Warren Phillip Bird, 1933–2004

Warren Bird, former director of the Duke University Medical Center Library, died of cancer in Durham, North Carolina, on July 13, 2004, after a lengthy illness. He was seventy.

Born in Rochester, New York, he spent his formative years in Greensboro, North Carolina. He received his bachelor's degree in physics, philosophy, and biology from Georgetown University in 1956 and attended Duke University School of Medicine from 1956 to 1958, when he chose another direction. After several years as a radiological physicist at Columbia University, Warren earned a master's degree with honors from its Graduate School of Library Service in 1964.

At that time, perhaps hard to imagine today, Warren was pursued by Duke's medical library to become its “chief of machine applications.” He finally agreed and, in 1965, under then director G.S.T. “Terry” Cavanagh, the great rare books librarian, he assumed the post of chief of systems and communications. Later, in 1968, he was appointed associate director and, in 1974, as “one of the most sought-after young men in medical library circles” [1], he became the director, a post he held until his retirement in 1991.

He was an innovator in medical information technology. His association with Tom Fleming (director of the Columbia University medical library), Brad Rogers (director of the National Library of Medicine), and other giants helped him form a more global view of library cooperation and sharing than was generally present at that time. A self-proclaimed “techno-geek,” he was one of the first proponents of computing and telecommunications to deliver larger, more broad-based collections to medical library users. As a result, he created widely recognized presentations and wrote articles in the Bulletin of the Medical Library Association concerning the use of teletypewriter exchange service (TWX) to facilitate interlibrary lending of originals and the photocopying of journal articles. His blue and gray handbook [2], affectionately dubbed The Bird Manual, was considered the bible of these operations. A companion volume, listing participating libraries, was soon to follow [3]. These basic works formed some of the building blocks for DOCLINE as well as the Internet and database sharing services we find so essential today. The US State Department sent Warren to New Zealand for an extended consultation visit. An active member of numerous scientific and bibliographic associations, he presented many lectures and workshops.

Warren was also associate professor of medical literature in the school of medicine, and he taught several courses in the graduate library school of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. More than one student longed for a career in medical history after spending a day—with Warren as guide and inspirer—studying the rare books, viewing the manuscripts, inspecting the museum items, and touring the medical gardens at Duke.

He planned, designed, and oversaw the construction of the present Seeley G. Mudd Building for the Duke Medical Center Library, which opened in 1975 as a bright, spacious, and beautiful facility. Along with appropriate large-scale focal points, including a grand stairway with tapestries, his attention focused on providing inviting study spaces bordering the collections. The History of Medicine Rooms, adjacent to the Medical Garden, were superb for both staff and visitors. Warren served as a consultant to several library construction and renovation projects, and he authored (or coauthored) several works, including a book [4] on library planning.

Warren was an intellect, a lover of books, and a passionate collector. His hobbies were many and varied, including the accumulation of postage stamps, transportation tokens from around the world, silver vodka cups, marble eggs, first editions of H. G. Wells, and Glen Gould recordings. Among his fervent interests was classical music, and he was a supporter of the nonprofit classical radio station WCPE in Wake Forest, North Carolina.

As an active member of numerous scientific and bibliographic associations, he collected friends with great enthusiasm. At his first MLA meeting in Philadelphia in 1965, he declared he did not know many members of MLA, but that he would try to meet each attendee one by one: “At least those that have something interesting to say.” He loved discussions about fascinating professional puzzles with clever colleagues, especially if the discussions were accompanied with fine food and drink. Appreciating how difficult it was to bring people together, he fostered an unofficial banquet and luncheon ticket exchange, whereby those with extra or unused tickets could donate them to penurious students and other worthy individuals.

His passion for collecting included his focus on continuing the strong collections tradition at Duke. He frequently commented that “at Duke we must try to collect and keep everything of importance.” Perhaps as a collector, he was his mother's son. His brother, Richard Bird, recalled finding in their mother's belongings a box labeled “String—Too Short to Use.”

Warren was predeceased by his parents, Dr. Ignacio and Lucy J. Bird. Three sisters, a brother, and their children and grandchildren survive him.

During his final years, as Warren's eyesight failed terribly, he was significantly hampered, but he never gave in. He continued to focus on the positive things in his life and on the lives of those he most admired. He was a strong man, a good man, and a dear friend to the many he touched in our profession.