Mayor Ron Littlefield has delivered his third state of the city address.

There was a litany of the services offered and expected. There was a sense of caution in his words as he sketched the framework for an expected re-election run in 2009.

Politicians seldom offer groundbreaking ideas before facing voters and definitely not before knowing who may be a potential opponent.

But Mayor Littlefield returned to a 2007 concept — creating a city of learners — and the public library is central to reaching that goal.

As a starting point last year, Mayor Littlefield named a citizen task force to provide the stimulus for a broader community conversation. He examined libraries in Denver and Nashville, talked with officials at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, where a new campus library is planned, and listened as Gov. Phil Bredesen described his passion for libraries.

The existing library system here faces budgetary constraints, reduced hours, services and staff. As a facility funded jointly by the city and county governments, the library is the knot in the middle of a tug-of-war rope.

The mayor’s initiative, however, is an opportunity to address the political wrangling. To do so requires stepping out of comfort zones and encouraging an array of ideas — many which will fall by the wayside.

To start that conversation, here are a few discussion points:

With the city and county having to renew a sales tax agreement, the city should ask for full responsibility and accompanying tax share to put the library under one arm of local government. There is a tax tradeoff for the county, but let the politicians figure that out.

The library “concept” should be dissected. What does it mean now and into the future? Nashville, as an example, held on to historical roots but also reached out, embracing the openness of public spaces, discussions and entertainment.

The library should serve as a connecting point for public schools. The notion that any student today is learning from a textbook grounded in the 1960s will be history as technology puts the latest material a keystroke away.

Partnerships are a cornerstone. With a united art fund, Allied Arts, the library could team with the arts agency to establish a theater within the library that encourages storytelling, craftsmanship and education. A new approach will reinforce Allied Arts’ link to arts in education while drawing children and their parents to the library.

Another partnership is ready to be tapped. The regional history museum is on the move, so could there be a connection as an integral section in the library? The Nashville library houses collections and displays on civil rights and the Nashville Banner, the former afternoon newspaper, two pieces of the city’s history.

Branches, some free-standing, others in community centers and schools, should be designed to fit a community need.

Consider the possibility of leaving the current downtown location on Broad Street. And so as not to create another vacant building, examine the consolidation of county education central staff and services on Broad Street, leaving Enterprise South for free enterprise.

Then there’s the parking, stupid. If it is limited around the existing facility, then think about a more central city location that puts more parking at hand (there will be some available sites).

By letting go of conventional ties such as bricks, mortar and the past, visions may emerge that help create a library that encourages a community of learners regardless of the type of learning that occurs.