Library History as a Competence

Abstract

it is certainly his habit of dipping into books, plus his retentive memory, and his ready wit, which enables him unerringly to come up with the apt and often humorous quotation at a moment's notice. William's family tree had past connections with Ireland, and you don't have to be with him for very long before detecting a humour in him which is typically Irish. A word or two should be added about our mutual connection with the A.L.A. World encyclopedia of library and information services, edited by Robert Wedgeworth. Bob was paying a visit to Westminster City Libraries and I invited him to lunch with William and myself. Wedgeworth, who was later to become President of IFLA, asked William and myself to join his editorial board as European advisers and contributors, also suggesting that we should write biographical articles about each other, which we duly did. It has been a great privilege for me to have been invited by the editor to contribute this personal memoir and an even greater privilege to have enjoyed William's friendship for so long. Younger readers perusing this appreciation may well have got an impression of two old buffers reminiscing in London clubs. That's as maybe. The thing is that we don't feel like old buffers, and even though he is a great-grandfather twice over William certainly isn't one, cycling as he does around Cambridge every day. May he continue to do so for a long time to come.