Nashville Public Library + Nashville Public Library Foundation | 2015 Annual Report

BOOKS ARE ONLY HALF THE STORY
Studio NPL
Out-of-school learning experiences are crucial to readying teens for college, the
workforce and beyond. At Studio NPL, the library’s innovative, mentor-based
learning space, teens can access sophisticated technology and develop digital
literacy skills and 21st century competencies that are key to higher education and
lifelong success.
In April 2015, Nashville Public Library opened its sixth Studio NPL location at the Main
Library, a 2,500-square-foot space with three production booths for video editing,
audio editing and recording, a performance space, gaming consoles, robotics stations,
3-D printers and more. In addition, five other Studio NPL spaces were opened at the
Green Hills, Bellevue, Southeast, Madison and East branch libraries, and a mobile
Studio environment was created to reach public schools, community centers and
other organizations whose limited resources prevent a visit to a fixed Studio space.
With help from expert mentors, more than 10,000 teens enjoyed Studio spaces and
participated in mentor-led programs such as podcasting, video production, audio
production, photography and more. In addition, Studio NPL continues to partner with
Southern Word, a spoken word organization, and plans to work with organizations
such as Urban Green Labs to co-host STEM workshops, the Iron Yard to host coding
classes and the Porch Writers Collective to host monthly writing workshops.
Studio NPL is sponsored by the Memorial Foundation, the Bridgestone Americas Trust Fund and Barge, Waggoner,
Sumner & Cannon, Inc.
15,000
The number of teens NPL
expects to serve this year
through Studio NPL, mobile
programing and at NAZA
(Nashville After Zone
Alliance) sites this year.
5
The number of staff and
guest mentors who led
programs in the fields of
audio, writing, photography,
video, 3-D design and more.
81
The number of technology
devices purchased by gifts
to the Library Foundation,
including six iMac laptops,
26 large format printers,
25 DSLR cameras, five 3-D
scanners and more.
18