PEOPLE
Jennifer Tanfield J
ennie Tanfield, then a recent LSE graduate, joined the House of Commons Library in 1963 as a research statistician. She rose to become the first female Librarian of the House of Commons 30 years later.
She experienced much of the transition from an entirely paper-based world in the early 1960s, with all the limi- tations that imposed, to a largely digital one, that offered many new possibilities but fundamentally changed how everyone worked. That process was not universally welcomed, nor readily accepted by Members or staff; it brought numerous challenges for the Library as well as for the rest of the House administration. In 1987, she gained promotion
from the Research function to become responsible for the strictly ‘library’ part of the service. Not a librarian by training, she joined the LA as a personal member. In 1991, she became Deputy Librarian; with that post came responsibility for HR for a staff that had increased to over 200. This brought out her warmth, approachability and concern for the well-being of others. She also researched and published In Parliament 1939-50, ([House of Com- mons Library Document No.20] HMSO 1991, ISBN 0-10- 850640-1) a history of the Commons in WW2, culminating in the new Chamber of 1950. As Deputy, and after becoming Librarian in 1993, like other heads of Commons departments, Jennie was much involved in implementing the 1991 Robin Ibbs Report on the administration of the House. That was a thankless task, as he had recommended far-reaching changes that had to be implemented to a very tight timetable. It was
a dose of nasty medicine that just had to be swallowed. Then, the House’s IT went through a series of crises that underlined how dependent all departments, but especially the library, had become on often-fragile technology. Jennie also became House of Commons representative on the Parliamentary Section of the International Feder- ation of Library Associations. She served as secretary and then chairman of the Section, working closely with other parliaments. She found the work very rewarding and brought to it her usual meticulous attention to detail and careful forward planning. She also much enjoyed the travel and opportunities to build links with other parliaments through the annual IFLA conferences. It was thus that Jennie first met Nick Bannenberg, then Parliamentary Librarian of Queensland; they married after her retirement. As a person, she was an admirable colleague – reliable, hardworking and conscientious almost to a fault – but also kind, thoughtful for others and good-humoured. She could be good at enjoying herself and always made sure that Library parties were good occasions for everyone, once making a memorable appearance as a bunny girl at a Christmas party. She and Nick shared an interest in cooking and often collaborated to prepare delicious meals in their homes in Australia and in Tufnell Park. Jennie latterly suffered from Pick’s disease, a rare form of dementia, and died in Australia in February 2022, aged 80.
Priscilla Baines and Chris Pond, with assistance from other ex-colleagues
For obituary submissions and guidance please email
infopromag@cilip.org.uk or write to us at Obituaries, 7 Ridgmount Street, London, WC1E 7AE.
September 2022
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