Talk:Philip Larkin

Honorary degrees

The biography section mentions Larkin receiving several honorary degrees. What sort of degrees were these? I know they are customarily doctorates, but some clarification would be nice (not necessarily in the article, though that would of course be preferrable. Also, it is not quite clear whether the fellowship at St. John's was permanent.--Hinakana (talk) 00:50, 12 August 2008 (UTC)

Larkin's career as a librarian

Someone kindly pointed me in the direction of this link, which is full of information about Larkin's notable acheivements as a librarian. If someone with specialist knowledge of this subject could suggest what should be included on the page that would be helpful, as would any further links. I'm definitely out of my depth on this subject and don't want to make a ham-fisted attempt! I've created a sub-section Larkin's career as a librarian; I think I've put it in the best place. almost-instinct 08:19, 29 July 2008 (UTC)

I've done the best I can out of that link. I'm not impressed! I'm hoping that Billy, when adding info from Blomfield's Larkin at Sixty, will obliterate my contribution. almost-instinct 09:24, 4 August 2008 (UTC)

ps Could someone please tell us more about GEAC? Was it the only kind of system available then? ie to what degree was being the first library in UK to have a GEAC system notable? almost-instinct 14:37, 4 August 2008 (UTC)

It was a Canadian company which was then a market-leader in stand-alone computer systems for library circulation operations (later other modules - cataloguing, acquisitions, etc., were added). After Hull, it picked up a lot of academic and public libraries in the UK and also continental Europe, notably Holland. Its proprietary computers were specifically designed for fast processing of transactions and they had their own programming language called ZOPL. So yes, it was, at the time, quite a coup both for Hull and for Geac. The company expanded into various areas and was taken over in 2005. Some libraries are apparently still using their systems. More here. (Can you tell that I used to be in charge of a Geac library system?) --GuillaumeTell 15:44, 4 August 2008 (UTC)

Your restraint is admirable ;-) I was surprised there isn't a GEAC—or is it Geac?—page almost-instinct 15:49, 4 August 2008 (UTC)

uncited info

I heard a story about his time as Librarian at the Brynmoor Jones library, that if you wanted to find Larkin after 5pm then he'd be frequenting a particular corner of the campus bar. But then, name me someone who wouldn't be! CoolDream (talk) 14:25, 4 August 2008 (UTC)

There are many anecdotes about Larkin, esp re. alcohol; many true; more uncitable; fewer notable almost-instinct 14:37, 4 August 2008 (UTC)