Humphreys, Kenneth William

Kenneth William Humphries, 1916-1995, B.Litt, MA, PhD, FLA; Librarian, European University Institute, Florence, 1975-1981; educated at Southfield School, Oxford and St Catherine's College, Oxford. Library assistant, All Souls College, Oxford, 1933-1936; assistant at Bodleian Library, Oxford, 1936-1950; Deputy Librarian, Brotherton Library, University of Leeds, 1950-1952; Librarian, University of Birmingham, 1952-1975; Professor of library studies, Haifa University, 1982; honorary lecturer in palaeography, University of Leeds, 1950-1952; University of Birmingham, 1952-1975; Panizzi lecturer, Panizzi Trust, 1987; honorary secretary, Standing Conference of National and University Libraries, 1954-1969, Vice-Chairman, 1969-1971, Chairman, 1971-1973; member of the Library Advancement Council for England, 1966-1971; member of Council, Library Association, Chairman, 1973; Chairman of the Executive Committee, West Midlands Regional Library Bureau, 1963-1975; Chairman of the Joint Standing Conference and Committee on Library Cooperation, 1965-1975; National Committee on Regional Library Cooperation, 1970-1975; member of the Comite International de Palaeographie, and Colloque International de Palaeographie, 1955-1994; President: National and University Libraries Section, International Federation of Library Associations, 1968-1970, President of the University Libraries Sub-Section, 1967-1973; Ligue des Bibliotheques Europeennes des Recherche, 1974-1980; Round Table on Library History, 1978-1982; member of Committee, British Academy Corpus of British Medieval Library Catalogues, 1983-1995 (secretary 1983-1994); Editor, Studies in the History of Libraries and Librarianship; Joint editor, Series of Reproductions of Medieval and Renaissance Texts; Honorary DLitt Dublin (Trinity College), 1967; Honorary FLA, 1980; Socio d'onore, Italian Library Association, 1982.

Publications: The Book Provisions of the Medieval Friars, 1964; The Medieval Library of the Carmelites at Florence, 1964; The Library of the Franciscans of the Convent of St Antony, Padua at the Beginning of the Fifteenth Century, 1966; The Library of the Franciscans of Siena in the Fifteenth Century, 1977; A National Library in Theory and Practice, 1988; The Friars (Corpus of British Medieval Library Catalogues, 1990; articles in library periodicals.

Reference: Who's Who 1995 (London, 1995).

For further reading about the University of Birmingham see: Eric Ives, Diane Drummond, Leonard Schwarz The First Civic University: Birmingham 1880-1980 An Introductory History (The University of University of Birmingham Press. 2000).

From the guide to the University of Birmingham Staff Papers: Papers of Kenneth William Humphreys, 1951-1989, (University of Birmingham Information Services, Special Collections Department)

Kenneth William Humphreys, 1916-1995, B.Litt, MA, PhD, FLA; Librarian, European University Institute, Florence, 1975-1981; educated at Southfield School, Oxford and St Catherine's College, Oxford. Library assistant, All Souls College, Oxford, 1933-1936; assistant at Bodleian Library, Oxford, 1936-1950; Deputy Librarian, Brotherton Library, University of Leeds, 1950-1952; Librarian, University of Birmingham, 1952-1975; Professor of library studies, Haifa University, 1982; honorary lecturer in palaeography, University of Leeds, 1950-1952; University of Birmingham, 1952-1975; Panizzi lecturer, Panizzi Trust, 1987; honorary secretary, Standing Conference of National and University Libraries, 1954-1969, Vice-Chairman, 1969-1971, Chairman, 1971-1973; member of the Library Advancement Council for England, 1966-1971; member of Council, Library Association, Chairman, 1973; Chairman of the Executive Committee, West Midlands Regional Library Bureau, 1963-1975; Chairman of the Joint Standing Conference and Committee on Library Cooperation, 1965-1975; National Committee on Regional Library Cooperation, 1970-1975; member of the Comite International de Palaeographie, and Colloque International de Palaeographie, 1955-1994; President: National and University Libraries Section, International Federation of Library Associations, 1968-1970, President of the University Libraries Sub-Section, 1967-1973; Ligue des Bibliotheques Europeennes des Recherche, 1974-1980; Round Table on Library History, 1978-1982; member of Committee, British Academy Corpus of British Medieval Library Catalogues, 1983-1995 (secretary 1983-1994); Editor, Studies in the History of Libraries and Librarianship; Joint editor, Series of Reproductions of Medieval and Renaissance Texts; Honorary DLitt Dublin (Trinity College), 1967; Honorary FLA, 1980; Socio d'onore, Italian Library Association, 1982.

Publications: The Book Provisions of the Medieval Friars, 1964; The Medieval Library of the Carmelites at Florence, 1964; The Library of the Franciscans of the Convent of St Antony, Padua at the Beginning of the Fifteenth Century, 1966; The Library of the Franciscans of Siena in the Fifteenth Century, 1977; A National Library in Theory and Practice, 1988; The Friars (Corpus of British Medieval Library Catalogues, 1990; articles in library periodicals.

Reference: Who's Who 1995 (London, 1995).

From the guide to the Medieval and Modern Manuscripts: The Humphreys Bequest Collection, [13th-15th centuries, and 17th-19th centuries], (University of Birmingham Information Services, Special Collections Department)