Born: 3 November, 1941, in Glasgow.
Died: 30 May, 2008, in Uzbekistan, aged 67. BRIAN Osborne's fascination with Scottish history led him to write some celebrated books on the less well-known characters of Scottish history.
But Osborne was principally known in Scotland as a librarian who held senior posts in Midlothian and Glasgow and was appointed president of the Scottish Library Association (SLA) in 1992. He was a member of the Scottish Arts Council's literary committee and had recently been appointed vice-chairman of Publishing Scotland (formerly the Scottish Publishers' Association). Osborne was also a much respected member of the Committee of the Society of Authors in Scotland.
Born in Glasgow in 1941, Brian was brought up in Helensburgh. He was educated at Hermitage Academy in Helensburgh and later graduated from the Open University. He immersed himself in books from an early age and was not ashamed to admit that as a child he never got picked for the football team, but read everything he could get his hands on.
Thankfully, his early choice of bookselling as a career proved no more than a flirtation. The public library service beckoned, and there is photographic evidence from 1962 of a young man with smartly combed hair working behind the counter at Dumbarton Library.
That young man rose to become Dumbarton's deputy district librarian, with ambitions to rise higher.
Midlothian snapped him up as district librarian in 1983, a time when that authority awaited modernisation. Osborne took on this task readily: a publications programme was introduced; activities and events of all sorts were regularly promoted; libraries were refurbished; opening hours were extended; a full staff restructuring was implemented.
His move to Strathkelvin in 1989 as chief officer, libraries and museums, brought the challenge of designing a new library for Kirkintilloch; his response was the creation of a bright, modern, spacious library set in a prime position within the town centre.
It was during the Midlothian and Strathkelvin days that his involvement in professional activities developed, initially through the Central Scotland Training Group, then as the SLA's publications officer, and ultimately as president of the SLA in 1992.
Even after his retirement in 1995, he remained active in professional affairs, carrying out freelance and consultancy work. Driven by a sharp intelligence, keen reasoning and good common sense, Osborne made a significant contribution to the work of the professional association in Scotland.
Early retirement released him to carry out research and writing and immerse himself in Scotland's literary life.
His involvement with research, writing and publication had started with local history titles produced by Dumbarton Libraries. He continued this interest in Midlothian, where he enthusiastically introduced a publications programme which featured facsimile reprints of out-of-print local works and new titles based on original research. At the same time, as the SLA's publications officer, he broke new ground, commissioning Scottish-interest titles which often provided a showcase for the local studies collections of Scotland's public library authorities.
Thereafter, he really got into his stride; he published three biographies – Braxfield, the Hanging Judge?, The ingenious Mr Bell and The last of the Chiefs. These were highly original works in contrasting fields. He collaborated with Ronnie Armstrong in the compilation of Scottish literary anthologies; he edited, introduced and annotated many of the works of Neil Munro and wrote other books on various topics. He was also a regular contributor of articles on matters of Scottish heritage and history to several journals, particularly the Scots Magazine.
Two plays, again written with Ronnie Armstrong, were staged at The Byre Theatre, St Andrews, and at Perth Theatre. His final full-length work – a study of the Home Guard in Scotland, is due for publication in spring 2009.
Of crucial importance was his work with Ronald Armstrong, Ronald Renton and others in reassessing and reinvigorating the reputation of Neil Munro through the work of the Neil Munro Society, of which he became the first secretary, and in other ways. Munro was known for his Para Handy tales, but his novels and other works had been sadly neglected. It is to the society's credit that in recent years all of Munro's major titles have been reprinted with modern introductions, along with a full biography written by a granddaughter of Munro and a volume of critical essays, edited by Brian and Ronald Renton. This is a literary achievement of a high order.
He understood the importance of books and reading. In his presidential address to the SLA, he lamented that as a profession and as individuals librarians played too small a role in Scotland's book world. Osborne could never be accused of that. From early on he was active within the Scottish Book Marketing Group. He served on the Scottish Arts Council literature committee and on the committee of the Society of Authors in Scotland.
Brian was an elder and devoted member of his local church, St Columba's, Kirkintilloch, where he was active in the affairs of the congregation and edited the church magazine. The values he brought from that involvement were evident in all that he undertook.
He is survived by his father.
The full article contains 859 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
