James Benson:
CLASS OF 1961
Hutchinson High SchoolClass of 1961
Hutchinson, KS
Rutgers University - Library ScienceClass of 1966
New brunswick, NJ
University of KansasClass of 1965
Lawrence, KS
Hutchinson Junior High SchoolClass of 1958
Hutchinson, KS
Prosperity Elementary SchoolClass of 1957
Hutchinson, KS
James's Story
Life
I was originally from the plains State of Kansas, where I grew up in a rural area outside of a small city. Much of my life I have lived in New Jersey, but have also lived in Alabama, California, and Texas. I am the Vice Provost for St. John's University of Queens, Long Island, & Staten Island NY and Rome Italy. My wife is a librarian at the Camden Campus of Rutgers University. Her name is Susan Beck and she is Head of Public Services at the Robeson Library. She occasionally teaches Reference at the Rutgers Library School. We have two cats, Domino and John Witherspoon, but no children. About a year ago our late cats, Maggie and Bess, died, both from separate illnesses about 6 months apart. Since then, we have adopted two new cats a brownish gray tiger named John Witherspoon or JJ, and Domino a black and white cat.
We lived outside of Princeton, NJ very near the Delaware and Raritan Canal. We enjoy walking along the tow path of the canal. We vacation in such diverse spots as South Carolina, Maine, Oregon, England, Italy, Ireland, & Scandinavia. In 2012 we moved to Lewes DE and live in a new neighborhood called Nassau Grove.
I read about politics, particularly in New Yorker, New York Magazine, and the New York Times, I also enjoy reading mysteries and science fiction. Much of my reading is online. I download books to read on my computers. Having them on my laptop allows me to read in spare moments in airports, train stations, and between appointments while traveling.
At home we have three desktop computers, one personal laptop, and I often have my office laptop at home. We have a broad band connection supplied by Comcast Cable Television and I have installed a combination wired/wireless network for the house. I spend a fair amount of time upgrading security on the network. It seems an endless task. Our home network has a firewall; it uses encryption, and uses MAC filtering [only specific computers will be recognized by the network].
Workplace
PROFESSIONAL INFORMATION:
My undergraduat...Expand for more
e degree is in American History from Kansas University. I worked in libraries in a variety of capacities since 1962. I have the M.L.S. and Ph.D. degrees from Rutgers University. I have worked as a librarian at Texas Southern University, Southwest Texas State University, California State University at Chico, and St. Johns University.
I was tenured as an Associate Professor of Library and Information Science at St. Johns, where I have taught since 1983. From 1993 until 1991, I served as Director of the Division of Library and Information Science. Since 1998 I have served as Dean of University Libraries. In April 2001, I was appointed Chief Information Officer, managing the Office of Information Technology. In 2005 I resigned as CIO to become Vice Provost for Academic Programs and Dean of Information Resources and Libraries. In that capacity I served as the presiding officer of the University's Graduate Council until May 2009. In 2009 I became a full Professor in the University Libraries. I retired from the Provost's Office and the Libraries in May 2010. I am currently Dean Emeritus.
I served as the Secretary/Treasurer of the Association of Library and Information Science Education for a three year term beginning in 2003. I am a long time member of the association. I am also a member of the American Library Association [currently a member of its Committee on Accreditation], including the Reference and User Services Association and the Association of College and University Libraries and am also a member of the American Society of Information Science and Technology and of EDUCAUSE and SCUP [University Planners].
I served a multi-year term as Secretary of the St. Johns University Senate, chair of the Graduate Council, and was a member of the Provost's Cabinet. I was a long time member of the Liberal Arts Faculty Council. I served on the University Personnel Committee. As Dean I was the chair of the Libraries Personnel Committee and I am a past member of the Liberal Arts Personnel Committee.
Register for Free to view all details!
Yearbooks
Register for Free to view all yearbooks!
Reunions
Photos
Register for Free to view all photos!