Leonard Kniffel (August 25, 1947 – March 19, 2021) was editor-in-chief of

American Libraries ''American Libraries'' is the flagship magazine of the American Library Association (ALA). About ''American Libraries'' was first published in 1970 as a continuation of the long-running ''ALA Bulletin,'' which had served as the Association’s ...

, the magazine 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, with 49,727 members a ...

, from 1996 to 2011 after starting at the magazine in 1988. He was the creator and publisher of the ''@ your library'' public awareness website. As part of his role with AL, Kniffel would often interview public figures who attended ALA events. He compiled those interviews into the book ''Reading with the Stars'' which contains interviews with Bill Gates, Barack Obama and Garrison Keillor among others. Kniffel co-produced, with Pamela Goodes, the documentary ''Loss and Recovery: Librarians Bear Witness to September 11, 2001'' about the effect of 9/11 on libraries located in lower Manhattan and how the librarians who worked there have recovered personally and professionally. Kniffel was born and raised in Michigan. He has master's degrees in English and library science from

Wayne State University Wayne State University (WSU) is a public research university in Detroit, Michigan. It is Michigan's third-largest university. Founded in 1868, Wayne State consists of 13 schools and colleges offering approximately 350 programs to nearly 25,000 ...

. He worked as a librarian for 18 years at the

Detroit Public Library The Detroit Public Library is the second largest library system in the U.S. state of Michigan by volumes held (after the University of Michigan Library) and the 21st-largest library system (and the fourth-largest public library system) in the Uni ...

. He lived in Chicago, Illinois.

Bibliography

* A Polish Son in the Motherland: An American's Journey Home (Texas A&M University Press, 2005) * Reading with the Stars: A Celebration of Books and Libraries (Skyhorse, 2011) * Musicals on the Silver Screen: A Guide to the Must-See Movie Musicals (Huron Street Press, 2013) * Busia: seasons on the farm with my Polish grandmother (Ashland, 2017)

References

External links

A Polish Son
- personal website 1947 births 2021 deaths American librarians American magazine editors American journalists {{library-bio-stub