Geoffrey Hamilton - In Memoriam

 

Geoffrey Hamilton In Memoriam

Edited version @12102026

Born in 1934, Geoffrey Hamilton lived through the war years in Surrey.  He started school in 1939, the week war broke-out, with more time initially spent in air raid shelters and gas-mask drills than in classroom activities. Post-war, his family moved to a remote village in Suffolk. His education continued at a quintessentially English grammar-cum-minor public school, in whose pupils were instilled the values, virtues and courtesies of an age that was rapidly passing.

After the then statutory two years, doing national service, he began his career in librarianship - a decision which he never regretted. Starting work in February 1955 for Ipswich Borough Libraries, he then attended Leeds Library School, to experience life in the "other England" - northern, industrial, where folk speak their minds. However, by chance rather than design his first appointment after qualifying was back in Surrey, at the County Library HQ.

Professionally  qualified librarians in government libraries were still a novelty. These posts had to be fully justified in terms of their professionalism, whereas at that time many public library posts had elements of semi- or non-professional duties. After a few years, he moved to the Board of Trade, subsequently the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), specialising for some twelve years in technical processes and bibliographical services. After two-years at Loughborough University investigating indexing and retrieval of published statistical information, he resumed his government libraries career with DTI, as head of Department of Energy Library Services. During his years working in several different libraries, he made contributions to the areas of descriptive cataloguing, indexing, official publications, statistical information, newspaper preservation and access.

His first British Library appointment was as head of its services to the library and information community, through the former Library Association Library. In the 1980s, he headed the Official Publications Library and the Administration for the Humanities and Social Sciences Division, before moving to the Newspaper Library in 1989, as Newspaper Librarian. His involvement with the International Federation of Library Associations (IFLA) began in 1983, on the IFLA Government Publications Section Standing Committee. In 1989, he became the Secretary of the IFLA Round Table on Newspapers.

Throughout his career, he took part in activities - nationally and internationally - that were professionally and personally satisfying. Some of the high points (1989-1994) at the Newspaper Library were the work, with libraries throughout the British Isles, on NEWSPLAN regional reports listing newspaper titles, and overseeing their publication by the British Library. The reports were the essential precursor for British Library and Regional co-operative preservation microfilming,

He enjoyed travel, especially when it involved trains, with a particular interest in railway history. After retirement in 1994, he opted to move to the Scottish Borders, an area of great natural beauty yet within easy reach of three of Britain's most interesting cities -Edinburgh, Glasgow and Newcastle-upon-Tyne. His urge to travel with former newspaper colleagues re-emerged in 2002, when he attended the Spring meeting of the IFLA Newspapers Section, held in Mikkeli, Finland, and St. Petersburg.  He attended subsequent IFLA Newspaper Spring meetings, in Cape Town, 2003; in Shanghai, 2004 and in Salt Lake City, 2006. He gave presentations to these meetings. 

As recently as 2018, Geoffrey hosted in Edinburgh a meeting of former national and international newspaper colleagues. As a volunteer guide for the National Museum in Edinburgh, he steered our tour of the museum expertly. He organised visits to Traquair House and to view the museum of the John Buchan Society in Peebles. In 2020, he was presented with Honorary Membership for being the “backbone of the CILIPS (Scotland) East Branch committee”. He gave many years to East Branch in his role as treasurer and committee member and was put forward by the Chair of East Branch for his invaluable support.

He will be much missed by all those who knew him.

Geoffrey Hamilton b. 5 July1934 d. 23 September 2026.

Edmund King

Hartmut Walravens