when I was working for the US army, I was looking for the U. S. Army
hospital in Nuremberg as a refugee. My boss was World war two and so on
Korea Vietnam veteran. And he said oh you will be going to Arizona phoenix.
I have a friend there at the university
and so I got a reference to him. And when I arrived our friends here in
phoenix, they worked again. Well you may remember Honey belle before Honey
belle there was general electorate Black Canyon. Remember their job?
We had a group of computer engineers. Several of them were our friends Who
were leaving gradually from like 1960 for every year. Somebody there were
about five or six checks at Honeywell including a librarian. And they said
you should talk to vera she knows the librarians here including a S. U. So
we met and she said yeah I don't we moved to A S. U. Because they have
better resources in some areas than we have. Anyway. So somehow negotiated
an interview with Dr who was at that time he was well university librarian
and he interviewed me and then he sent me to his both of his assistants. I
forgot that for The one who was technical service early in the name. But
the second one for a public service um Tom Harris was his name and he
interviewed me and he said yeah we would like to hire you because I had a
relatively decent background in and the sciences, engineering literature.
And so he offered me a job as of your life. And I said is there any
chance this was like in april we came in March to phoenix and He said well
I will try. And he hired me as of the end of May one May 1, I started this
in 1968
and I said that was my best mayday because in europe they celebrated
special of dominance. But everyone May labor Day is mayday Mayday one.
Not like here we have during the day in september right? And I said that
was my best made a because I didn't have to go, you know, for his
communist force you to go celebrate. And if he didn't know we were in
trouble, I didn't know every time. But
yeah, well you know that from history I guess. And so tom Harris actually
I'm gonna, they used in those days they used to send them, there was under
president thing right? Never hiring professionals and professors. And I
got a telegram telegram, you're right, there was no email telegram
um from the president. And that was it. So First really impression when I
got here was Hayden Library, brand new open 66. And there were some people
, most people actually who went through the move from the old mathews
librarian
to Hayden. So don't talk about him. I started a wan in the Hayden library
in the department was called at that time. Science Engineering reference
department because our reference librarian and I was in charge of the
mostly engineering because they didn't have really the fellow who was tom
marshall who was the department hand or chair. We'll call him um He was a
biologist. So we covered the life science society and I was covering there
were some other people too. But and I think in september it would be
wondering how is it possible? But in september I became the or september
october became the head of the department. Not that I didn't anything bad
or good. My boss tom marshall who I really am. Mhm. I had a respect for
had to leave when I was hired by Harris. I think about less than a year
later he said well we have a dilemma. This library was designed to add two
more floors. Born. We should build a science of libraries separate. And I
said well you know opinion would be library because he said mine too. But
then it's second librarian came after retired expert. Bill expert was the
second Harris was
temporary acting librarian. And then they hired acts for he didn't stay
too long. But the first thing was no, no we are not going to build any
library. We'll put two floors on the building. So I said okay that's the
end of it. He said you will have another flower devoted to science. You
are wish he was the boss. So what can but he lasts only about three years
expert at that time.
The librarian became you don't have any down cap. Oh and he had different
opinions. He said I think we should build a science library? That would be
you know wouldn't be disrupting in the when you add on the building which
is needed almost all the time. So he decided, he said what do you think? I
said well I couldn't agree with you more because I wasn't the one who was
deciding that. He said I'll take it to
and find it. But then there was no money like we know that already there's
always not enough money. We had a student here from Saudi Arabia who got
his PhD here at A. S. U. And he approached me if I wouldn't want to work
and Saudi Arabia, what would I do that? Yeah we have a university that run
mean university of patrolling minerals. And I said I wasn't interested and
there was a professor of physics by the name Ali Khairallah.
And he was originally from Lebanon. He was I guess Lebanese I don't think
he was exactly muslim. Because I remember he had some problem in Saudi
Arabia and he do that offer. And there were several several uh
architectural deals who work there in Saudi Arabia burgess. There were
several people from a s who work in Arabia came back and he said you
should go there not bad, you know they pay everything, you know your
housing and so on. So I asked my boss down camp and I said
when is the money for the library company? Said we have no idea. It could
be like three years from now because there were still other priorities.
So I said would would I get a leave of absence and go to Saudi Arabia?
Sure. So I got a leave of absence and left for Saudi my family first
actually I was supposed to live in The fall of 67. They gave only visa to
me and my son. I said I'm not going without my wife and my daughter. Her
son was about seven. He was born here in Phoenix and
so forget it and that at the end of the 1967 suddenly they sent me a Visa
for everyone and I said well I can go now let him have kids in school. Um
There was something around christmas or january. I said I can't go now I
will go later. So they agreed to it. And I left here in May 67 7 is 77.
Sorry. And when they're became a head of the reference department there
the reference was mostly science engineering. Yeah I gotta work
again before the email I guess I think I got a telex or something from
camp. We got the money for the library come home. So I said sorry guys
they wanted me to stay two years but I stayed on my year and quarter I had
a good time. They're traveled. They paid for it. So when I came back. Mhm.
