell you the story of two popular types of night spot entertainment: mechanical bull riding and karaoke!

In the 1950s and 60s, Church Street was a bustling shopping center that truly went all out for the holiday season. 

Exploring the holdings of Main Library’s Special Collections, I stumbled upon a local figure I hadn’t heard of before—Robert Churchwell. Hired by the Nashville Banner in 1950, Churchwell was the first black journalist and full-time reporter for a Southern newspaper.

Every October, the Southern Festival of Books: A Celebration of the Written Word, turns our “it city” into “lit city.” With three days of thoughtful, exciting programming, this event has long been a fall-time favorite, appealing to more than just bookworms. I investigated the roots of this community-building festival using primary and secondary sources from NPL Special Collections.