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 December 2005 Volume 3 (6)

Obituaries

Elizabeth Liversidge MBE FLA, 1914-2005

Elizabeth (Betty) Liversidge died on 9 September 2005, aged 91. With her passing, we have lost the first female President of the professional body in Scotland. Betty was President of the Scottish Library Association in 1974 and was made an Honorary Member in 1975. Perhaps an indication of Betty’s outstanding abilities is reflected in the fact that it was to be a further 12 years before another woman became President.

Betty’s professional career began in Glasgow Public Libraries in April 1932, where she worked as a junior assistant in the Mitchell Library. She moved on from Glasgow to the Borders, where for a few short months immediately after the war she was the County Librarian of Roxburghshire. In keeping with her modest personality she accepted that she still had much to learn about county library work and moved to an assistant’s post in a larger system. In Fife, she developed her skills and then moved to Stirlingshire in 1948, first as deputy and for the remaining years as chief.

Betty accomplished much in those years as chief and developed a well-established school library service, a programme of community library building, improved staff training and a strong mobile service. She worked with local community groups to improve services to hospitals, playgroups and care homes. A family book service was set up to combat rural isolation. Betty contributed to the wider library growth in Stirling through co-operation with local colleges and the university. She supported the County Library Circle and was Scottish representative on the County Libraries Group.

She was described in SLA News as “a librarian to her fingertips” who regretted the loss of close contact with readers and books as she moved up the management tree. This was particularly manifested in her encouragement of and great enjoyment in her librarians’ reflections on their work-a-day experiences especially their more humorous encounters. Setting high standards for her staff, Betty knew the value of high quality customer care which she worked hard to have equally applied to all. Her exceptional intelligence was matched with a warmth and real interest in people. She responded to an accusation that libraries were nice settings for middle-class recreation saying, “as a librarian, I never saw books as being for any class, but for every member of the community.”

Away from work, she enjoyed music, the Scottish countryside and was the compiler of the County Libraries Group’s Reader’s Guide The Face of Scotland. She was a founder member of the Stirling Soroptimist Club and served it as both secretary and president.

Betty closed her Presidential Address as the local government reorganisation of 1975 approached by saying, “I just find reading an essential skill, essential for the survival of the community and the individuality of us all.” She reminded delegates of Lord Reith’s words “Don’t forget those who came first – even although those who came later can go further”. Her well-deserved award of the MBE was met with delight and our thoughts are with her family at this time.
Rhona Arthur, Assistant Director, CILIPS/SLIC

Information Scotland Vol. 3 (6) December 2005

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