Thomas J. Galvin (December 30, 1932 – February 18, 2004) was an American librarian and academic. Galvin held a bachelor's degree in English from
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...
and a master's in library science from
Simmons College
Institutions of learning called Simmons College or Simmons University include:
* Simmons University
Simmons University (previously Simmons College) is a private university in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. It was established in 1899 by ...
as well as a doctorate from
Case Western Reserve University
Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) is a Private university, private research university in Cleveland, Ohio, United States. It was established in 1967 by a merger between Western Reserve University and the Case Institute of Technology. Case ...
. From 1962 to 1972, he held a series of combined faculty and leadership positions at the graduate school of library and information science at
Simmons College
Institutions of learning called Simmons College or Simmons University include:
* Simmons University
Simmons University (previously Simmons College) is a private university in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. It was established in 1899 by ...
, ultimately being named associate dean and professor. He was then made dean of the school of library and information science at the
University of Pittsburgh
The University of Pittsburgh (Pitt) is a Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. The university is composed of seventeen undergraduate and graduate schools and colle ...
from 1974 to 1985.
Galvin served as president of 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.
History 19th century ...
from 1979 to 1980 and as its executive director from 1985 to 1989.
Galvin became director of the library at the
University at Albany
The State University of New York at Albany (University at Albany, UAlbany, or SUNY Albany) is a Public university, public research university in Albany, New York, United States. Founded in 1844, it is one of four "university centers" of the St ...
in 1989. He was also a professor in the school of information science and policy, where he implemented a doctoral program. He retired in 1999 and was made
professor emeritus
''Emeritus/Emerita'' () is an honorary title granted to someone who retirement, retires from a position of distinction, most commonly an academic faculty position, but is allowed to continue using the previous title, as in "professor emeritus".
...
by the faculty.
Awards and honors
* ALISE Award for Professional Contributions to Library and Information Sciences Education (1993)
*
Medical Library Association
The Medical Library Association (MLA) is a nonprofit educational organization with more than 3,400 health-sciences information professional members.
History
Founded on May 2, 1898, the Association of Medical Librarians, as it was known unti ...
’s Eliot Prize for the most significant contribution to the literature of medical librarianship (1988)
* Best information science book of the year by the American Society for Information Science (1979) for ''The Structure and Governance of Library Networks'' with