My husband, Michael Asser, who has died aged 80, was a librarian who rose to be head of Oxfordshire county council’s large multi-disciplinary department of museums, arts, libraries and leisure before, in retirement, turning to translating religious works connected with his newfound faith in the Greek Orthodox church.
Michael was born in Tottenham, north London, to Lillie (nee Campbell), a cleaner, and Edward Asser, a factory worker, but grew up in Dunstable, Bedfordshire. After leaving Dunstable grammar school at 16 he was accepted by Rada, but his parents refused to give their permission for him to attend, and so he went to work at Luton library, later qualifying as a chartered librarian at Loughborough library school. He became a fellow of the Library Association, and in 1976 was appointed county librarian of Berkshire at the relatively young age of 34.
