May 16, 2005
Prof. William Keogan has been a librarian at St. John’s University for more than 27 years. He has also worked in high school and public libraries. He earned a B.A. and an M.A. in History from Queens College (CUNY), and has his M.L.S. from St. John’s University.
Prof. Keogan spent more than two decades as the Serials Librarian at St. John’s, where he oversaw the expansion of the library’s periodicals collection. Four years ago he moved to the Reference Department. When not at the Reference Desk, he is actively involved in book selection in the social sciences and humanities, teaches occasional library instruction classes, and answers reference questions via the Ask Us email reference service. He also serves on numerous library and university committees, including the University Senate, the Graduate Council, and the Library Personnel Committee. He recently joined the Library’s Exhibits Committee, where he has worked on displays about: Graham Greene and Film; Joseph Cornell; Edward Gorey; the Left Book Club; and Baseball in New York, among others.
One of Prof. Keogan’s goals is to provide a welcoming presence at the Reference Desk, especially for students who may not have previously used an academic library. When teaching library instruction classes, he always stresses that students should make use of the varied expertise provided by the university’s librarians.
Prof. Keogan has penned more than 300 book and media reviews, and contributed material to a number of reference works. Recently, he had an article about blogging in the Center for Teaching and Learning Newsletter. As a librarian dedicated to helping others in their research, he is proud to have been noted in the acknowledgments of seven books.
Among his other extra-curricular activities, he holds memberships in: the Society of Historians of American Foreign Relations; American Association of University Professors, and the New York Irish History Roundtable, for which he serves as publicity director. He is on the executive board of the Metropolitan Catholic College Librarians Chapter of CLA, and has also served on the boards of regional archival, historical and civic organizations.