Date: Fri, 9 Mar 2012 11:46:53 -0500
From: Lorna Peterson <[log in to unmask]>
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Dr. Christopher Brown-Syed, 1951-2012

Dear Colleagues,

It is with great sadness that I share the news that Chris Brown-Syed has 
passed away. Chris was on the University at Buffalo LIS faculty as a 
visiting assistant professor 2001-03 and then a tenure track faculty 
member from 2003-2008. He was also a faculty member at Wayne State 
University and had taught part time for San Jose State University, 
University of Arizona, and most recently taught for Seneca College, in 
Toronto. With his BA degree from York University (Canada), and MLS and PhD 
degrees from the University of Toronto, Chris Brown-Syed made many 
contributions to Library and Information Science research and educated 
many in the library, archives, museums, and information professions.

Many of you will remember him for his dry wit and calm ways. He had 
recently published the book: Parents of Inventions: The Development of 
Integrated Library Systems in the 1970s and 1980s, ABC Clio 2011. This is 
a work regarding his time with Geac, Plessey Canada, and other vendors and 
is a "a soft-systems analysis of vendors and customers during the 
mini-computer era."

Chris was editor of the refereed journal Library & Archival Security
since 1998, the author of many articles and chapters in books, an
admired teacher, international traveler, and a scholar and gentleman
in the truest sense of the words.

As one colleague stated about Chris, he was " ...inspirational, 
motivational, innovative, and one who proved that there are tremendous 
wonders underneath and all you had to do was pick up the rock to find 
something new and different."

We have lost a very special person.


lp

Lorna Peterson
University at Buffalo