Warren Michael Horton, (23 June 1938 – 25 November 2003) was an Australian librarian who held senior positions as Director-General,

National Library of Australia The National Library of Australia (NLA), formerly the Commonwealth National Library and Commonwealth Parliament Library, is the largest reference library in Australia, responsible under the terms of the ''National Library Act 1960'' for "mainta ...

(1985-1999),

State Library of Victoria State Library Victoria (SLV) is the state library of Victoria, Australia. Located in Melbourne, it was established in 1854 as the Melbourne Public Library, making it Australia's oldest public library and one of the first free libraries in the ...

(1981-1985) and Deputy of the

State Library of New South Wales The State Library of New South Wales, part of which is known as the Mitchell Library, is a large heritage-listed special collections, reference and research library open to the public and is one of the oldest libraries in Australia. Establish ...

(1975-1981).

Early life

Warren Michael Horton was born in Ryde, New South Wales on 23 June 1938. His parents were John Horton and Iris Purcell. He attended Dee Why Public School and in 1949 won a scholarship to attend

Canberra Grammar School , motto_translation = For God, for Church, for Country , city = Red Hill , state = Australian Capital Territory , country = Australia , coordinates = , type ...

where he completed his schooling.

Career

1957-1981: State Library of New South Wales

Warren Horton began his library career at the

in 1957, rising through the ranks to Deputy of the State Library of New South Wales from 1975 to 1981.

1981-1985: State Library of Victoria

State Librarian of Victoria between 1981 and 1985.

1985-1999: National Library of Australia

He was Director-General,

, Canberra from 1985 to 1999. During this period the library refocussed from collecting printed materials from overseas and expanded the development of the Australian collections to include both print and electronic materials. Warren Horton was instrumental in the establishment of the Aurora Foundation which seeks to "develop leadership capacity in the library and information management professions in Australia and New Zealand" He was a member of the Australian National Commission for

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...

from 1993 to 1996. From 1991 to 1997 he was the first member of the executive board of the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions from the Pacific region, subsequently receiving the IFLA Gold Medal and a Fellowship from the organisation.

Awards

* 1985 Fellow of the Australian Library and Information Association * 1992 HCL Anderson award conferred by the Australian Library and Information Association * 1992 Member of the Order of Australia for services to librarianship * 1996 National Book Council Gold Medal * 1997 International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions Gold Medal * 1999 Honorary Fellow of the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) * 2001 Centenary Medal Warren Horton was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Letters (HonDLitt) by the

La Trobe University La Trobe University is a public research university based in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Its main campus is located in the suburb of Bundoora. The university was established in 1964, becoming the third university in the state of Victoria an ...

in Victoria and the honorary degree of Doctor of the University by the University of Canberra on 28 July 2000.

Personal life

He married historian Patsy Hardy in 1985; she had been a Field Historian at the State Library of Victoria. She died of cancer in 1994. Warren Horton died on 25 November 2003, also of cancer.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Horton, Warren 1938 births 2003 deaths Australian librarians People from Sydney Directors-General of the National Library of Australia Members of the Order of Australia People educated at Canberra Grammar School