Information Scotland The Journal of the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals in Scotland ISSN 1743-5471 Issue contents | Journal contents | About the online edition of the journal August 2003 Volume 1 (4)

Obituary

William Hunter Brown
1928 - 2003

William Hunter Brown, a former President and Honorary Member of the Scottish Library Association, died on 1 July 2003 in Perth, Western Australia. He was born in Loanhead, Midlothian in 1928 and had a distinguished career in libraries. William spent 1946-48 in the Royal Engineers, rising to the rank of Major. He was a member of the Army Emergency Reserve from 1954-1968 and was awarded the Army Emergency Reserve Decoration (ERD).

He started his library career in 1948 in Edinburgh Public Libraries and moved to become Assistant Librarian at the Scottish Office in Edinburgh in 1958.

William took up the post of Librarian at the Royal Botanic Garden, Edinburgh in 1960 and his time at RBGE resulted in his appointment as Honorary Associate, Royal Botanic Garden in 1972. His time at RGBE provided the basis for his 1970 MSc University of Strathclyde: Provision for botanical and related literature in standard classification schemes with special reference to taxonomy and The Royal Botanic Garden, Edinburgh, 1670-1970, which he joint-authored with Harold R. Fletcher for HMSO in 1970.

Continuing his involvement in the library and information community in Edinburgh, William became the Deputy to the University Librarian at Heriot Watt University in 1967 and Principal Librarian at Moray House College of Education in 1969.

William moved to the National Library of Scotland as Assistant Keeper in 1973 and was promoted to Keeper in 1974. His duties included the overall supervision of Public Services, which at that time comprised Reference Services, Lending Services, the Map Room and the Music Room; the integration of the functions, collections and staff of the former Scottish Central Library with the National Library; planning for a new NLS building and in particular the creation of the Scottish Science Reference Library (later the Scottish Science Library); and a wide range of representational roles on national and international committees, but with a particular focus on library and information services in Scotland. William served as Chairman of the National Committee on Regional Library Co-operation in 1981 and as the NLS Representative on the Course Committee on Library and Information Science of Scottish Technical Education Council SCOTEC from 1981 until 1985.

William was an active member of the profession and served on the Council of the Scottish Library Association in various posts from 1956 including the representative on the Executive Committee of the Scottish Central Library, the representative of national and academic libraries (1973-76), Chairman of the Publications Committee and President, 1979.

He was appointed an Honorary Member of the SLA at the Annual Conference in May 1980. He also served on the University, College and Research Libraries Group Scottish Committee from 1965, including as Chairman in 1973, the ASLIB Scottish Committee from1962, Chairman 1968-7, Honorary Treasurer to 1972 and was the Scottish representative on the British Library Lending Division Consultative Committee on lending services from 1973.

William was active in IFLA and served as Chairman of the Division of Collections and Services from 1981. He was presented with the IFLA award in recognition of services to national and international librarianship whilst on IFLA's professional board.

Following the death of Janet, his wife, in 1979, he married Ruth in 1981. William retired from the NLS in 1986 and went to live in Australia. Our thoughts are with his friends and family.

Rhona Arthur

Information Scotland Vol. 1 (4) August 2003

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