Michael W. Hill

Michael W. Hill begins his interview by discussing how he was first drawn to the information and documentation side of chemistry. While at Lincoln College, Hill planned to become a chemist. He received his B.S. and M.Sc. there, under the tutelage of Rex Richards, by researching applications of nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. After graduating, Hill started his career at Laporte Chemical Company in Luton, then moved to London to become head of Morgan Crucible Group's physics laboratory. Eventually Hill left the competitive world of industry to work as assistant keeper in the National Reference Library of Science and Invention, a new national science library being setup by the British Museum. Hill soon advanced to the post of deputy librarian at the Patent Office Library. Next he became the head of the National Reference Library of Science and Invention, first as part of the British Museum, then from 1973 as part of the British Library's Reference Division, which was renamed the Science Reference Library. Hill also joined Aslib, became a fellow of the Institute of Information Scientists, as well as vice president, and eventually became president of the Federation for Information and Documentation Congress. He was also elected vice president of the International Association of Technological University Libraries. Hill concludes his interview by hypothesizing about the future impact of information science.

Laporte Chemical Company

1953 - 1956 Research Chemist

Morgan Crucible Group

1956 - 1958 Laboratory Head, Chemistry, Physics and Physical Analysis

Morgan Crucible Group

1958 - 1962 Assistant Process Control Manager, Carbon and Sintered Metals

Morgan Crucible Group

1962 - 1963 Manager, Telephone Granules Production

Morgan Crucible Group

1963 - 1964 Group Technical Editor

British Museum

1964 - 1965 Assistant Keeper, National Reference Library of Science and Invention

British Museum

1968 - 1973 Keeper, National Reference Library of Science and Invention

Patent Office Library

1965 - 1968 Deputy Librarian

British Library

1973 - 1986 Director, Science Reference Library

W. Boyd Rayward

W. Boyd Rayward is a research professor in the Graduate School of Library and Information Science at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Chamapaign. He turned to librarianship after graduating in English literature from the University of Sydney. He received his Ph.D. from the Graduate Library School at the University of Chicago in 1973. He has held positions in the University of Chicago (where he became Dean of the Graduate Library School). He served as professor and head of the School of Information Library and Archive Studies and Dean of the University's Faculty of Professional Studies at the University of New South Wales in Sydney where he is now professor emeritus. He has published two books related to Paul Otlet, Belgian documentalist and internationalist, and a great many articles on history of national and international schemes for the organization and dissemination of information.