The new librarian was already here. All right And
he said we'll be building the library soon. I said that's good. So he
formed actually building committee and planning committee or whatever. I
started working with the architect, the same architect that built Hayden
library and the major architect was there were two of them. Carmen demon
he was I think we had the whole the whole thing and
german Hermann Jacoby was remember him? I just heard about it. I don't
know. Yeah. Oh he was terrific. He was the
it could have been here you know he could be here all day because he
served in the german army during the war. He told me I almost got killed
in Czechoslovakia. I said well you are the invaders. He drove a truck and
got stopped by some partisans or something. And fortunately they let him
go. But he was only a driver or something or I don't know that was the
story. And eventually he started or finished architecture in Germany came
here and he was a terrific sell the old traditional. That's why I always
tell so uh or in the old days used to tell people to look at the normal
library brickwork. He wouldn't allow whenever he saw a bad break they had
to take it out they have to dismantle
and I worked with him a lot. We became friends also. It was quite
interesting then we started preparing new library.
There was sort of funny people say why it's called Noble library. I don't
think there are many people know that. Then. A Noble was a Motorola. The
guy who came here after the war. He actually started Motorola here in the
valley. It was first I think 52nd Street, 56th Street. And but by the time
I came he was already retired. One day my boss asked me that page told him
he should probably name the library after someone or maybe we'll get some
money. So Bill Welsh actually your mammogram too. He was assistant
dean. He came from Motorola. They went to see Holland. My boss came to me
and he said well we have the name from the library and said what is the
name? It will be called? Noble Noble Science and Engineering Library. And
I knew that I said oh so we'll be getting pretty good chunk of money.
Probably right for the name he said yeah. So well nothing was coming. You
know
they never got anything the university because they did it. This I guess
unfortunate way that paige said okay give them okay and didn't I don't
care anymore or whatever. I don't know that never happened when I
mentioned that. I have visited many universities around the country and
whenever they had a name I said how much I remember as in uh in boston
yes is in the old even old days. It was hundreds of thousands and maybe a
million dollars Because that was the old days it was 1932. You must have I
had to prepare a program for that building. Could you see computers coming
at that? Yes. Yes. Yeah. I had one librarian who I hire it actually. He
was a graduate of the obey in the physics astronomy and then he got his
library also George
and he was already working at that time. There were no you didn't call the
small computer Pc. There were microcomputers. You remember them right. And
so but he worked he was the first guy who had his apple, one of his one of
the first apples. And so I was working with him but you know he helped me
. I did work with the computer at that time PC. Or don't have any but at
the library even the library didn't have anything except the main
circulation area and so on.
I started also called patent deposited library in sciences, patents are
very important. They are not some disciplines really well mostly
humanities and social some social even he was patterns but it's mostly and
you know how they are divided electrical patterns, mechanical path. And I
started working with people in Washington D. C. And eventually we became
each state had a patent department library. And we beat well we beat for
obvious reasons you of eight with because they did not have anyone at that
time would have done it. And I because I got acquainted with people in
Washington D. C. The patent office. There is so the first several years
and there were annual meetings and training and when we hired when I came
to long bone that was before we even started using the normal library. We
but we were a S. You was a pattern deposit right library as to libraries.
And fortunately down rigs the librarian which he was a biologist by trade
before the library he approved that and bought a lot of the we had a whole
collection of patents and either microfilm micro for whatever we don't
like usually. But we were getting current patterns as they were issued
paper for one now now it's different you know. Well everything is online
and I think they even stop using the term had deposited library and I'm
not even sure if we had a collection because somebody else we want can we
sell it? We don't really need it. I said well that should be decided by
the university dean Libraries Dean. I think if yeah very important space
and nobody's using it if anybody wants to buy maybe again europe or Japan.
But that was probably before all of the things went online. They were
already online when I started but it was very elementary I would say very
elementary only the current path and something they didn't have the
background online. So so that was one of the things I I can introduce you.
Career progression
quality or an answer here at a S. U. Was from a reference librarian to
head of reference but still doing what we call subject specialty that
means engineering. Then when I became head of Noble we hired we had for
many years we have two librarians. Actually in engineering serving the
College of Engineering people usually divided up. It depends on their
background like to be mechanical versus electrical and civil and so on. So
I did everything when I was a subject specialist. And then I had There was
until 19 82 because I was appointed in 82 people were still going to me
and I was sometimes helping or when to sit down stay down because I'm on
the second floor to the subject specialists. And I said which would be
good enough help this guy. You know I can help him. But I'm not the
subject specialists really. I don't want to bypass you as long as I was
working I think I never finished my career in a way. We had a lot of
courses especially with these new tools. They're always courses they teach
maybe one day, two days, even three days. I went to many the police
courses here on campus and S. U. Or I also liked the patents in Washington
or we were even invited some of these companies at that time have a
beautiful hotel. I forgot the name in Tucson. It's north of Tucson on the
other side of the market. They're paying everything and you know,
wonderful time because we were using their services. So they were, they
don't do it anymore I think. But at that time they wanted the word spread
out because if another library didn't have it said oh go with them, not
only it's a useful service, but they treat you well. So I was progressing
in this respect because I did a lot of reading actually when I came here I
probably knew more because at that time there were only about 5, 6
professional journalists, especially in what we called at that time was
called documentation. There was a general was called american
documentation and I was reading you had them in probably the library. So
either the Academy of Sciences or the National University. And so I was
really before I came I was already on top of things and I had this friend
I mentioned briefly who was also a fellow check and I got acquainted with
him through I think writing articles. And then as soon as I arrived here,
about three years later we met and he was advising me also. He was, he was
an engineer who got his degree in computer sciences. So, and he was
working with information also. So that was kind of my training over theyears