Amazing story of book champion
Recently-retired Stirling Council mobile library officer Nelson Busby received a standing ovation from councillors and the public last week.
Provost Christine Simpson presented a special gift to him, congratulating on his retirement after lengthy career and also being named the UK mobile library champion of the year.
Nelson worked for 35 years on Stirling’s library vans and devised a monthly brochure of new titles featuring book covers and blurbs which was emailed to every reader. The move resulted in hundreds of requests each month and the adoption of `Nelson’s list’ in all Stirling’s libraries.
He worked tirelessly to research and recommend authors, going into schools to promote the service, encouraging his readers to choose something new.
His aim in life was getting people on board and he did this by finding information for people, taking books to their door, supporting community initiatives like the `Wee Tea and Blether’ stop in Gartmore.
Nelson built his expertise working on mobile library vehicles in differing states of repair and his knowledge has been described as secondto-none.
When a business case resulted in funding for two brand new vans in Stirling, he was vital to their concept and design. He travelled to Nutrack in Northern Ireland while the vehicles were at an early stage of production, added his ideas and weighed others against his experience of what would work. He stayed on two years past his retirement date to see the project through.
A spokesperson for CILIP, the library and information assocation, which held an award ceremony in
London, earlier this year, said: “We have never met anyone so suited to his role, or so dedicated, and such a pleasure to work with. He is widely acknowledged as a legend.
“Nelson didn’t know he’d won the award until the night of the presentation. His colleagues in Stirling did, however, and went to considerable lengths to arrange for one of their vehicles to attend the Public and Mobile Libraries Group conference at Canada Water (London).
“Delegates at the conference enjoyed having a state-of-the-art vehicle to explore and Nelson took great delight in showing people round thinking that’s why he had been invited.
“His face was truly a roadmap of emotions at the awards dinner as his name was announced as the PMLG mobile library champion for 2019.”