Marvin Herman Scilken (December 7, 1926 – February 2, 1999)[1] was an American librarian and a leader in the field of library science during the 20th century.
However, upon applying to Columbia's program, he was asked for an essay on why he was interested in becoming a librarian and, as Scilken said, “I dawdled so much that time ran out and I failed to get in” [4] As a result, he entered and graduated from Pratt Institute's School of Information and Library Science in Brooklyn instead.
Scilken died February 2, 1999, from a heart-attack while attending that year's American Library Association midwinter meeting.
[5] Scilken's passion for reading the New York Times led him to use newspapers as one of his largest platforms for library advocacy.
Scilken's letters were featured in large nationwide publications including Texas Highways, American Airlines, Smithsonian, and Newsweek.
Scilken's advocacy through writing would later inspire him to create his own publication the U*N*A*B*A*S*H*E*D Librarian, the how I run my library good letter.
Choosing topics that focused on the practical parts of librarianship, the publication featured a collection of articles, cartoons, letters, and advice all dealing with the world of libraries.
Her brother had been working as a designer at Harper and Row a publishing house that had printed Leo Rosten's novel The Education of H*Y*M*A*N* K*A*P*L*A*N*.
He was infuriated that libraries were being forced to pay more while at the same time publishers were offering discounts to booksellers buying multiple copies.
Unable to negotiate with the publishers, Scilken wrote letters to the Federal Trade Commission and to state and local politicians.