Good evening, everyone.

Today is Tuesday, March the third, and I want to open up this announcement period by acknowledging that this meeting is being held on the unceded stolen land of the Cherokee Shine and Yuchi people, and to remind everyone that no one is illegal on stolen land built by stolen labor.

To open up our meeting today, we have two proclamations.

Uh also Terry Luke here.

Good to see you, ma'am.

Thank you for being here.

We no problem.

We love our libraries, and uh, we definitely want to make sure that we honor Emily here.

So uh the Proflamation recognizing Emily Talbot, we're just gonna go through ahead and read this.

Whereas the Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County recognizes individuals whose dedication to public service has strengthened our community and improved the lives of its residents, and whereas Emily Talbot has devoted more than 25 years to the Nashville Public Library system, beginning her career on February 1st, 2000, and serving with distinction in roles of increasing responsibility throughout the city.

And whereas Ms.

Talbot began her service as a branch service assistant from 2000 to 2002, demonstrating an early commitment to literacy, learning, and public access access to information, and whereas she went on to serve as the Bellevue branch manager from 2002 to 2004, main children's manager from 2004 to 2006, and main circulation and popular materials manager from 2006 to 2009, where she played a vital role in strengthening the library operations and expanding access to resources for patrons of all ages.

Whereas from 2009 to 2014, Emily Talbot served as regional manager at the Edmondson Pike location, providing strong leadership, fostering community partnerships, and supporting staff and delivering high quality library services.

And whereas since 2014, she has served as the Hermitage Regional Manager where her steady leadership, deep institutional knowledge, and general care for the community have helped make the Hermitage Library a welcoming, trusted, and vibrant public space for residents, families, students, and seniors alike.

And whereas throughout her career, Emily Talbot has been known for her professionalism, mentorship of staff, commitment to public service, and belief in the power of libraries to connect people, strengthen neighborhoods, and support lifelong learning.

And yeah, whereas her leadership has left a lasting and positive effect, sorry, impact on the Hermitage community and the Nashville public library system as a whole, and whereas Emily Talbot concludes her distinguished career on January 16th, 2026, leaving behind a legacy of service, integrity, and dedication that will be felt for years to come.

Now, therefore, I, Jordan Huffman, District 14 Councilmember, the Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County, do hereby commend Emily Talbot for her more than two and a half decades of exemplary service to the Nashville Public Library and the residents of Nashville and Davidson County, and we extend our sincere gratitude and best wishes to her upon her well-earned retirement.

Thank you, Emily.

Yeah, would you like to say anything?

A simple thank you to Councilmember Huffman and our other council members who are here.

Um it's been a real honor to work for Nashville Public Library, serving the community of Metro Nashville for almost 26 years, and I hope to continue adding to the community throughout my retirement in many different capacities.

Thank you so much for your your honoring of me.

Thank you so very much.

And next up we have a proclamation from Councilmember Ewing.

A proclamation recognizing Dr.

Jesse Carney Smith, former Fisk University Librarian and Dean.

Librarians are up tonight.

And Councilmember Ewing, you are recognized.

Thank you very much.

This is a proclamation recognizing Dr.

Jesse Carney Smith.

Whereas Dr.

Jesse Carney Smith earned her master's degree in library science from George Peabody College, now known as Vanderbilt University, Peabody College of Education and Human Development in 1957, and began her career as a librarian and instructor at Tennessee State University.

And whereas she was the first African American to receive a PhD in library science from the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign, and the first African American woman to hold the position of university librarian at Fisk University.

And whereas she helped to oversee the development of the 1.4 million New June open Aurelia E.

Franklin Library and assisted with its design and conducted the move of collections from the existing library facility.

And whereas Fisk University awarded Dr.

Smith, the Camille Causeville Distinguished Chair in the Humanities in 1992, and appointed her as Dean of the Fisk University Library in 2010.

And whereas she has led workshops and lectured to librarians, colleges, and universities throughout the United States, and led a workshop for U.S.

Army librarians in the Pacific, held in Tokyo, Japan, and whereas Dr.

Smith has published prof prolifically, including over 30 works, such as Black Academic Libraries and Research Collections, and Historical Survey, Black Heroes of the 20th Century, Freedom Facts, and First, four editions of Black First, four volumes of the Encyclopedia of African American Popular Culture, three volumes of Notable Black American Women, and two volumes of notable black American men.

And whereas she was recognized by the American Library Association, awarded the Martin Luther King Black Authors Award, the Candace Award for Excellence in Education, Distinguished Alumni Awards from both the Peabody College and Vanderbilt University, and the University of Illinois, and was named the Academic Research Librarian of the Year from the Association of College and Research Libraries in 1985.

And whereas, in recognition of her scholarship, Dr.

Smith was elected to the membership of Five Beta Mu National Library Honors Society, and later elected president, and whereas Dr.

Smith retired in 2020 after over 50 years of critical work as a writer, scholar, researcher, and librarian, and has been granted the status of librarian emirata by Fiske University in honor of this work.

And whereas Dr.

Smith's activism led her to be a member and later elected president of the Hendersonville area chapter of the Lynx Incorporated, a prestigious international not-for-profit volunteer service organization founded in 1946 for women of African descent, with over 17,000 professional members and 299 chapters.

And whereas Dr.

Smith continues as an emeritus member of the Nesinville chapter, which continues to make significant contributions to the local, national, and international communities, designing programs to close the achievement gap of African American children, and thereby improve the quality of life of all members of the national community.

And whereas Dr.

Smith is a staunch supporter of community activism and encourages greater citizen engagement, stating that people must be willing to do their part for society by doing things like voting and supporting the nibbles if they want things to change.

Now, therefore, I, Sandy Ewing, District 34 Councilmember of the Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County, do hereby recognize and honor Dr.

Jesse Carney Smith as a scholar of the community and acknowledge the essential work she has done, bridging academic gaps during her decorated and decades-long career.

I'm going to have her son Richard Smith come up and say a few words, if you would like.

Good evening.

She couldn't be here tonight.

But I promised her I would do my best to uh represent her.

One thing that my mom always did instill in me from the early years was that um no matter how how much uh one receives recognition for for any achievement, that person is never better than anyone else.

And I never forgot that from the day she put me on the train to go live with her sister in 1965, the day she started her her career at Fisk University.

Um this day um that particular manager has stuck in my mind for over 60 years.