LIBRARY 20TH ANNIVERSARY
On
a November day in 2001, Harpeth Hall students and faculty gathered behind the Middle School and formed a line. Side by side, they stretched down the school sidewalks and along Souby Lawn all the way to the front door of the brand new library. Then they started passing books — batches and batches of books — from one person to the next delivering them to their new home. The book brigade, as it was called, marked the realization of a vision two years in the making. In 1999, Ann and Monroe Carell made a $5 million pledge to construct the 20,000-square-foot library. Mrs. Carell, a Harpeth Hall parent and later grandparent, served as a Harpeth Hall trustee. She was a great advocate for girls education, and with her pledge, she envisioned building the academic heart of Harpeth Hall. “I want the library to have all the right things, but most importantly, a warm and inviting atmosphere,” Mrs. Carell said. “I hope students will want to gather in the library and be happy to be there. I hope this over and above anything else.”
Ann Scott Carell Library celebrates 20 years
as the ‘academic heart’ of Harpeth Hall
As the school broke ground and construction on the project began, Harpeth Hall librarians moved to two trailers behind the Middle School. One served as their office, the other stored the books. When a student wanted to check out a novel or biography, the librarians sorted through the carefully labeled storage boxes to find what the student was looking for. The library opened the week of November 12, 2001, with a formal grand opening and dedication on that Sunday, along with a ribbon-cutting ceremony and a tour. A stunning two-story brick building with soaring columns, a grand atrium, lofty ceilings, and light-filled learning spaces, the Ann Scott Carell Library left visitors in awe. When it came time to move into the new space, Karen Douse, who served as director of the library from 2000 to 2012 and was integral in planning all aspects of the new library, had a plan — a book brigade. In this way, the shelves of the Ann Scott Carell Library filled with colorfully bound stories and references that would serve the students for years to come and fulfill the mission set out by the Carell family. This year, the Ann Scott Carell Library celebrates its 20th anniversary — and the space has become everything Mrs. Carell envisioned for the students who step through its doors.
A remarkable majesty
As a 4th grade girl in 2014, Hallie Graham ’23 came to Harpeth Hall on Admission Preview Day. She sat in the theatre filled with impressive young women in white oxford shirts. She watched dancers on stage. She talked to the kind faculty members, and she saw beautiful artwork on the walls. 10 | HARPETH HALL HALLWAYS
