Here’s the final installation of our scintillating “Inside Fondren” series. These images are behind the scenes and a little more recognizable to me. I’m least sure about this first one. I suspect it might be reference but really that’s just a guess. Any thoughts about the purpose of the carousel type thing at left?
I’m almost certain that this shows Acquisitions, as I recognize the woman at the desk as our own Nancy Boothe ’52, later head of the Woodson:
And this must surely be Cataloguing, although it feels like a different room:
All in all it looks like a nice quiet place to work in the warm company of books.
Bonus Holiday Hangover: I was over at campus for a little while this morning and it is still mostly deserted. The cleaning crews, though, were (as usual) hard at it. Note the wilting poinsettia.
All the materials in the third photo are serials. Perhaps serials cataloguing was in a different room.
Right, Walter, about serials. In a research library like Fondren, serials check-in was a VERY big job. Although when I was there in the late ’60’s check-in was done in the big open tech services office. What I think the 3rd picture shows is the bindery room. This is also a very big job: preparing runs of serials for sending to the binder. It usually requires a space with lots of shelves for holding incomplete runs until they’re ready to send.
I think the carousel in the first picture (which, you’re probably right, was reference, although it wasn’t there when I worked there in the early ’70’s) might also be related to serials. It looks very familiar; perhaps it was a record of which issues of which journals had been received?
So great to see Nancy, looking the way she did when I worked for her as a student in the late ’60’s. That was my old stomping grounds in the very large back office. I don’t know if the staff still has that big open space; I rather think it’s been divided up.
I love these old Library pictures! They bring back lots of good memories of how I got started on what became my career!
Thanks so very much for your comments. They’re really helpful. I love these library pictures too. I’m happier in Fondren than in any other place on campus.
If you’re in town, why not come visit me?
For sure, I will next time I’m in H-town!