Frank Francis
Encyclopedia
Sir Frank Chalton Francis KCB
(5 October 1901 – 15 September 1988) was an English academic librarian and curator
. Almost all his working life was at the British Museum
, first as an assistant keeper in the department of printed books, and later as secretary of the museum, keeper of printed books and, between 1959 and 1968, director and principal librarian of the museum.
As director, Francis worked to modernise and expand the museum, and his ideas contributed to the establishment of a separate British Library
after his retirement. He was a well-known bibliographer
, lecturing in the subject at University College, London, and serving as secretary, and later president, of the Bibliographical Society
. He was one of the pioneers of computerised bibliography for libraries.
, the only child of Frank William Francis, a provision broker and his wife, Elizabeth née Chalton. He was educated at the Liverpool Institute High School for Boys and Liverpool University, where he took a first class degree in Classics
. From 1923 to 1925, he undertook post-graduate studies at Emmanuel College, Cambridge
, where he specialised in early Greek philosophy.
After leaving Cambridge, Francis taught for a year at Holyhead County School
, and in 1926 he joined the British Museum
as an assistant keeper in the department of printed books. He remained with the museum for 42 years. In 1927, he married Katrina McClennon in Liverpool. There were two sons and one daughter of the marriage.
At the museum, Francis was put in charge of Swedish books. He paid several visits to Sweden, studied Swedish and Icelandic and became the museum's leading expert in Scandinavian languages. From 1930 he also took a leading role in the revision of the museum's general catalogue, acquiring a reputation as a bibliographer. In 1936 he was appointed editor of the Bibliographical Society
's journal, The Library, a post that he held until 1952. In 1938 he was appointed secretary of the society (jointly with R. B. McKerrow until 1940).
In 1946 Francis was appointed secretary of the British Museum. He was not entirely comfortable in a wholly administrative role, and in 1948 he returned with pleasure to his old department as the junior of the two keepers of printed books. Much of his time in that position was devoted to updating and improving the catalogue. He has been described as the most significant figure of the 20th century in the department of printed books. From 1948 to 1959 he also held the post of lecturer in bibliography at University College London
. He was invited to reorganise and catalogue some ancient libraries, including those of Lambeth Palace
and several English cathedrals.
were housed from in 1962. The museum adopted the practice of importing exhibitions from other museums and galleries. Francis was a staunch opponent of suggestions that entry charges might be introduced for the museum, describing them as "misconceived and mischievous ... One of the great objects of our great museums is to attract people to come frequently, to see one thing and then go out again – not to come once and see the whole museum. To charge would cut at the root of the development."
Francis took radical steps to modernise and rationalise the organisation and responsibilities of the museum and other organisations for which it was nominally responsible. He was largely responsible for the contents of the British Museum Act of 1963
, which gave the Natural History Museum
complete independence from the British Museum for the first time, authorised the museum to dispose of duplicate items, and allowed it to store and even display items away from the main building at Bloomsbury
. This permitted, for example, the transformation of the museum's department of ethnography into the free-standing Museum of Mankind
. It was regretted by some at the time that Francis had not been able to take the even bolder step of splitting the library from the rest of the museum, but he later developed plans for a new library building, which after his retirement came to fruition as the British Library
.
In 1964, Francis was elected president of the Bibliographical Society, and was succeeded as secretary by Julian Roberts
, whom Francis had recruited to the staff of the British Museum and who had frequently deputised for him as the society's secretary. Roberts later wrote a short biography of Francis for the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. In 1965, together with Douglas W. Bryant, the university librarian of Harvard University
, Francis instigated the Anglo-American Conference on the Mechanization of Library Services, held at Brasenose College, Oxford
in June and July, 1966. This was later described as "the first attempt for the English-speaking library world to come to terms with library computerization, at that time in its infancy." In 1966, the new complete British Museum catalogue was completed. Francis had drastically streamlined the production of its 263 volumes by deciding that instead of preparing a new catalogue manually, the working copy of the catalogue in the Reading Room of the museum would be tidied up and then photographed and reproduced with minimal editorial changes.
in 1958 and KCB in 1960. He received honorary appointments from overseas bodies including the Institut de France
, Bibliographical Society of America
, Kungliga Gustav Adolfs Akademien
, American Academy of Arts and Sciences
, and the Pierpont Morgan Library, New York. He held honorary fellowships or degrees conferred by the universities of British Columbia
, Cambridge
, Exeter
, Leeds
, Liverpool
, New Brunswick
, Oxford
, and Wales
.
