William L. Joyce (March 29, 1942 – June 6, 2021) was an American archivist, librarian, and academic administrator. He served as the 42nd president of the

Society of American Archivists The Society of American Archivists is the oldest and largest archivist association in North America, serving the educational and informational needs of more than 5,000 individual archivist and institutional members. Established in 1936, the organi ...

Career

Joyce was raised in

Freeport, New York Freeport is a village in the town of Hempstead, in Nassau County, on the South Shore of Long Island, in New York state. The population was 43,713 at the 2010 census, making it the second largest village in New York by population. A settlemen ...

, and completed his undergraduate education at Providence College. He continued his studies at St. John's University, earning a master's degree in 1966, and earned a Ph.D. in history from the University of Michigan in 1974. For his dissertation he focused on the history of the 19th-century Irish-American press. Upon entering the field of librarianship and archives, Joyce worked at the William L. Clements Library at the University of Michigan from 1968 to 1972. In the years to come he would work for the American Antiquarian Society (1972-1981), the New York Public Library (1981-1986), Princeton University (1986-2000), and Pennsylvania State University (2000-2010). This included service as a curator, education officer, and library administrator. Over the course of his career, Joyce also wrote on American publishing history and librarianship. Joyce was an active member of the library and archives community, serving in the Society of American Archivists (SAA), the

Rare Books and Manuscripts Section The Rare Books and Manuscripts Section (RBMS) is a section of the Association of College & Research Libraries (ACRL), a division of the American Library Association (ALA). The section is devoted to supporting the activities of special collections ...

of the

Association of College and Research Libraries The Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL), a division of the American Library Association, is a professional association of academic librarians and other interested individuals. It is dedicated to enhancing the ability of academi ...

, the

Grolier Club The Grolier Club is a private club and society of bibliophiles in New York City. Founded in January 1884, it is the oldest existing bibliophilic club in North America. The club is named after Jean Grolier de Servières, Viscount d'Aguisy, Tre ...

, and the

American Historical Association The American Historical Association (AHA) is the oldest professional association of historians in the United States and the largest such organization in the world. Founded in 1884, the AHA works to protect academic freedom, develop professional s ...

. Within SAA he served as a member of Council, and was elected the organization's president for 1986 to 1987. He also served prominent roles in the Task Force on Institutional Evaluation and the Committee on Archival Information Exchange. He was elected a Fellow of the Society in 1982. In addition to his service in professional organizations, Joyce was a member of the John F. Kennedy Assassination Records Review Board from 1993 until the release of the committee's report in 1998. Joyce retired from Pennsylvania State University in 2010, and died on June 6, 2021, in Princeton Junction, New Jersey.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Joyce, William L. 1942 births 2021 deaths American archivists Providence College alumni St. John's University (New York City) alumni University of Michigan alumni People from Rockville Centre, New York Presidents of the Society of American Archivists