PEOPLE
Doris Palmer F
ormer Library Association Vice President, Honorary Fellow and Honorary Book Review Editor for the Library Association Record, Doris Palmer, died on 7 November 2018 aged 101.
Doris was born on 9 October 1917 in Poole where she was educated. She excelled in sport, especially cycle racing: her enthusiasm for mo- tor racing, both on two wheels and four, was shared with her hus- band Alf. Two children were born: Rae in 1939 and Chris in 1945, and Doris’s early married life was devoted to the practicalities of home- making in wartime.
By the early 1950s, Doris was ready to embark on her professional career. Her first post was as a library assistant at English Electric in Luton. When Alf’s work took him to Hertfordshire, Doris became Works Librarian at Stevenage. There she distinguished herself by starting the library from scratch.
Subsequently she joined the library at Unilever at Welwyn Garden City. This, the Frythe, was the R & D Library for Unilever Research which later was taken over by Smith, Kline and French. Doris became Librarian at the SK&F Mundells site in Welwyn Garden City until she retired in 1981. She soon became identified as a pioneer industrial librarian. One of Doris’s great professional contributions was her leadership of the Library Association Industrial Group, (LAIG). It was the brain child of Barry Nuttall who got it off the ground but Doris took over as chair a couple of years later and provided strong leadership at a time when industrial and
commercial librarians did not have much of a voice in the profession. Doris raised their profile by a series of conferenc- es, meetings and a strong committee that ensured its voice was heard in all professional areas. It was at a study weekend of the Group, with Doris as the conference organiser, that a former colleague, John Sherwell, was inspired to apply for a post as her deputy. He remembers Doris’s determination to get her own way, her care for the staff and the respect she commanded.
Tangible recognition of her outstanding abilities followed. She was elected Vice President of the Library Association and received an Honorary Fellowship in 1978. In 1979 she was awarded an MBE for her services to industrial and special libraries.
Despite her obvious dedication to her work, Doris led a full and active life outside the profession. She and Alf were keenly involved with motor cycle racing and were founder members of the British Motor Racing Marshals Club. It was in this context that she became known as “the sweet lady” thanks to her kindness in distributing sweets to riders in 1971. Her pride and joy was their 1936 vintage Riley Lynx sports car in which she and Alf toured extensively. (The photo shows Doris in the Riley).
Retirement in 1981 was not the end of her professional life. She worked for a time as relief librarian on the QE2. She was Honorary Books Review Editor of the Library Association Record until 1997. The task was considerably more onerous in the days before email but Doris’s personal touch ensured excellent rapport both with the reviewers and the publishers. She also was an author of several books including Apricot Village, a collaborative work on the history of Aynho. She continued to enjoy travelling, charity work and remained informed and keenly interested in current affairs.
Diana Dixon
Hon. Book Reviews Editor Information Professional
Helen Clay, in January. Helen was Assistant Tutor Librarian, Electrical Engineering at Leeds Polytechnic.
Ken Doughty, on 16 September 2018. Ken was Borough Librarian and Curator, London Borough of Southwark, retiring in June 1983.
Don Robertson, in March 2019. Don was Membership Officer at the Library Association, retiring in 1988. An obituary will follow.
Kenneth J. Thimbleby, on 30 December 2018. Ken worked at the boroughs of Camberwell, Southwark, St Marylebone, Westminster, Edmonton and finally Redbridge. An obituary will follow.
April-May 2019 INFORMATION PROFESSIONAL 55
Obits
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