PEOPLE Liz McGettigan L


iz was an unforgettable person who made an impact on everyone she met. Her love of libraries and life, her won­ derful sense of humour, and her boldness and audacity in seeking to change the world’s perspective on libraries and librarians were truly unique. Liz’s start shelving books in public libraries will be familiar to many of us. It did not take long for her to make an impact and demon­ strate her potential at Renfrewshire Council, becoming Information Manager in 1996 and Head of Libraries and Information Services by 2003. She then spent a short time as Business Development Manager, Informa­ tion Systems, for TALIS, championing the opportunities that technological innovation


could bring to libraries. In 2009, Liz became Head of Libraries and Information Ser­ vices for Edinburgh City Council, transforming the service into a ground­breaking and award­winning public library service. The first Libraries App and winning UK Library of the Year put Edin­ burgh Libraries on the map, but communities across Edinburgh also saw transformation in local delivery under a compassionate leader who inspired her teams. While in Edinburgh, Liz conceived and established the Edge Con­ ference, for which she was Director of Studies from 2008 to 2013. Attracting international innovators and change­makers, Edge was the first of its kind, demonstrating what happens when librarians use the tools of technology to change the world for the better.


Stella Keenan S


tella Keenan, MPhil, ALA, Fellow of the Institute of Information Scientists, Honorary Fellow of NFAIS From six­months­old, after the death of her mother, Stella was brought up by aunts in Wigan. She was a world­traveller, held significant positions in three countries, and a professional or personal visitor to over 50 more. Her career dated from 1950 in Liverpool’s public and univer­ sity libraries, London’s Zinc Development Association, the USA’s H W Wilson company, Physics Abstracts, the National Federation of Abstracting and Indexing Services, and finally, FID in Holland. She emigrated in 1958 to H. W. Wilson as indexer, building on her knowledge of scientific language, moved


on to the American Institute of Physics, and then NFAIS, where she was Executive Director 1968­1974. At the American Institute of Physics, she studied how physicists kept up to date and worked globally on developing the terminology that allowed them to find key papers in physics, chemistry, metal­ lurgy, and library and information science. She arrived in Loughborough in 1974 as lecturer, then senior lec­ turer, passing on her knowledge of A&I services, and the importance of serials. Later, she produced two editions of the Concise Dictionary of Library and Information Science in 1996 and 2000. Stella left the UK to be Secretary General of FID in Holland, the


International Federation for Information and Documentation. It had struggled financially, but she helped it break­even before she retired. She visited all of its member countries, un­fazed by disparate cultures and languages. Stella saw the potential of com­ puters and was an early supporter of computerising records and campaigned for online services in libraries. Exciting was a word she used a lot, infecting students and colleagues worldwide. Finally freelancing at home Stella involved herself in many activities: travelling, creating abstracts for ASLIB and editing ILIG’s Focus newsletter. She had an encyclopaedic knowledge of musicals and Shakespeare and her mind was stuffed with words drawn from across much of human knowledge. She donated her brain to Bristol University’s Alzheimer’s research to enable researchers to compare brains like hers to people who had lost words, speech and memory. Of course, she was a great reader, and the last book she bought was American Prometheus ­ the inspiration for the Oppenheimer film. Stella saw it twice. Only later did I discover why. At the American Institute of Physics, she had created and catalogued their Niels Bohr Library – Niels left the UK to join Oppenheimer in the Manhattan Project. The librarians there recently said: “Her work was of course foundational for us. We still use the custom classifica­ tion system she created for our books.”


Stella was able to drop into other cultures with warmth and enthusiasm, and throughout her life maintained many links to UK and overseas colleagues. A life well lived indeed. Ann Irving


For obituary submissions and guidance please email rob.green@cilip.org.uk. June-July 2026 INFORMATION PROFESSIONAL 49


She went on to work in the areas of technology and innovation that she loved, becoming a member of the Innovation Advisory Board at Napier University. In 2013, she became Director of Digital Library Experiences at SOLUS and, from 2019 to 2022, co­chaired Internet Librarian International, making connections all over the world. In 2023, she joined The Design Concept as a Senior Consultant, continuing to share her passion for innovation. Throughout her career, Liz was deeply involved with her pro­ fession, encouraging us to take inspiration from the wider world and to embrace change. She was hugely respected in the libraries community, both in the UK and internationally, and was a regular speaker at conferences and a well­kent face at IFLA. From 2011 to 2014, Liz was a trustee of CILIP, where I hugely valued her support, guidance and challenge on the Board. In 2017, Liz was delighted to become President of CILIPS and to lead the profession in her home country of Scotland.


The best word to sum Liz up is inspirational. She was an inno­ vator with real vision, and a kind and compassionate leader. She was our secret weapon: a passionate advocate who sought out brilliant people, connected libraries with causes of social justice, and helped the wider world understand our contribution. She was also a wonderful person to have a giggle with. One of Liz’s colleagues in Edinburgh Libraries said: “Her passion for libraries was clear to everyone she met, encouraging us all to lift our heads and look beyond the horizon to make libraries better. Liz did that not just for Edinburgh, but for all public libraries.”


Annie Mauger-Thompson


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