William John Macnaught (born 1951) was New Zealand's
National Librarian from 2011 to 2020. Before becoming National Librarian he was manager of
Puke Ariki in
New Plymouth
New Plymouth ( mi, Ngāmotu) is the major city of the Taranaki region on the west coast of the North Island of New Zealand. It is named after the English city of Plymouth, Devon from where the first English settlers to New Plymouth migrated. ...
, New Zealand, and Head of Cultural Development at
Gateshead
Gateshead () is a large town in northern England. It is on the River Tyne's southern bank, opposite Newcastle upon Tyne, Newcastle to which it is joined by seven bridges. The town contains the Gateshead Millennium Bridge, Millennium Bridge, Sage ...
Council in England.
Early life
Macnaught was born in
Stirling, Scotland and educated at
the University of St Andrews
(Aien aristeuein)
, motto_lang = grc
, mottoeng = Ever to ExcelorEver to be the Best
, established =
, type = Public research university
Ancient university
, endowment ...
and
The University of Strathclyde.
Career
Macnaught spent 14 years from 1991 to 2005 at the Gateshead Council as the Director, Libraries and Arts and later Head of Cultural Development where he was instrumental in promoting the cultural life of Gateshead and the installation of
Antony Gormley's statue the
Angel of the North
The ''Angel of the North'' is a contemporary sculpture by Antony Gormley, located in Gateshead, Tyne and Wear, England. Completed in 1998, it is believed to be the largest sculpture of an angel in the world and is viewed by an estimated 33 m ...
.
From 2005 to 2011 Macnaught was manager of Puke Ariki museum and library in New Plymouth, moving from there to the National Library to become the National Librarian.
During his tenure the National Library installed the
''He Tohu'' exhibition which displays Te Tiriti o Waitangi (The
Treaty of Waitangi),
He Whakaputanga (the Declaration of the Independence of the United Tribes of New Zealand) and the
Women's Suffrage Petition (Te Petihana Whakamana Pōti Wahine).
He retired from the National Library in December 2020.
Honours and awards
Macnaught received the
Commander of the Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations,
and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...
(CBE) in the
2005 Birthday Honours
The Birthday Honours 2005 for the Commonwealth realms were announced on 11 June 2005 to celebrate the Queen's Birthday of
2005. The recipients of honours are displayed here as they were styled before their new honour, and arranged first by the coun ...
for his services to public libraries and cultural life in north east England.
Publications
* Macnaught, B. (2004), "Impact and performance measurement in public library services in the UK", ''Performance Measurement and Metrics'', 5(3):96-100. https://doi.org/10.1108/14678040410570102
* Macnaught, B. (2018), "The National Library of New Zealand (Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa)". ''Alexandria,'' 28(3):192-196. https://doi.org/10.1177/0955749019871427
References
External links
Bill Macnaught: libraries. Interview on RNZ, 4 June 2011Ep.3 Bill Macnaught — a librarian’s life. Interview on NZ National Library website, 15 December 2020
{{DEFAULTSORT:Macnaught, Bill
British emigrants to New Zealand
New Zealand librarians
British librarians
1951 births
Living people
Commanders of the Order of the British Empire
People from Stirling