Bright School Librarian Sarah Doyle Retiring After 30 Years

There are many things that remain constant at Bright School. For the last 30 years, one of those has been librarian Sarah Doyle, who is retiring in December.

But, while she has been in charge of the library since 1985, much has changed. Computers and the Internet have vastly altered libraries everywhere, including at Bright School, and Mrs. Doyle has ushered in change while maintaining the traditional space so many alumni fondly recall.

“We have always stressed the love of reading and made it the core of what the school does. Children love to come here,” Mrs. Doyle said. “My goal was for the library to be a charming and fun place to come and be away from the hurriedness of the day.”

Mrs. Doyle and her husband, Bill, moved to Chattanooga from Richmond, Virginia, in 1985 with their son, Bradley, who was 5 at the time. The Doyles are originally from Tennessee—Mrs. Doyle a native of Cookeville and graduate of Tennessee Tech—and were eager to return. They looked at schools in Chattanooga for Bradley, and were welcomed to Bright School by Kirk Walker, the headmaster, and Peggy Enloe, director of admissions. “He fell in love with the school the minute we walked in,” Mrs. Doyle recalled.

The librarian at the time, Suzanne Nimon, was ill, and the school was looking for a replacement. Mrs. Doyle had been a librarian for a junior high school in Virginia, and Dr. Walker offered her the job. “It was fortunate that Bradley and I came at the same time,” she said.

Switching from the card catalog to computers in the early 1990s was one of the biggest changes but a welcome one. Mrs. Doyle remembers that many of her parent volunteers were not very fond of using the card catalog or doing inventory by hand. “They were glad to see the card catalog go away,” she said.

And books in general have changed. “We still have the classics. Parents want those,” Mrs. Doyle said. But keeping the collection current is important, and Mrs. Doyle keeps track of what kinds of books are “hot” such as Star Wars and Legos. When she sees a book is not circulating, she knows it’s time to remove it. Recently, the geography section was updated, and keeping up with science and medicine is ongoing. All the encyclopedias were replaced with online databases. Between 300 and 400 books turn over a year out of a total collection of more than 15,000.

Mrs. Doyle’s instruction in the library has changed as well to include more video and teaching of online databases. She teaches fifth graders how to “use the Internet productively,” as she describes it. And the catalog system is still taught. But be careful when asking what are Mrs. Doyle’s favorite children’s books. It’s like asking her to name a favorite student. “I love them all,” she said. “There are so many!”

As Mrs. Doyle looks back on her tenure at Bright School, there are several overall changes that stand out. She names increasing diversity as a positive one. “It is refreshing,” she said. “I have loved watching the integrating of our international children.” And she laments the change in schools that reconfigured the age groupings so that sixth grade is now in middle schools. “I miss the sixth graders,” Mrs. Doyle said, adding they had a distinctive maturity compared to other grades.

One thing that has not changed is what founder Mary G. Bright was noted for saying about the school: “a place to which the children gladly come.” It has been true of Mrs. Doyle’s experience as well. “The faces,” she said of the children who come to the library. “They are so excited and happy. They keep me young.”

What does the future hold for Mrs. Doyle? She and Bill are moving to Greenville, South Carolina, to be closer to Bradley and his family. Bradley (’92), who works in commercial real estate, and wife, Anna, a fourth-grade teacher, are parents of Tate, 4, and Eloise, 7 months. Husband Bill retired in 2013.

As she moves closer to her family, she will be leaving the daily confines of her school family: the hundreds of parent and grandparent volunteers she has befriended over the years, the many students and alumni, and her colleagues. “Faculty make this school,” she said. “They give 150 percent. Period. That’s hard to find.” What she will miss the most is this family. “I can’t imagine any other school being that way,” she said.

When notifying the school of her retirement, Mrs. Doyle wrote: “Partnering with so many wonderful parents in their children’s quest for literacy has been an honor. Watching so many former students entrust their children to us has been a wonderful experience. I will always cherish the relationship with all the children and parents, which has been my inspiration each year.”

We wish the best to Mrs. Doyle and her family. We will miss her, but she is always welcome to return to her school and library.