University Librarian begins new chapter

[img_inline align=”right” src=”http://padnws01.mcmaster.ca/images/Hill_Graham.jpg” caption=”Graham Hill”]Graham Hill remembers Jan. 2, 1971 well. It was a blustery snowy day on McMaster's campus when he started his first day on the job as a reference librarian in the serials department. Thirty-four years later, on the verge of retiring from the library's top post, he reminisces about that day, when things were quite a bit different.

“When I started at McMaster almost everything was printed on paper and we worked with punch cards and telexes,” he says. “I would say the advent of digital technology is the biggest change I have seen.”

While his memories of McMaster are vast, his proudest was in 1992, when a major expansion and renovation of Mills Memorial Library provided increased space for collection and study facilities.

“The expansion of the library gave us the ability to exploit the digital revolution and allowed us to reach new frontiers,” he says. “I am confident McMaster's libraries will continue to flourish because of the outstanding contributions our staff has made. I thank those who helped us achieve the first-class library collections, services and infrastructure that will benefit present and future generations of McMaster scholars and students.”

Since joining McMaster, Hill has held various positions, including associate librarian for the collections department. He was appointed University librarian in 1979.

Although Hill will retire this June, he will not fully leave McMaster behind. “I live in Dundas and will be coming to campus regularly,” says the president of the University Club and chair of the Canadian Association of Research Libraries Copyright Committee. He also plans to help his wife in her new business venture, by maintaining the books and paperwork. In his spare time he will hang out with his 17-month-old grandson Xander.

“Graham has provided McMaster's Libraries with many years of inspired leadership,” says provost Ken Norrie. “For more than three decades we have benefited from his outstanding expertise and we owe him a depth of gratitude for helping place McMaster Libraries among the most recognized research libraries in the world. I wish him well in his greatly deserved retirement years.”

Associate University librarian Charlotte Stewart will serve as interim University librarian for six months following Hill's retirement, during which time the provost will lead the process to appoint a successor. Stewart, who plans to retire from the University at the end of her appointment, has also worked at McMaster for more than 30 years.