There's barely an honor that Norman Horrocks didn't receive in a long career in the library world, and they were well deserved. Born in England in 1927, Horrocks, who died yesterday, served in British intelligence in World War II and made fascinating connections between librarianship and intelligence work.
He was a librarian on three continents and in four countries, Australia, England, the United States, and Canada. He is the only librarian to receive honorary membership in the U.S., Canadian, and British library associations.
A longtime contributor to Library Journal, Horrocks was a professor emeritus at the Dalhousie School of Library and Information Science, where he had had been Dean, and former editorial director of Scarecrow Press.
He was a stalwart and active member of both the Canadian and American library associations, a member of the ALA council, and a noted parliamentarian.
In bestowing the prestigious Lippincott Award on him in 1995, the ALA award committee cited "his caring, committed dedication to librarianship and...his unfailing wit and humor."
In 2006 he received the highest honor awarded to a Canadian civilian, the Order of Canada. Dalhousie established the Horrocks National Leadership Fund in his name in 2007.
We at LJ are grateful to have had him as a mentor, fount of knowledge, dinner companion, and friend.
Reader Comments (4)
I had the humble honor of studying under Dr. Horrocks while a student at Dalhousie during the 1970. He was, indeed, a wonderful man who personified the finest qualities of librarianship, solid knowledge and a clarity of vision combined with a quiet humanity. He will be missed by everyone in the profession. I am certain that he is already effectively organizing the huge government documents collection in the hereafter. Rest in peace, Norman.
Posted by Samuel King on October 19, 2010 10:25:52AM
Norman Horrocks was a great mentor to me and others in the ALA New Members Round Table (NMRT) when we needed to use complex parliamentary procedure in our own meetings and to accomplish specific actions through the ALA Council. To me he was the elder statesman of ALA.
Posted by Ann Snoeyenbos on October 19, 2010 03:53:44PM
Mr. Horrocks encountered my mother as a student at Pitt (GSLIS) in the early 60s and me at Rutgers (SCILS) in the 90s. We both remember him fondly.
Posted by P. Morrow on October 19, 2010 02:18:40PM
Norman was a friend, mentor, and gentle nudge. I'll miss him and his warm and witty way of keeping us honest.
Posted by Dr. Ann E Prentice on October 19, 2010 10:00:41PM
