It's 62 degrees, and Anne Cook feels right at home in a room that contains her office cubicle and hundreds of thousands of photographs, slides, negatives and other archival materials. She celebrated her 30th anniversary in April as the Texas Department of Transportation's (TxDOT's) first and only photo librarian.
The Photo Library is located within TxDOT's Creative Services Section of the Communications Division in Austin. Everyone knows this is Anne Cook's library. Visitors are offered hot tea and something warm to wear from her coat rack.
"Not everyone can handle the cooler temps, but I guess I've gotten used to it over the years," Cook says. She explains that low moisture levels and low temperatures help prevent damage to photographs and other materials.
Stored in the cabinets that surround her are some 500,000 images dating back to 1917, the year TxDOT was created. About 8 percent of those originals have been scanned and filed away in a photo database. Another 250,000 digital images — taken by TxDOT photographers after film cameras disappeared — are also in the database.
There are images of road construction projects, road building equipment, historic buildings, award ceremonies, wildflowers, visits by dignitaries — anything you can think of that's related to TxDOT's long and storied history. But there are also photos of Stevie Ray Vaughan and Willie Nelson "because they were part of TxDOT's 'Don't mess with Texas' anti-litter campaign," Cook explains.
Cataloged under numerous identifying tags, Cook can easily get her hands on a requested image. For this article, for example, we requested a photo from the 1960s of a pickup truck with TxDOT employees who were working in the Waco District on Interstate 35.
"It usually doesn't take long to find what a customer needs. Finding that photo was pretty simple," Cook says.
Soon after she was hired in 1989, Cook began organizing the agency's photographs and slides with the help of a computer-based system that directs the searcher to the physical location of the print. (She admits she has a compulsion to organize.) That system was used for 20 years until software databases were developed to allow for the storage of a scanned thumbnail image of an item. Computers completely changed how a search could be conducted and how quickly an image could be located, without having to visit the collection.
"Being a photo librarian is something I set out to do. I went to 'library school' at The University of Texas, specializing in non-print and receiving a master's degree in library and information science. I love books, but I get distracted by them, always having to stop and read. I figured being a photo librarian, I could get more work done," Cook says with a chuckle.
Cook can't think of anything she'd rather do. In fact, retirement is not something she's planning, even though she's eligible. So for now, you'll find her in the photo library with her favorite music playing softly in the background. And, whether you're a first-time or a regular visitor to the archives, she'll be sure to point you to the coat rack and offer you some hot tea to help you stay warm.
Jake Smith
I-35 Public Information Officer
254-867-2705
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