Francis retired in 1968, and moved to Nether Winchendon
near Aylesbury
in Buckinghamshire
. He died on 15 September 1988 at Chilton House, Chilton
, Buckinghamshire, aged 87, and was buried at Nether Winchendon.
Order of the Bath
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
(5 October 1901 – 15 September 1988) was an English academic librarian and curator
Curator
A curator is a manager or overseer. Traditionally, a curator or keeper of a cultural heritage institution is a content specialist responsible for an institution's collections and involved with the interpretation of heritage material...
. Almost all his working life was at the British Museum
British Museum
The British Museum is a museum of human history and culture in London. Its collections, which number more than seven million objects, are amongst the largest and most comprehensive in the world and originate from all continents, illustrating and documenting the story of human culture from its...
, first as an assistant keeper in the department of printed books, and later as secretary of the museum, keeper of printed books and, between 1959 and 1968, director and principal librarian of the museum.
As director, Francis worked to modernise and expand the museum, and his ideas contributed to the establishment of a separate British Library
British Library
The British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom, and is the world's largest library in terms of total number of items. The library is a major research library, holding over 150 million items from every country in the world, in virtually all known languages and in many formats,...
after his retirement. He was a well-known bibliographer
Bibliographer
"A bibliographer is a person who describes and lists books and other publications, with particular attention to such characteristics as authorship, publication date, edition, typography, etc. The result of this endeavor is a bibliography...
, lecturing in the subject at University College, London, and serving as secretary, and later president, of the Bibliographical Society
Bibliographical Society
Founded in 1892, the Bibliographical Society is the senior learned society dealing with the study of the book and its history, based in London, England....
. He was one of the pioneers of computerised bibliography for libraries.
Early years and first posts
Francis was born in LiverpoolLiverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
, the only child of Frank William Francis, a provision broker and his wife, Elizabeth née Chalton. He was educated at the Liverpool Institute High School for Boys and Liverpool University, where he took a first class degree in Classics
Classics
Classics is the branch of the Humanities comprising the languages, literature, philosophy, history, art, archaeology and other culture of the ancient Mediterranean world ; especially Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome during Classical Antiquity Classics (sometimes encompassing Classical Studies or...
. From 1923 to 1925, he undertook post-graduate studies at Emmanuel College, Cambridge
Emmanuel College, Cambridge
Emmanuel College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge.The college was founded in 1584 by Sir Walter Mildmay on the site of a Dominican friary...
, where he specialised in early Greek philosophy.
After leaving Cambridge, Francis taught for a year at Holyhead County School
Holyhead High School
Holyhead High School was the first comprehensive school in England and Wales, opening in 1949 as Holyhead County School.-History:The school was formed in 1949 with the amalgamation of Holyhead Grammar and St Cybi Secondary school. Ysgol Syr Thomas Jones, Amlwch is said to claim the title of the...
, and in 1926 he joined the British Museum
British Museum
The British Museum is a museum of human history and culture in London. Its collections, which number more than seven million objects, are amongst the largest and most comprehensive in the world and originate from all continents, illustrating and documenting the story of human culture from its...
as an assistant keeper in the department of printed books. He remained with the museum for 42 years. In 1927, he married Katrina McClennon in Liverpool. There were two sons and one daughter of the marriage.
At the museum, Francis was put in charge of Swedish books. He paid several visits to Sweden, studied Swedish and Icelandic and became the museum's leading expert in Scandinavian languages. From 1930 he also took a leading role in the revision of the museum's general catalogue, acquiring a reputation as a bibliographer. In 1936 he was appointed editor of the Bibliographical Society
Bibliographical Society
Founded in 1892, the Bibliographical Society is the senior learned society dealing with the study of the book and its history, based in London, England....
's journal, The Library, a post that he held until 1952. In 1938 he was appointed secretary of the society (jointly with R. B. McKerrow until 1940).
