Chapter 11: The Library’s New Location on the Penthouse Floor of Pickens Academic Tower
Files
Loading...
Description
In this chapter, Ms. Hoffman explains how, against standard corporate practice, the Library came to be located on the top floor of the newly build Pickens Academic Tower (with the presidential and other c-suite offices underneath). She talks about the process of designing the new library for that space and some of its special features.
Identifier
HoffmanKJ_02_20180326_C011
Publication Date
3-27-2018
City
Houston, Texas
Interview Session
Kathryn Jones Hoffman, MSLS, Oral History Interview, March 27, 2018
Topics Covered
The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center - Building the Institution; Leadership; On Leadership; MD Anderson Culture; Working Environment; Institutional Mission and Values; Education; On Education; Research; Building/Transforming the Institution; Growth and/or Change
Transcript
Tacey A. Rosolowski, PhD:
Yes. For sure, it is. Yeah. What’s sort of the next landmark event? I mean, here’s the establishment of the Historical Resources Center. There’s also moving to Pickens Tower.
Kathryn Jones Hoffman, MSLS:
That’s probably the next significant event for me.
Tacey A. Rosolowski, PhD:
Is it the next significant...? You want to tell that story?
Kathryn Jones Hoffman, MSLS:
The Pickens Tower was going to be built, and a lot of Academic Affairs departments were going to move to this building, so there was the question about where would we be. There were several proposals that we’d be on the third floor, where the crosswalk is, but that was going to be divided space, which would’ve been horrible. I can’t remember what all the places were. But I had some champions: Dr. Tomasovic [oral history interview], Dr. Kripke [oral history interview]. We all believed the library should be on the top floor. And there were a lot of people opposed to that, particularly individuals who worked in the Office of the President, or close by the President, like the Vice Presidents. They wanted to be on the top floor, which is so traditional in a—
Tacey A. Rosolowski, PhD:
Corporate organizations.
Kathryn Jones Hoffman, MSLS:
—corporate organization, exactly. My argument was if the library was on the top floor, it was space that could be enjoyed by everyone, not just a select few. And Dr. Mendelsohn [oral history interview]—was it Dr. Mendelsohn?
Tacey A. Rosolowski, PhD:
Mm-hmm, yeah.
Kathryn Jones Hoffman, MSLS:
Bought it. He was happy to be located on the twentieth floor, the floor below us. And, anyway, here we were, or here we are. Working on that project with the designers, the architects, it was just a fascinating project for me. I loved it. I loved all that kind of work.
Tacey A. Rosolowski, PhD:
What was the design firm that was hired for this?
Kathryn Jones Hoffman, MSLS:
Ooh, I can’t remember.
Tacey A. Rosolowski, PhD:
It’s fine, yeah. Maybe for later.
Kathryn Jones Hoffman, MSLS:
I’m sure you can find it. I don’t remember now. But it was really fun to think about, okay, what are the functions of the library? What do we need to have? Where does it need to be located? How are we going to make this work? And so we had a lot of strategic planning that went into it to help design and make it functional. What’s interesting is when I was here originally, when I came, I underwent several mini-renovation projects. Stephanie has just done the same thing. Libraries need to continue to change physically, to change with the times, with the services they provide. And so they’ve just finished this lovely renovation that builds on, in concept, what we originally—how we originally had designed the space. But now it offers more collaborative space. What we learned was that people need that collaborative space for a number of reasons, so they’ve really just done a fabulous job with what they’ve done, just in a little mini-renovation. And I believe she used permanent university funds to make that happen.
Tacey A. Rosolowski, PhD:
Oh, okay.
Kathryn Jones Hoffman, MSLS:
Right.
Tacey A. Rosolowski, PhD:
Yeah, I’d forgotten that. I also wanted to just pick up on that comment that you made about it’s a space that can be enjoyed by all. I think any number of here have run into so many people who say when they have visitors come to the institution they bring them here—
Kathryn Jones Hoffman, MSLS:
They bring them here.
Tacey A. Rosolowski, PhD:
—to the twenty-first floor. I mean, the views really are stunning, and also now the library is a beautiful space, and it’s an even more beautiful space than it was. And we’ve had people say, “Gosh, the only thing lacking is I can’t order lunch up here.” (laughter) The next renovation, right? We’ll have a chef on staff.
Kathryn Jones Hoffman, MSLS:
Well, I think they’re moving toward 24/7 service, so the library will be open 24/7.
Tacey A. Rosolowski, PhD:
Oh, I haven’t heard that, yeah.
Kathryn Jones Hoffman, MSLS:
Which is a trend, particularly in medical libraries.
Tacey A. Rosolowski, PhD:
I didn’t realize that. Interesting. Yeah.
Kathryn Jones Hoffman, MSLS:
So the other thing we did when we designed this space was we created a really state-of-the-art conference room that is open to everyone in the institution, and so it brings people who wouldn’t ordinarily come to the library into this physical space. So the library has a real presence, thanks to its location. They say, “Location, location, location is everything.” And I think it... And I thank Dr. Mendelsohn for sharing that vision, and seeing the potential for having the library on this floor.
Tacey A. Rosolowski, PhD:
Yeah. Bill Daigneau [oral history interview] also talked about that. Do you remember him being part of that conversation?
Kathryn Jones Hoffman, MSLS:
No, no.
Tacey A. Rosolowski, PhD:
The builder. He also was very, very much a champion of the library being on the twenty-first floor, and he actually has a kind of amazing clip where he talks about that, and—
Kathryn Jones Hoffman, MSLS:
Oh, I have to go listen to that.
Tacey A. Rosolowski, PhD:
I’ll send it to you. I’ll send it to you. Got it. And it is really funny, because I’ve often just wanted to send it to the people on the twentieth floor and say—and title the clip “Why your office is not on the twenty-first floor.” (laughter) It’s pretty funny. Yeah.
Kathryn Jones Hoffman, MSLS:
Well, and the views are still fabulous from the twentieth floor. They don’t have—
Tacey A. Rosolowski, PhD:
But it really is that mentality.
Kathryn Jones Hoffman, MSLS:
Well, they don’t have the high ceilings. That’s the really nice thing, when you walk into that space, when you first come through the doors, the beautiful high ceilings and tall, tall windows all the way around.
Tacey A. Rosolowski, PhD:
Atmosphere, design of buildings, design of space has such an impact on people’s emotions, their sense of efficiency, how they feel in themselves when they sit down to work, by themselves or with other people. And it’s often not paid enough attention to, but it is so key. So it’s very nice to have a space here that’s for study, for meeting, for groupwork.
Kathryn Jones Hoffman, MSLS:
And that’s for staff, as well, you know?
Tacey A. Rosolowski, PhD:
Absolutely. Absolutely.
Kathryn Jones Hoffman, MSLS:
The staff have really nice space.
Tacey A. Rosolowski, PhD:
Yeah. It’s a really nice space. It’s, yeah, a pleasant space. Yeah, no, I mean, was there a next...?
Kathryn Jones Hoffman, MSLS:
Well, I worked here—I think maybe—I can’t remember what year we moved into this space, but I think I worked here for maybe two more years in this space, and then decided I can retire now. I left on a really, really high note. So it was good. It was good.
Recommended Citation
Hoffman, Kathryn Jones MSLS and Rosolowski, Tacey A. PhD, "Chapter 11: The Library’s New Location on the Penthouse Floor of Pickens Academic Tower" (2018). Interview Chapters. 1072.
https://openworks.mdanderson.org/mchv_interviewchapters/1072
Conditions Governing Access
Open
