My friend and former colleague Christine Penney, who has died aged 81, was the archivist for the University of Birmingham library for 34 years, and head of its special collections (now the Cadbury Research library) from 1990.
A spirited defender of the collections in her charge, Chris fought to ensure adequate standards of security, good conservation practices and a friendly and expert service to users. She introduced information technology wherever it could improve access to collections. Staff training was a priority, and many of those whom Chris encouraged now hold senior research positions in Britain and abroad.
