Tag Archives: Port Aransas

A Happy Homecoming for the Marine Science Library

The Marine Science Library Holiday Party and Arts & Crafts Showcase represented a joyous return to the recently restored Marine Science Library (MSL) at UT Austin’s Marine Science Institute (MSI) in Port Aransas, Texas. On Friday, December 7, 2018, over 75 people gathered at the Marine Science Library (MSL) for an end-of-year celebration. Guests included graduate students, faculty, staff, their families, MSI retirees, and local community partners from the City of Port Aransas Chamber of Commerce, Texas A&M Corpus Christi and more.

MSI Graduate Student Yida Gao and Marine Science Librarian, Liz DeHart in their festive holiday attire.
MSI Graduate Student Yida Gao and Marine Science Librarian, Liz DeHart in their festive holiday attire.
Marine Science Library Assistant, Marge Larsen and Dr. Hoese, scientist and frequest user of MSL, search the flat files.
Marine Science Library Assistant, Marge Larsen and Dr. Hoese, scientist and frequest user of MSL, search the flat files.
Austin-based members of the UTL Advancement Team traveled to Port Aransas to support the party. From left: Logan Bartlett, Jason Mendiola, Thao Votang.
Austin-based members of the UTL Advancement Team traveled to Port Aransas to support the party. From left: Logan Bartlett, Jason Mendiola, Thao Votang.

“Ever since moving into this library space in 2011, our library has hosted this event as a way to build community at the institute and to promote the Marine Science Library as a central gathering and learning space for the campus,” says DeHart. “We’ve carried the tradition throughout, except last year because of Hurricane Harvey.”

When Hurricane Harvey swept through Port Aransas in August 2017, the island took a major hit and the Marine Science Institute suffered damages that the campus continues to recover from. With resilience, MSI is on the path to restoration, and the Marine Science Library is among the first spaces to fully reopen since the devastation.

(Photos below  from July 2018 during the library’s reconstruction.)

July 2018. Exterior view of the MSI Estuarine Research Center under construction, where the library is housed.
July 2018. Exterior view of the MSI Estuarine Research Center under construction, where the library is housed.
July 2018. A hard hat tour of the Marine Science Library during construction.
July 2018. Interior view of the Marine Science Library during post-Harvey repairs.
July 2018. Interior view of the Marine Science Library during post-Harvey repairs.

Sally Palmer, MSI Communications Coordinator dons beachy holiday attire next to the recycled art table.

Sally Palmer, MSI Communications Coordinator dons beachy holiday attire next to the recycled art table. Cammie Hyatt, MSI Research Scientist, matches the decor.

“This is a celebration for us all—a homecoming. A celebration of being able to be together again as a Marine Science Institute family and as friends in the library where we’re used to the tradition of the holiday party,” says DeHart.

In recent years, the holiday party has included an arts & crafts showcase. Members of the the institute are invited to share their creative work in the library venue.

“Providing this platform for MSI students, faculty and staff to share their creative projects has been a great way for us all to know the artistic skills and talent that people have across campus,” says DeHart. “It’s built relationships.”

For faculty and students the Marine Science Library is a place of serious research, and efforts by Liz DeHart and her counterpart Margaret “Marge” Larsen have solidified the library as a gathering center for the institute.

“We make efforts to know everyone here,” says DeHart. “This library is intended to provide a welcoming atmosphere for our community. It’s a matter of comradery. Good things happen when people get out of their offices and get talking.”

Cammie Hyatt, MSI Research Scientist, matches the decor.


In addition to the holiday party, there’s more to look forward to at the Marine Science Library in 2019!

In collaboration with the UT Marine Science Institute, and the SAIL IAMSLIC Regional Group, the MSL will co-host the International Association of Aquatic and Marine Science Libraries and Information Centers (IAMSLIC) Conference. UT Libraries is proud to partner in supporting the 2019 conference, which will be the 45th annual edition following the 2018 conference in Entebbe, Uganda. This conference gathers an international organization of individuals and institutions involved with aquatic science information. Learn more about IAMSLIC here.

IAMSLIC Logo


The University of Texas at Austin Marine Science Institute is the oldest and most significant marine research facility on the Texas coast. “We are changing our understanding of the world’s oceans and coasts and educating a global population dependent on the ocean ecosystem.” What began humbly in 1941 as a small, rough-lumber shack on the shores of the Gulf of Mexico in Port Aransas is now home to cutting-edge research, education, and outreach programs.

Recovering from Harvey

The recent succession of weather events provided a rather inauspicious beginning to the new semester, though the main campus and our local branches have been spared all but an abundance of rain. Our family and friends along the coast, however, weren’t so lucky.

