A memorial service for former University Librarian Graham R. Hill will be held tonight at 7:00 pm in the Great Hall of the University Club. Hill, who was the University Librarian from 1979 until his retirement in 2005, passed away on April 13. He also served as president of the University Club for many years.
Hill received a B.A. from the University of Newcastle-on-Tyne in 1968, an M.A. from the University of Lancaster in 1969, and an M.L.S. from the University of Western Ontario in 1970. He came to McMaster in January 1971.
During his tenure, Hill oversaw tremendous changes in the University Library, from the advent of the computer age to unprecedented growth of the campus in the 1980s and 1990s and the digital revolution in collections. Asked upon his retirement about his proudest achievement, Hill referenced the major expansion and renovation of Mills Memorial Library in the early 1990s, which significantly increased collections and study space.
In 1998, Hill was named as the first winner of the CARL (Canadian Association of Research Libraries) Award for Distinguished Service to Research Librarianship, recognizing, in particular, his longstanding commitment in the areas of copyright reform and education. He served on the CARL Board of Directors from 1981-1987 (President from 1985-1987), and was Chair of the CARL Standing Committee on Copyright. Hill was also an active member of the Association of Research Libraries. He served as a Governor at Hillfield-Strathallan College from 1981-1993, and Chairman of the Board from 1989-1991.
McMaster’s current University Librarian, Vivian Lewis, recognized the indelible contributions Hill made to libraries on campus and across Canada. “I had the great honour of working with Graham for many years prior to his retirement. He was an inspired leader and a trusted colleague who will be missed by the library community.”
