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About 18 months after taking its leave from the Memphis Public Libraries, Bartlett’s book building seems to be making strides to show the separation was the right move. Bartlett became the last of the six suburbs in Shelby County to leave what was once a countywide system. Bartlett held on for a number of years after the others finalized their separate divorces. Like many of the other suburban libraries, Bartlett wondered if it was the right move. There were certainly benefits to being part of a large operation, having the ability to pick up books at branches across Memphis and the number of books available for checkout. But in January 2024, the frustration of the arrangement led Bartlett officials to seek an alternative. They said the Memphis system was short-changing the suburb on the books and materials the larger entity was supposed to provide. Bartlett at the time said it steered $94,000 to Memphis Public Libraries, but their calculations showed the suburb only got an estimated $58,000 in return, meaning Bartlett was short $36,000 worth of books and materials. That was enough for Bartlett to look elsewhere. And they looked to Avenu Insights & Analytics, the private company overseeing the Germantown Community Library. “It can be overwhelming with a lot of change happening at one time,” said Felicia Knox, the Bartlett library director. “I think we’ve done a good job of getting out in the community and letting people know who we are.” There have been interior changes to the branch on Stage Road just east of the railroad crossing. There are summer reading programs for all ages and other events such as Toddler Time and Home School Hangout. While most seem to be pleased with the transition, Alderman Kevin Quinn still has some concerns about the way things are going and whether it was the best move to go with Avenu. He is pleased with Knox and her staff. It’s more about whether Avenu is living up to its commitments. “They haven’t actually saved us any money. Materials checked out have fallen by over 60,000 items, and computer usage is down,” said Quinn, who voted against the management change. Quinn may have a point. And there may still be bugs to work out. Smoothing out the operation. Fleshing out the benefits versus the setbacks may take some time. More time than 18 months. But at least those issues can be addressed through Bartlett rather than an overall system, where the suburban branch is just one of close to 20 locations standing in line waiting for their share of funds. — Suburbs editor Clay Bailey
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Bartlett was the last of the six suburbs to leave the Memphis Public Libraries system. Eighteen months later, the building has been improved and programs upgraded.
By Michael Waddell
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