Arthur Plotnik (1937 - August 28, 2020) was a photographer, journalist, author and librarian, known for being the editor of American Libraries magazine for fifteen years.[1] Plotnik worked for the American Library Association for over twenty years.[2] His photographs covering 23 years of librarians and librarianship are held at the American Library Association Archives.[3]
Before working at ALA, Plotnik worked at the Library of Congress and was a staff writer and reviewer at Albany’s Times-Union.[1] Two of his books The Elements of Editing and The Elements of Expression: Putting Thoughts into Words were Book of the Month Club selections.[4]
Plotnik was born in 1937 to Annabelle and Mike Plotnik, the son of Russian immigrants.[5] Plotnik graduated from White Plains High School in 1955; he was voted "wittiest" in his class.[5] He earned his BA at Harpur College, and earned his master's degree in English at the University of Iowa where he studied under Philip Roth.[3][5]