{"id":2074,"date":"2017-09-29T07:32:22","date_gmt":"2017-09-29T12:32:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/garyborders.com\/pages\/?p=2074"},"modified":"2017-09-29T07:32:22","modified_gmt":"2017-09-29T12:32:22","slug":"frozen-at-the-briscoe-center","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/garyborders.com\/pages\/frozen-at-the-briscoe-center\/","title":{"rendered":"Frozen At The Briscoe Center"},"content":{"rendered":"

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AUSTIN \u2014 This is my first trip to the Briscoe Center for American History on the UT campus since its renovation, the first phase of which was completed last spring. I walked in, eager to peruse some newspaper microfilm after admiring the new gallery. After signing in, I entered the reading room. I noticed that the three employees behind the counter, who retrieve materials from the mysterious bowels of thi\"\"<\/a>s accclaimed repository, were dressed as if a blizzard was imminent. They wore hoodies or thick sweaters, gloves without tips to allow typing, and winter hats. It was 96 degrees outside, 60 degrees in the reading room.<\/p>\n

I ran across one of the folks who has worked at the Briscoe forever, where I\u2019m a familiar face after 35 years of doing research here. \u201cSure is cold in here,\u201d I remarked. She explained that the contractors were revamping the heating\/cooling system on the second and third floors, and while that was happening it was impossible to mix warm air with cold to regulate the temperature. I was utterly unprepared, in shorts, T-shirt and sandals. At least there was no chance of getting sleepy, though every 30 minutes I went outside to revel in the nearly three-digit temps. That does not happen very often to someone who despises summer in Texas.<\/p>\n

I decided, at random, to start looking at microfilms of the Austin American<\/em> starting on New Year\u2019s Day of 1930. No reason, other than I woke up and decided to see what was going on in 1930.<\/p>\n