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Community Corner

Harcum College Dedicates Library to Former President Trout

Bryn Mawr, PA October 14, 2013 – Harcum College’s newly renovated Charles H. Trout Library was formally dedicated during a tented ceremony on the Academic Center lawn on October 11 at 6 p.m.  Despite heavy rain, there was barely standing room in the large white tent where 200 donors, students, community leaders, faculty, and staff members gathered.

 

Since the library has been formally named in memory of the late Dr. Charles Trout, former president of the College, the occasion was marked by reflections about Dr. Trout from a former student; from his widow Katherine Trout of Chestertown, Maryland; and from other college officials. The public ceremony concluded with the cutting of a 3-foot wide purple library logo ribbon.

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A reception or donors and dignitaries followed, taking place inside the newly renovated facility. The program included a thank-you video from students and an update from Library Director Ann Ranieri on some of the academic enhancements now available to students such as technology labs.

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A comprehensive renovation began in 2012, from outside to inside, from floor to ceiling, and is the first since its construction in 1968. The new library was reconceived as a high-tech, high-use, and high-change facility to accommodate a range of student needs, study arrangements, and learning styles. Lightweight desks and chairs can be easily moved and the sectionals pulled apart or reconfigured to accommodate collaborative learning, small study groups, individual study, and even quiet spaces for reflection.

 

Three adjoining rooms on the second floor were equipped as technology labs with collaborative media where students can create, connect, and discover. Also with an eye toward inclusivity, a handicapped accessible entrance from the parking lot and an ADA-compliant restroom were added.

 

The renovation was funded through contributions from trustees, alumni gifts, a congressionally-directed grant, and a $400,000 gift from an anonymous donor, the single largest gift to the College in recent history.

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