In 1946 Francis was appointed secretary of the British Museum. He was not entirely comfortable in a wholly administrative role, and in 1948 he returned with pleasure to his old department as the junior of the two keepers of printed books. Much of his time in that position was devoted to updating and improving the catalogue. He has been described as the most significant figure of the 20th century in the department of printed books. From 1948 to 1959 he also held the post of lecturer in bibliography at University College London
University College London
University College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and the oldest and largest constituent college of the federal University of London...
. He was invited to reorganise and catalogue some ancient libraries, including those of Lambeth Palace
Lambeth Palace
Lambeth Palace is the official London residence of the Archbishop of Canterbury in England. It is located in Lambeth, on the south bank of the River Thames a short distance upstream of the Palace of Westminster on the opposite shore. It was acquired by the archbishopric around 1200...
and several English cathedrals.
Director of the British Museum
In 1959 Francis was appointed director and principal librarian of the museum in succession to the archaeologist T. D. Kendrick. He was the first director appointed from the department of printed books for nearly a century, and in his determination to be fair to the entirety of the museum he was thought by some to favour other departments at the expense of printed books. He continued the work of his predecessors in restoring galleries damaged by German bombing during the Second World War, and he was responsible for opening new ones, including the Duveen gallery, where the Elgin MarblesElgin Marbles
The Parthenon Marbles, forming a part of the collection known as the Elgin Marbles , are a collection of classical Greek marble sculptures , inscriptions and architectural members that originally were part of the Parthenon and other buildings on the Acropolis of Athens...
were housed from in 1962. The museum adopted the practice of importing exhibitions from other museums and galleries. Francis was a staunch opponent of suggestions that entry charges might be introduced for the museum, describing them as "misconceived and mischievous ... One of the great objects of our great museums is to attract people to come frequently, to see one thing and then go out again – not to come once and see the whole museum. To charge would cut at the root of the development."
Francis took radical steps to modernise and rationalise the organisation and responsibilities of the museum and other organisations for which it was nominally responsible. He was largely responsible for the contents of the British Museum Act of 1963
British Museum Act 1963
The British Museum Act 1963 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It replaced the British Museum Act 1902. The act forbids the Museum from disposing of its holdings, except in a small number of special circumstances. The amendment of the act would, therefore, be a necessary precursor...
, which gave the Natural History Museum
Natural History Museum
The Natural History Museum is one of three large museums on Exhibition Road, South Kensington, London, England . Its main frontage is on Cromwell Road...
complete independence from the British Museum for the first time, authorised the museum to dispose of duplicate items, and allowed it to store and even display items away from the main building at Bloomsbury
Bloomsbury
-Places:* Bloomsbury is an area in central London.* Bloomsbury , related local government unit* Bloomsbury, New Jersey, New Jersey, USA* Bloomsbury , listed on the NRHP in Maryland...
. This permitted, for example, the transformation of the museum's department of ethnography into the free-standing Museum of Mankind
Ethnography at the British Museum
Ethnography at the British Museum describes how ethnography has developed at the British Museum.-Within the Department of Natural History and Curiosities:The ethnographical collection was originally linked to the Department of Natural History and Curiosities...
. It was regretted by some at the time that Francis had not been able to take the even bolder step of splitting the library from the rest of the museum, but he later developed plans for a new library building, which after his retirement came to fruition as the British Library
British Library
The British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom, and is the world's largest library in terms of total number of items. The library is a major research library, holding over 150 million items from every country in the world, in virtually all known languages and in many formats,...
.
In 1964, Francis was elected president of the Bibliographical Society, and was succeeded as secretary by Julian Roberts
Julian Roberts
Richard Julian Roberts FSA was a British librarian, bibliographer, and scholar.Julian Roberts was educated at King Edward's School, Birmingham and Magdalen College, Oxford, where he started reading Classics, but switched to English in his first year.- Biography :In the early 1950s, Roberts began...