For those who attempt to recall the list of branch locations overseen by the UT Libraries, it’s not uncommon to overlook the one library that doesn’t reside in Austin, but rather on a usually pastoral stretch of sand a few blocks from the Gulf of Mexico. The Marine Science Library serves the faculty and researchers at UT’s Marine Science Institute (MSI) in Port Aransas, which is just across the bay from Rockport, Texas — a city that was the focal point for much of the news coverage surrounding the arrival of Hurricane Harvey on Friday, August 25. Port Aransas actually took a direct hit from Harvey and suffered catastrophic damage, which was also visited upon the MSI, including the building where the library is located.

Hurricane Harvey landfall.

As a matter of course, the Libraries have a Collections Emergency Team composed of relevant administrators, dedicated facility staffers and outstanding preservation experts, who jump to action in the event of a threat to the resources or infrastructure of the libraries.  With any storm of Harvey’s magnitude and destructive impact, staff are paying close attention and preparing for potential issues, but in the case of this hurricane and the position of its landfall, most proactive considerations gave way to planning how to react to whatever damage would inevitably be wrought upon the library and its collections.

Immediately in the wake of the storm, the island and the surrounding areas lost power and, subsequently, most communications were sporadic at best. It wasn’t until Sunday that the Libraries became aware of the extent of damage to MSI, but without specific information about the library, so staff began to prepare for the worst possibilities. Liz DeHart, the Libraries’ liaison at MSL, was contending with the personal effects of Harvey and unable to get to the library, and administrators at MSL were prioritizing assessment of the impact on research assets and infrastructure at the campus, which had suffered severe damage. Representatives from the College of Natural Sciences (CNS) in Austin became the conduits for information about the situation on the ground, and eventually an initial assessment was returned suggesting that the damage to the library was hopeful, with wet floors, but dry books — almost miraculous, since the same building that contained the library had extensive roof damage, flooding and blown out windows. But there was also no air conditioning or power, and as one might imagine, paper doesn’t fare well to exposure to the balmy coastal climate of late summer. As much as the team wanted to rush to the coast on a rescue mission, widespread destruction, impassable roads and a moratorium on travel to the island by non-residents made that seem like an impossibility.

Roof of MSI where the library lives.
Roof of MSI where the library lives.

By Wednesday, August 30 — the first full day of the fall semester — staff had worked with CNS to obtain permission for a response team to travel to Port Aransas to assess damage and hopefully, recover the most valuable of the  close to $9,000,000 worth of collections, but there was a caveat: they had one day to do it.

A team of Geoff Bahre (Manager), Matt McGuire and Bill Gannon from the Facilities & AV unit along with Joey Marez, a library specialist from the Preservation department, immediately began preparations for all contingencies that could be imagined on a first trip into a storm disaster zone: food, water, tools and equipment, supplies for any mechanical trouble. And gas.

Geoff Bahre, Joey Marez and Bill Gannon grab a much-deserved break.
Geoff Bahre, Joey Marez and Bill Gannon grab a much-deserved break.

The window was tight, so the team left Austin at 3:30 a.m. on Friday, September 1, agreeing to make sure they refilled fuel on the south side of San Antonio, but discovered that the rush on gas stations had already drained supplies when they stopped to refuel. A fortunate encounter with a kind soul at a local pancake house directed the team to a station with adequate fuel supplies, and the team continued its journey to the coast.

Because the ferry wasn’t yet operational, the team had to travel through Corpus Christi and up the length of Mustang Island to reach Port Aransas in the mid-morning hours of Friday.

Upon arrival, an initial assessment verified earlier information about the state of the library — some wet flooring, but the books were dry, and no apparent mold — and even some welcome evidence that local administrators at MSI had taken measures to mitigate environmental threats with the arrival of fans and dehumidifiers that were powered by portable generators.

The environment in the library, nonetheless, wasn’t at an optimum stability, so the team began to identify items that they would return to Austin for temporary safekeeping and care. Thanks to earlier efforts to identify salvage priorities, the team was charged with bringing back 900 special collection items, and due to conservative estimation, were able to also rescue additional theses, dissertations and maps.

By 8 p.m. that evening, the team had returned to Austin with the most valuable resources from the MSL in tow. The following week, MSL staffer Marg Larsen relocated to Austin temporarily due to the storm, and so was available to process and assist in storing the rescued materials in the Collections Deposit Library at UT to await their inevitable return to their home in Port Aransas.

There are currently no firm timelines for recovery and reopening of the Institute or the Library, but as with a Gulf hurricane or other natural and unnatural disasters, we’ll be prepared when the time comes.

It’s easy to imagine that a library is a simple machine where books fall onto a shelf and then into hands before returning to the shelf again, uncomplicated by the affairs and events beyond its doors and walls. But out of sight and mind, there are an army of loyal people working to build, protect, rescue and share our body of collective knowledge, both in the face of an average day or during extraordinary times.

