Nashville Public Library – Bellevue Branch

Perfect library. No complaints.
So many children’s song times/activities…helpful and friendly staff, nice area for eating. The whole place is super nice and very well designed. One area of improvement is I see a few stains on the carpet (children’s area). Those need to be treated ASAP if the library is going to stay nice for years to come.
I can’t wait come without kids one day to sit out on the deck and enjoy a good book.

Has to be one of the best public libraries I have ever encountered. I take my three year old son twice a week to see Ms. Katie during story time. The staff is helpful and I can see this place being a central place for my son’s childhood.

Love the new library!!! The staff are great and are always willing to help. I love the fact that they have ample power outlets if you bring your own laptops. They even have individual study rooms in the back (several different sizes. The larger ones you have to reserve, so I haven’t worked in there yet. Ample lighting and air flow. The room I was in had its own individual temperature control. I haven’t seen that it many libraries. Most of the other Metro libraries have their desks facing a wall so your back is to the door. It doesn’t make me feel safe having my back to the door. The study rooms here aren’t like that. They even have white boards stocked with markers and erasers if you feel the need for them.

This is what we have been waiting for in the Bellevue community. The hours on the website (and Unilocal) were wrong, so there were plenty of eager neighbors waiting to get in and explore. Someone did tell an employee and she admitted the hours had changed and the website hasn’t been updated yet.
You would have thought it was Disney World the way people were waiting to get in. When the doors opened we all went about in whatever direction.
We started with the teen area despite not having a teen. It’s smaller than the downtown branch’s teen area but impressive. Tons of teen appropriate books and seating. There’s also a big tv with an xbox hooked up. The librarian for that section was helpful in answering our questions. They will have different games and crafts and welcome the kids from Bellevue Middle.
On our way to the kids section we stopped in the program area. There’s plenty of seating in the form of banquette and little stools that for under the bench. There’s also a tv on the wall and plenty of room. I imagine this is where the yoga and meditation classes will be.
The kids area is spectacular. In addition to the books and DVDs, there’s also several kids computers, activities, and seating. One wall has kids drawings of popular kids books which was great to see. There was also a (soft) block play area.
When heading into the «adult» area I was sidetracked by the new computers snd work stations complete with outlets and places for cords. Then I saw the hub to check out iPads and Dell laptops. It was really easy to check out an iPad and I just needed my card. I selected iPad and one popped out. Upon returning it thanked me and asked if I had any problems. (Check out period is an hour)
We saw two study rooms complete with large white boards (with needed supplies). Each room had two tables with chairs. There was a decent sized conference room with table, outlets, and TV.
In the DVD section they are nicely organized. TV series and movies. Some TV seasons now have 21 day periods which is nice.
There is a vending area with snacks, cold drinks, and coffee. On the other side of the wall there are tables and chairs to relax.
There’s a large community room now. There were chairs set up and it was nice.
In the bathroom area there were water foundations and what stuck out to me was the water bottle refill.
All in all it was very impressive. I loved seeing neighbors getting library cards. We now have a sleek, modern, well equipped library we can be proud of.

Bellevue’s long suffering library facilities are seriously outdated and folks have talked about renovating/​moving/​exploding the facility for years now. The place has a very serious 1960s vibe that isn’t befitting the Bellevue neighborhood at all. So, you’re now looking at 4 stars and wondering if I understand how to score things on Unilocal.Good point. In spite of its small size, the location is great, right next to the middle school and red caboose park and the staff is amazing. They almost surely won’t have what you want, but they will get it for you and even have it delivered to your house. The staff is very helpful and did a great job of helping my son on his 5^th grade social studies project. Computers are pretty old school and on the weekends, most of them are filled. The library does a good job of attracting a good cultural cross section and putting out staff recommendations.
As an added bonus, if you are late with your books, you can participate in one of their canned food drives where they give you $ 1 credit for every can you bring in.

This is the library in Bellevue. It’s a great library and has a good selection and friendly staff. The hours aren’t great in my opinion. The best day for me to go is Sunday, and they’re closed that day. There are, however, bins where you can return books even if the library is closed.
A tip — if you have late fees they take cash or check, but not cards. Also you can have late fees up to a certain amount and still check out books (can’t remember the exact figure).