Eugene P. Sheehy (October 10, 1922 - February 26, 2013) was an American academic librarian, professional researcher, author and editor.

Career

As a librarian he served as the head of the reference department at

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

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from 1967-86. He was editor-in-chief for the '' Guide to Reference'', an exhaustive meta-reference book published by the

American Library Association The American Library Association (ALA) is a nonprofit organization based in the United States that promotes libraries and library education internationally. It is the oldest and largest library association in the world, with 49,727 members ...

that reviewed periodicals and journals of all disciplines. His version of ''GRB'' was widely used in the 1970s and 1980s as an educational tool for library students, as a tool for reference librarians to assist them with difficult searches and as a tool for purchasers for libraries to assist them in choosing which materials to obtain for their library.

Early life

Born in Elbow Lake, Minnesota, Sheehy was the son of a farmer. He served in the

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through combi ...

from 1942–46, where he became a sergeant. After finishing his military service Sheehy earned a

B.A. Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four yea ...

from Saint John's University in

Collegeville, MN Collegeville Township is a township in Stearns County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 3,343 at the 2010 census. History Collegeville Township was organized in 1880, and named after Saint John's College. Geography According to the ...

in 1950; an

M.A. A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Tho ...

from the

University of Minnesota The University of Minnesota, formally the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, (UMN Twin Cities, the U of M, or Minnesota) is a public land-grant research university in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States. ...

in 1951; and a

B.S. A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University ...

in Library Science from the University of Minnesota in 1952. Sheehy then started his career as a librarian. In 1952 Sheehy became an academic librarian at

Georgetown University Georgetown University is a private university, private research university in the Georgetown (Washington, D.C.), Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded by Bishop John Carroll (archbishop of Baltimore), John Carroll in 1789 as Georg ...

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

After one year, he left there to take a similar position at

. It was there under the tutelage of Constance Mabel Winchell that he began writing and editing reviews and indexes for reference materials. In 1967 Winchell retired and Sheehy took over as head of the reference department as well as head editor for the ''Guide to Reference Books''.

Sources

* Cheatham, Bertha M. "Reviews the Book 'Guide to Reference Books' edited by Eugene P. Sheehy." ''School Library Journal''. 33.7. (March, 1987): 88. * Galvin, Tom. "Review of The Guide to Reference Books by Eugene P. Sheehy." ''Library Journal''. (September 15, 1968): 89. * Harris, Robert R. "Guide to Reference Books (Book Review)." ''Library Journal''. 101.22. (December 15, 1976): 2560. * Plotnik, Art. "From Winchell's 8th to Sheehy's 9th." ''American Libraries''. 8.3. (March, 1977): 129-133. * Kieft, Robert. "When Reference Works Are Not Books: The New Edition of the Guide to Reference Books." ''Reference and User Services Quarterly''. 41.4. (July, 2002): 330-335. * Rubin, Richard E. ''Foundations of Library and Information Science''. 2nd ed. New York City: Neal-Schuman Publishers, Inc, 2004. * Sheehy, Eugene P. "Preface." ''Guide to Reference Books''. 10th ed. Ed. Eugene P. Sheehy. Chicago: American Library Association, 1986. ix-xi. * Washburn, Anne. "Guide to Reference Books (Book Review)." ''Library Journal''. 105.13. (July 1, 1980): 1502.

References

External links

Finding aid to Eugene P. Sheehy papers at Columbia University. Rare Book & Manuscript Library.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sheehy, Eugene 1922 births 2013 deaths University of Minnesota Library School alumni American librarians College of Saint Benedict and Saint John's University alumni Place of death missing People from Elbow Lake, Minnesota Columbia University librarians