Looking forward to rebuilding.
Looking forward to rebuilding.

Building Relations, Connecting UT Libraries to the Coast and Back

Jessica Trelogan discusses data management.
Jessica Trelogan discusses data management.

Knowledge, relationship, awareness, perception, assessment, responsiveness, realization, recognition, insight, creativity, vision, and GRASP! Bingo, a seminar!

After a year’s planning and one conversation between a marine science librarian and a faculty member, a grand opportunity came to fruition for the Marine Science Library to connect the Marine Science Institute and its regional partners with UT Libraries. On August 19, we hosted a 2-hour seminar on Scholarly Publishing & Data Management at the institute in Port Aransas. Yes, “that place on the beach!” By inviting expert librarians from UT Libraries, a diverse audience received an informative session on topics relevant to researchers, librarians and students.

Colleen Lyon covers copyright and the basics of scholarly communications.
Colleen Lyon covers copyright and the basics of scholarly communications.

Colleen Lyon, Scholarly Communications Librarian at UT Libraries, covered the basics of copyright, transfer agreements associated with copyright, open access publishing and how to legally share research on online tools like ResearchGate and Academia.edu.

Jessica Trelogan, Data Management Coordinator at UT Libraries, shared her expertise on basic data management planning and principles. Requirements from funding agencies, publishers, and institutions continue to create pressures on researchers who are already stretched for time and funds. Jessica discussed the process of creating and writing a Data Management Plan (DMP), how to make data more discoverable, accessible and reusable, and provided useful resources.

The event was held in the large seminar room located in the Estuarine Research Center building, creating a comfortable and relaxed atmosphere, with views of the dunes and Gulf of Mexico. The small group of participants included faculty, staff and students from the Marine Science Institute and librarians from Texas A & M University, Corpus Christi. Throughout the seminar, thought-provoking questions led to some great discussions and our presenters handled them with ease.

After the session, attendees had an opportunity to chat, while enjoying a delicious lunch provided by the Mustang Island Food Company of Port Aransas.

The Marine Science Library continues to find creative ideas for its role in providing opportunities in learning and research. The seminar event was a great success!

Jessica Trelogan, Liz De Hart and Colleen Lyon.
Jessica Trelogan, Liz De Hart and Colleen Lyon.

Texas Oilmen and Coastal Architecture

Sid Richardson residence photograph of exterior corner, undated. San Jose Island, Texas. O'Neil Ford collection, Alexander Architectural Archive, University of Texas Libraries, The University of Texas at Austin.
Sid Richardson residence photograph of exterior corner, undated. San Jose Island, Texas. O’Neil Ford collection, Alexander Architectural Archive, University of Texas Libraries, The University of Texas at Austin.

Along with providing invaluable resources for myriad scholarly and research inquiries, the Libraries collections can also occasionally become a sole source for needs of journalistic enterprise, as well, especially in the form of those unique items that are part of the Libraries’ special collections.

That was the case in a current three-part series by reporter Alan Peppard of the Dallas Morning News that looks at two small islands off the Texas coast that served as recreational and power centers for a pair of the richest oilmen in the state’s history.

“Islands of the Oil Kings” examines the islets of Matagorda and San Jose near Port Aransas. A significant portion of the former was purchased by Clint Murchison Sr., and the entirety of the latter was acquired by his lifetime best friend, Sid Richardson, both of the properties becoming retreats where the oilmen could both relax and play host to the most influential of guests, magnates of business and current and future leaders, including Franklin Roosevelt, Dwight Eisenhower and a then-aspiring senatorial candidate named Lyndon Johnson.

Richardson’s San Jose sanctuary featured a house designed by esteemed Texas architect O’Neil Ford that married the sophistication of European modernism with the simplicity of the Texas ranch style. Being located in a place that was consistently the red zone for hurricanes, the building had to also be constructed with the strength to withstand the worst that nature could offer. When completed, Ford claimed that the structure was “tight enough to strum,” and, indeed, when Category 5 Hurricane Carla hit the Texas coast in mid-September 1961, the house survived with a mere broken window in the kitchen.

In pulling together resources for Part 2 of this excellent long-form article featuring engaging complementary multimedia components, Peppard leaned on the Alexander Architectural Archive (AAA) — part of the Architecture and Planning Library in historic Battle Hall — to provide photography of Ford’s design work on the Richardson compound.  AAA maintains the collections of numerous notable Texas architects and designers, including a comprehensive archive of O’Neil Ford’s career with papers, plans, photographic prints and negatives, slides, exhibit boards, drawings and sketches that are preserved for use by students, scholars, researchers and architecture aficionados.

See more images of the Richardson home from the O’Neil Ford collection below.