Memorial issue in honour of Leslie T. Morton 1907–2004

Abstract

This special issue of Health Information and Libraries Journal has been published to honour the life and work of Leslie T. Morton, a distinguished medical librarian and scholarly writer on medical librarianship, bibliography and history. This is the second special issue of the journal to be produced to celebrate his outstanding career. In September 1987, Health Libraries Review (the precursor to Health Information and Libraries Journal) published a special issue to celebrate his 80th birthday.1 In the years which followed that milestone, Leslie remained as active as ever and was still engaged in research and writing at the time of his death. Indeed, this issue contains a review of his final book (produced in collaboration with his colleague and friend of many years, Bob Moore, and published after Leslie's death) and a short communication on Isidor Fischer's ‘Geographical Names in Medical Terminology’—a project close to Leslie's heart and which John Symons is now to continue. In this issue, we have tried to capture some of the key themes which permeated Leslie's long and illustrious career. These include bibliography and the development of electronic bibliographical tools; the importance of user education; the development of the medical library profession and the sharing of good practice; and the building and fostering of international partnerships. It is also a great pleasure to include a bibliographic piece from Bob Moore—a ‘taster’ of a short list of publications on the history of medicine that will be updated on a regular basis in memory of Leslie. Leslie's achievements have been well documented in obituaries in several professional journals, all of which are referenced in the bibliography of Leslie's work compiled by John and Matthew Hewlett for this issue. However, it is worth highlighting that the British Medical Journal published an obituary of Leslie2—one of the few non-medical professionals to be honoured in this way. Such was the esteem in which Leslie was held by members of the medical profession. He was as proud of this recognition as he was of the distinguished awards given to him by the library profession on both sides of the Atlantic. Notable among these was the Library Association Royal Charter Centenary medal, presented to him by H. R. H. the Princess Royal in 1998. He was one of only two health librarians to be honoured on that occasion, the other being Shane Godbolt who offers her own personal memories of Leslie on the following page. As two of the many people influenced and inspired by Leslie during his career spanning 80 years, we hope that this special issue will contribute to the celebration of his life and work, and be a worthy tribute to a kind, generous and much-loved man. Many thanks to the Health Libraries Group for sponsoring this special issue of Health Information and Libraries Journal in honour of Leslie Morton.