PEOPLE Christine Penney C


hristine Penney died in November six-years after her cancer diagnosis; she was 81. Her strength of character and great good humour kept her positive to the end as she cheerfully stuck to her philosophy of ‘taking one day at a time’.


Though born in Pinner, Middlesex, Chris was, essentially, a child of Strat- ford-upon-Avon. From an early age she lived there with her parents and sister Barbara (who survives her), and after retirement, moved back to the family home. When visiting I always felt that Shakespeare was an unseen but palpa- ble presence.


Chris was a delightful person who, as


many in the profession will know, was dedicated to the develop- ment of the trainees she managed. Consequently, many of them have enjoyed successful careers as librarians, archivists, and information managers in the UK and abroad. Chris’s talent for friendship means she’ll be much missed by all those who were lucky enough to know her. She had a social conscience beyond the norm, befriending and helping a local Syrian family and actively supporting friends who needed care or assistance. In 1965 Chris graduated from Bristol University with an Eng- lish degree, then gained a Diploma in Librarianship from Uni- versity College London. From there she returned to Stratford, working as a librarian at the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust. In 1971 she joined the University of Birmingham Library staff, working in Special Collections, first as University Archivist (a title she held for thirty-four years), and from 1990, as head of department.


The expansion and importance of Special Collections (now the Cadbury Research Library) owes much to Chris’s hard work,


Dr John Crawford C April-May 2024


ILIPS was saddened to learn of the passing of Dr John Crawford in February of this year. John was a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals and a former CILIP Trustee.


He worked in several library sec- tors including secondary and tertiary education and specialised in evaluation of library and information services, information literacy and library and information history. He authored over 100 academic articles and wrote several books, including one with Christine Irving on information literacy and


lifelong learning.


John was also instrumental in being a Director of the Scottish Information Literacy Project, between 2004 and 2010 and this


Sean McNamara, Head of CILIP Scotland


For obituary submissions and guidance please email rob.green@cilip.org.uk with subject “obituary”, or write to us at Obituaries, CILIP, Room 150, c/o British Library, 96 Euston Road, London NW1 2DB.


INFORMATION PROFESSIONAL 49


was the first project of its kind in the British Isles. It was origi- nally begun to research information literacy as a pedagogic skill, especially in relation to the links between secondary and tertiary education but it soon expanded to include information literacy in the workplace, in individual health management and in the wider community. This led to the setup of Scotland’s Information Literacy Community of Practice, still active today. In retirement John continued to work on information literacy


activities and resumed his interest in library and information history. He was also chairman of Leadhills Heritage Trust, working to reserve, conserve and promote the lead mining, local history and cultural heritage of the Leadhills area through col- lections in the Leadhills Miners’ Library, one of the oldest library buildings in Scotland.


intelligence, and charm. She oversaw the recruitment and man- agement of additional staff, expanded the accommodation, and broadened the range of the collections. While the Chamberlain papers remains the major research resource, Chris managed the deposit of other important collections including those of Lord Avon, the Church Missionary Society, Sir Nöel Coward, Sir Leslie Weatherhead and others. Keen on using information technol- ogy in cataloguing archives, Chris oversaw the introduction of a campus-wide modern records management programme. She also had considerable success in bidding for grants from the Research Support Libraries Programme and other bodies. Chris was a member of CILIP and a founding member of the Religious Archives Group (RAG) serving on the committee, becoming treasurer from 1993, and helping it secure small charity status. Chris was also an adviser or honorary consultant to the cathedral libraries of Hereford, Worcester and Lichfield. Her professional commitment continued until her death as the (voluntary) Hurd Librarian at Hartlebury Castle. There she used her professional zeal, pressing for higher standards and additional funding. A Life Member of the Court of Birmingham University, Chris was also a long-standing secretary of the Jane Austen Society


Throughout her professional life, Chris fought to ensure good conservation and security practices. She was keen to introduce information technology wherever it could improve and broad- en access to collections. Chris was an excellent example for all information professionals, not only because of her support and encouragement to other colleagues and her good-tempered approach to her work, but also in her insistence on giving high quality service to users.


Richard Biddiscombe


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