William Andrew Moffett

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William Andrew Moffett
Born(1933-01-25)January 25, 1933
Charlotte, North Carolina
DiedFebruary 20, 1995(1995-02-20) (aged 62)
Pasadena, California
Occupation(s)Librarian, professor
Parent(s)Alfred Nisbit Moffett and Mary Elisabeth (McLean) Moffett

William Andrew Moffett (January 25, 1933 – February 20, 1995)

New York Times.[3] Moffett was also known for being a highly influential academic librarian director at Oberlin College, the 6th Librarian at the Huntington Library and for being named Academic/Research Librarian of the Year in 1993 by the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL).[4]

Early life and career

William Moffett was born on January 25, 1933, in Charlotte, North Carolina. He was traditionally educated in Mississippi and finished his schooling at the Chamberlain-Hunt Academy. From there, Moffett went on to pursue a collegiate academic path in history, earning an A.B. degree from Davidson College[5] as well as going on to pursue higher education at Duke University where he earned a M.A. degree and Ph.D. degree in English history.[6]

Between 1956 and 1974 Moffett was an educator at various institutions, including

Simmons College in Boston.[6] Moffett eventually moved on from a lack of teaching opportunities to a newly burgeoning field in libraries,[7] a field which would define the remainder of his career. He first worked as an academic librarian at the Crumb Library of the State University of New York (SUNY) College at Potsdam. Here he combined his past experiences in education with librarianship, incorporating library instruction at the university.[7]

Oberlin College and Library Security

Eventually, Moffett moved to a new post at

Online Computer Library Center.[8] He was also very invested in taking steps to make the library the heart of the Oberlin campus. Much to his colleagues’ dismay Moffett was well known to be persnickety about furniture placement in order to create an inviting environment for library patrons.[8]

William Andrew Moffett's name rose to fame in April 1981 when he helped capture a renowned book thief who was discovered to have stolen $50,000 worth of material from various libraries.[9] Library security was an ongoing passion for Moffett as he came to be known as a specialist in the field.[10] He worked to establish the Rare Books and Manuscripts (RBMS) division of the ACRL which was a pioneering organization in library security, helping to connect institutions and warn of potential and reoccurring thefts.[11] The RBMS, as well as Moffett's expertise in the field of library security, helped the Federal Bureau of Investigation to capture and convict Stephen Blumberg in one of the largest cases of library theft in modern history.[12] Moffett shared the credit for the book thief's capture, publishing an editorial and giving detailed recognition to his peers who had helped in the capture in his article “Credit due and overdue”.[11]

Huntington Library and the Dead Sea Scrolls

After working for over a decade at Oberlin College, Moffett moved on to become the Director of the Huntington Library in San Marino, California, in 1990. On September 22, 1991, Moffett's name was splashed across newspaper headlines yet again when he announced the Huntington Library's decision to open access to over 3000 photographic negatives of the Dead Sea Scrolls for scholarly use.[6] Israel Antiquities Authority had reserved tight control over who was allowed access to the Scrolls since the discovery of the historic artifacts.[13] Moffett believed that allowing access to the study of such a historic importance was vital and what libraries were all about.[14] Moffett's modest response to being at the head of such a controversial decision was: “I maintain that what we’re doing is no more than other librarians are doing ever [sic?] day – collecting, preserving, and providing access”.[15]

Death and legacy

Moffett died on February 20, 1995, from cancer of the bladder.

librarianship.[18]

References

  1. New York Times
    . pp. B8.
  2. ^ Kniffel, Sullivan & McCormick 1999, p. 44
  3. ^ Berry 1992, p.51
  4. ^ Davis 1995, p. 232
  5. ^ Baumann, 2003 p. 157
  6. ^ a b c d Wilford 1995, p. B8
  7. ^ a b c Baumann 2003, p. 157
  8. ^ a b Baumann 2003, p. 158
  9. ^ Baumann 2003, p. 159
  10. ^ Evan 1994, p. 36
  11. ^ a b Evan 1994, p. 37
  12. ^ Quinn & Rogers 1991a, p. 19
  13. ^ Gaughan 1991, p. 926
  14. ^ Quinn & Rogers 1991b, p. 15
  15. ^ Quinn & Rogers 1991a, p. 15
  16. ^ a b Colleagues 1995, p. 383
  17. ^ Davis 1995, p. 232
  18. ^ Baumann 2003, p. 160

Bibliography

  • Baumann, R. M. (2003). Moffett, William Andrew (1933–1995). In D.G. Davis Jr. (Ed.), Dictionary of American library biography, (pp. 157–161). Westport, CT: Libraries Unlimited.
  • Berry, J. (1992). William Moffett: taking the high ground. Library Journal, 117, 51.
  • Colleagues and friends honor Bill Moffett. (1995). College & Research Libraries News, 56.6, 383.
  • Davis, M. E. Memorial resolution honoring William Andrew Moffett (1933–1994). (1995). College and Research Library News, 56.4, 232.
  • Evan, S.L. (1994). How safe are our libraries? Library Journal, 119.13, 35–39.
  • Gaughan, T. (1991). Moffett frees Dead Sea Scrolls and wins “three-day” war. American Libraries, 22.10, 926–929.
  • Hodson, S. (1993). Freeing the Dead Sea Scrolls: A Question of Access. American Archivist, 56, 690–703.
  • Kniffel, L. Sullivan, P., & McCormick, E. (1999). 100 of the most important leaders we had in the 20th century. American Libraries, 30.11, 38–48.
  • Moffett, W.A. (1991). Credit due and overdue. Library Journal, 116.8, 10.
  • Quinn, J. & Rogers, M. (1991). Library thief found guilty. Library Journal, 56, 19.
  • Quinn, J. & Rogers, M. (1991). Sea Scrolls saga far from dead. Library Journal, 116.18, 15.
  • Wilford, J.N. (1995 February 22). William A. Moffett, 61, is dead; opened door to Dead Sea Scrolls. The New York Times, pg B8.

External links

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