, whom Francis had recruited to the staff of the British Museum and who had frequently deputised for him as the society's secretary. Roberts later wrote a short biography of Francis for the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. In 1965, together with Douglas W. Bryant, the university librarian of Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
, Francis instigated the Anglo-American Conference on the Mechanization of Library Services, held at Brasenose College, Oxford
Brasenose College, Oxford
Brasenose College, originally Brazen Nose College , is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. As of 2006, it has an estimated financial endowment of £98m...
in June and July, 1966. This was later described as "the first attempt for the English-speaking library world to come to terms with library computerization, at that time in its infancy." In 1966, the new complete British Museum catalogue was completed. Francis had drastically streamlined the production of its 263 volumes by deciding that instead of preparing a new catalogue manually, the working copy of the catalogue in the Reading Room of the museum would be tidied up and then photographed and reproduced with minimal editorial changes.
Honours and last years
Francis was appointed CBOrder of the Bath
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
in 1958 and KCB in 1960. He received honorary appointments from overseas bodies including the Institut de France
Institut de France
The Institut de France is a French learned society, grouping five académies, the most famous of which is the Académie française.The institute, located in Paris, manages approximately 1,000 foundations, as well as museums and chateaux open for visit. It also awards prizes and subsidies, which...
, Bibliographical Society of America
Bibliographical Society of America
The Bibliographical Society of America is the oldest learned society in North America that studies books and manuscripts as physical objects. Established in 1904, the society promotes bibliographical research and issues bibliographical publications...
, Kungliga Gustav Adolfs Akademien
Royal Gustavus Adolphus Academy
The Royal Gustavus Adolphus Academy in Uppsala is one of 18 Swedish royal academies and dedicated to the study of Swedish folklore. The name is often expanded to Kungl...
, American Academy of Arts and Sciences
American Academy of Arts and Sciences
The American Academy of Arts and Sciences is an independent policy research center that conducts multidisciplinary studies of complex and emerging problems. The Academy’s elected members are leaders in the academic disciplines, the arts, business, and public affairs.James Bowdoin, John Adams, and...
, and the Pierpont Morgan Library, New York. He held honorary fellowships or degrees conferred by the universities of British Columbia
University of British Columbia
The University of British Columbia is a public research university. UBC’s two main campuses are situated in Vancouver and in Kelowna in the Okanagan Valley...
, Cambridge
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
, Exeter
University of Exeter
The University of Exeter is a public university in South West England. It belongs to the 1994 Group, an association of 19 of the United Kingdom's smaller research-intensive universities....
, Leeds
University of Leeds
The University of Leeds is a British Redbrick university located in the city of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England...
, Liverpool
University of Liverpool
The University of Liverpool is a teaching and research university in the city of Liverpool, England. It is a member of the Russell Group of large research-intensive universities and the N8 Group for research collaboration. Founded in 1881 , it is also one of the six original "red brick" civic...
, New Brunswick
University of New Brunswick
The University of New Brunswick is a Canadian university located in the province of New Brunswick. UNB is the oldest English language university in Canada and among the first public universities in North America. The university has two main campuses: the original campus founded in 1785 in...
, Oxford
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
, and Wales
University of Wales
The University of Wales was a confederal university founded in 1893. It had accredited institutions throughout Wales, and formerly accredited courses in Britain and abroad, with over 100,000 students, but in October 2011, after a number of scandals, it withdrew all accreditation, and it was...
.
Francis retired in 1968, and moved to Nether Winchendon
Nether Winchendon
Nether Winchendon is a village and also a civil parish within Aylesbury Vale district in Buckinghamshire, England. It is near the border of Oxfordshire, about five miles west of Aylesbury and three miles south of Waddesdon.The village name 'Winchendon' originates from Anglo Saxon, meaning 'hill...
near Aylesbury
Aylesbury
Aylesbury is the county town of Buckinghamshire in South East England. However the town also falls into a geographical region known as the South Midlands an area that ecompasses the north of the South East, and the southern extremities of the East Midlands...
in Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan home county in South East England. The county town is Aylesbury, the largest town in the ceremonial county is Milton Keynes and largest town in the non-metropolitan county is High Wycombe....
. He died on 15 September 1988 at Chilton House, Chilton
Chilton, Buckinghamshire
Chilton is a village and civil parish in Aylesbury Vale district in Buckinghamshire, England. It is in the west of the county, about north of Thame in Oxfordshire. Chilton parish includes the hamlet of Easington .-Manor:The toponym "Chilton" is derived from the Old English for "young man's farm"...
, Buckinghamshire, aged 87, and was buried at Nether Winchendon.