Level | Item |
Ref No | OHP/112 |
Title | Geoffrey Whatmore |
Date | 14 December 2012 |
Extent | 2 WAV audio files (243.7 MB) |
Creator Name | Whatmore; Geoffrey; librarian |
Description | Interview with Geoffrey Whatmore, Manchester Guardian librarian. Conducted by Richard Nelsson on 14 December 2012. Recorded at Whatmore's home in Worcestershire.
Summary contents of interview (with rough timings):
Disc 1: Track 1 00.10 Introductions 00.20 How he came to join the Manchester Guardian in 1951 00.35 The need for a professional librarian at the newspaper 01.15 Remembers the physical state of the library on his arrival. Piles of newspapers waiting to be catalogued 03.40 Moved to London 04.00 Had been working as a librarian at the Nottingham Journal. Advertisement in the Economist for a librarian at an unamed national newspaper 05.10 Advertisement for a qualified librarian with experience of working for a national newspaper 05.20 Informal interview 06.20 Offered job at the newspaper 06.45 Read the Guardian and other newspapers whilst at the Nottingham Journal. Had occasionally contributed to the Miscellany column 07.40 How the library looked at the Cross Street offices 08.15 Remembers Marjorie Wakefield indexing 09.00 The state of the newspaper cuttings collection. Headings unchanged over years
10.00 Created own classification system 10.30 Guardian staff began to use the library 11.00 Getting to know the staff who used the library 11.10 Remembers Alastair Hetherington, Paddy Monkhouse and John Anderson. Support of Anderson for the library 11.40 Suspicion over appointment of professional librarian 13.00 Interesting to interact with staff. 13.30 Remembers Jan Morris' return from Everest expedition 14.00 Managing the books collections. Unsure whether he was in charge of books so did not touch the books for the first year 14.40 Decision to organise books. Upset caused by rearranging books according to the Dewey classification system 15.10 Remembers George Wainwright. Books kept locked away with Wainwright in possession of keys 17.00 Never finished cataloguing books 17.15 Indexing by Wakefield 18.00 Responsbile for photographs, mainly photo agency prints 19.30 Close relationship with Manchester Public Library. Loaning of books 19.40 Member of Library Association
20.00 Relations with other newspapers. 21.10 Cuttings files originally arranged by subject. Created personality files 22.00 Obituaries 24.50 Employing more library staff including more qualified librarians 25.40 Remembers librarian Harry King who left the Guardian for the Scott Polar Research Institute. Followed by librarian Frank Singleton 26.00 Remembers Singleton
Track 2 00.09 Atmosphere of the Guardian in the 1950s 01.25 Remembers incident where Joe Maloy of the Philadelphia Inquirer library appeared late one night 02.10 People drifted into the library 03.00 Remembers colleagues at the newspaper 03.55 Remembers Hetherington 04.18 Library under editorial management 04.50 Approaching the editor 06.10 Memories of working during the Suez crisis 06.58 Decision to leave the Guardian. Desire to work in London 07.25 Gained job at the British Institute of Management running information management 08.20 Joined the Daily Mirror where he worked for over 10 years 08.45 Singleton became the Guardian librarian after his departure 09.10 Hierarchies at the Guardian
10.00 Socialising at the newspaper 11.50 Outside interests of staff 12.55 Left the Daily Mirror for the BBC 13.30 Lessons learnt at the Guardian 13.45 Remembers atmosphere at the Daily Mirror 14.10 Fondness for time spent at the BBC. His favourite job being at the Nottingham Journal 14.33 Recalls journalists from Nottingham Journal who later worked on Fleet Street including sports journalist Don Mosey and political commentator Walter Terry
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Access Status | Open |
Access Conditions | Access to recording via the GNM Digital Repository |
Format | Electronic record |
Copyright | Guardian News & Media Ltd and Geoffrey Whatmore |
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