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Emerald Journal Marks a Librarian's Legacy

Special issue of Interlending & Document Supply to commemorate career and retirement of Maurice B. Line

UNITED KINGDOM, August, 2005 - Emerald Group Publishing announces the publication of a special issue of Interlending & Document Supply to celebrate the contribution to the field of Librarianship by Maurice B. Line, former Director General of the British Library. Featuring Guest Editors Mike McGrath and Stella Pilling, the August issue (volume 33, number 2) includes essays, articles, and viewpoints by Line as well as numerous colleagues.

The library career of Maurice Line began in 1950 when he became a trainee for the Bodleian Library in Oxford. In 1971 Maurice was a member of the body carrying out the preliminary planning for the British Library. From 1974 to 1985 he held the post of Director-General, British Library Lending Division, and from 1985 to 1988 he was Director-General of the British Library's Science, Technology and Industry Directorate.

For the next 12 years Maurice worked as a consultant specializing in the management of change, and advising organizations in many parts of the world. He carried out over 50 consultancies in 16 different countries and visited more than 40 countries in a professional context. He served as Professor Associate at Sheffield University's Department of Information Science, and as External Professor at Loughborough University's Department of Information and Library Studies. In addition to this, Maurice was a prolific writer and speaker affectionately known for his humor and unpredictable nature.

"As a stimulus to clear thinking about professional and other issues I have never met his peer," according to Chris Hunt, Emeritus Librarian at the University of Manchester, UK. "In argument he may not always convince one that he is right, but he always strikes sparks and makes one attempt to justify a contrary view by using the logical and quantitative criteria which he himself deploys so skillfully.... Maurice Line is almost certainly the most widely known librarian of his generation; his writings, teaching and lectures continue to be influential throughout the world."

In addition to the many serious papers Line authored, he is credited with colorful titles such as "On the Care and Construction of White Elephants: Some Fundamental Questions Concerning the Catalogue" and "How Golden is Your Retriever? Thoughts on Library Classification."  His column Management Musings was often the spark of controversial debate in the journal Library Management.

View the issue table of contents

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Emerald Group Publishing Limited
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