ROSA WOODS/Stuff Macnaught was born in Scotland. Starting in his hometown at the public library, Macnaught, now 69, says he had no great career ambitions then – “You certainly don’t go into libraries to make lots of money.” But he did have a lingering curiosity about all aspects of human knowledge. He supposes he did become more ambitious through the years, spending 14 years at Gateshead Council, in northeast England, as director of libraries and arts, and later head of cultural development. In the 1980s Gateshead was primarily a working-class town on the southern bank of the River Tyne. It was experimenting with technology to improve the lives of its residents, including a home shopping and information service in partnership with supermarket chain Tesco.