John A. Drobnicki, M.A., M.L.S.

Professor of Library Services
Head of Acquisitions, Collection Development, Interlibrary Loan & Library Webmaster
Slow down your steps and listen to the sound of history.
"...one of the world's foremost experts on the literature of Holocaust denial."
- John C. Zimmerman, Holocaust Denial: Demographics, Testimonies and Ideologies (p. vii).

Department: Library
Office Room: 3G02A
Office Tel: 718-262-2025
Office Fax: 718-262-2997


Alternate address for this page: http://www.drobnicki.com/

My Google Scholar citations.

My ORCID page.

Other Home Pages:
http://www.york.cuny.edu/portal_college/john-drobnicki
http://www.nizkor.org/contributors/drobnicki-john.html

Background
Education
Organizations
Publications
Online Articles

BACKGROUND: Prior to coming to York College of The City University of New York in 1995, I was a librarian with the Queens Borough Public Library, where I worked in the Social Sciences Division, the History, Travel & Biography Division, and the Fine Arts & Recreation Division of the Central Library. In the branches, I worked in Queens Village, Flushing, Jackson Heights, and Vleigh (since renamed Kew Gardens Hills). I was also the Assistant Manager of the Ridgewood and Howard Beach branches.
EDUCATION: I received my M.L.S. from the Graduate School of Library and Information Studies at Queens College, where I also received the 1993 David Cohen Multicultural Award. My other Master's degree is in History from St. John's University, where I also taught History as an adjunct instructor. 
ORGANIZATIONS: I am a member of the Polish American Historical Association, the Polish Genealogical Society of America, the Library Association of the City University of New York, the Polish American Librarians Association, the Connecticut Ancestry Society, Phi Alpha Theta, Beta Phi Mu, and the Professional Staff Congress of CUNY.  In the past, I contributed research to both the Nizkor Project and The Holocaust History Project.
PUBLICATIONS: I have contributed articles to Sport in History; Judaica Librarianship; Public & Access Services Quarterly (since renamed Public Services Quarterly); Urban Library Journal; the Bulletin of Bibliography; the Polish Review; the Journal of Hate Studies; the Polish-American Journal; College & Research Libraries News; the Bulletin of the Polish Genealogical Society; PNCC Studies; The 'Net Homesteader; ERIC; Biographical Dictionary of American and Canadian Naturalists and Environmentalists; the Polish-American Encyclopedia; The Infography; Evolution in Reference and Information Services: The Impact of the Internet; Enhancing Teaching and Learning in the 21st-Century Academic Library: Successful Innovations That Make a Difference; Reference Librarian; the Scribner Encyclopedia of American Lives (SEAL); the SEAL thematic series, which contains volumes on Sports Figures and The 1960s; Deceit and Misrepresentation: The Techniques of Holocaust Denial; the Polish Genealogical Society Newsletter; St. John's Today; Connecticut Ancestry; Mills Ancestry; Martyrdom and Resistance; Polish American Studies; News from CUNY Libraries; ACRL/NY Metro News; and the OAH Magazine of History.
I have published over one-hundred fifty reviews of books and electronic resources, in: Choice; American Reference Books Annual; Library Journal; the Polish Review; the Journal of Library and Information Science; Public Libraries; Rodziny; PAHA Newsletter; the Polish-American Journal; Recommended Reference Books for Small and Medium-sized Libraries and Media Centers; the Reference Librarian’s Bible; ARBA Guide to Subject Encyclopedias and Dictionaries; ARBA Guide to Biographical Resources, 1986-1997; ARBA In-depth: Children's and Young Adult Titles; the Library and Information Science Annual; the Bulletin of the Polish Genealogical Society of America; and College & Research Libraries News; as well as reviews of educational videos in the EMIE Bulletin.
Click here for a complete list of my reviews.
ONLINE ARTICLES:
  • "Pray for Them All," a letter to the editor of the New York Times, 28 July 1989, A26.
  • "No Frontier, No Invasion," a letter to the editor of the New York Times, 15 Apr. 1990, Sec. IV, 12.
  • "A Touch of Controversy," from the Polish-American Journal, Feb. 1991. Also available here.
  • "Names From Gravestones at Holy Cross Polish National Catholic Cemetery, Commack, New York," from the Polish Genealogical Society Newsletter, Vol. 15, No. 1 (Spring 1992).
  • "Execution and Extermination," a letter to the editor of the New York Times Book Review, 27 Dec. 1992, 4.
  • "The Auschwitz Convent Controversy," from the PAHA Newsletter, XLIX, no. 1 (Jan. 1993): 2. Also available here.
  • "The Holocaust Did Happen," from the Polish-American Journal, June 1993. Also available here.
  • "Untruth in the Classroom," from the OAH Magazine of History, Vol. 8, no. 2 (Winter 1994): 57, 64. Final version available here.
  • "The Confidentiality of Library Users' Records," ERIC Document ED358846. Also available here.
  • "The Difference Between Holocaust and Genocide," from the Polish-American Journal, Jan. 1994. Also available here.
  • "Holocaust-Denial Literature: A Bibliography," by John A. Drobnicki, Carol R. Goldman, Trina R. Knight, and Johanna V. Thomas, from the Bulletin of Bibliography, Vol. 51, no. 1 (Mar. 1994): 17-24. Also available here.
  • "Richard Mills of Stratford, Connecticut; or is it New Haven, Long Island, or Westchester?" from Mills Ancestry, no. 34 (10 July 1994). Also available here.
  • "You Don't Have to Be Jewish," a letter to the editor of American Libraries, Vol. 25, no. 10 (Nov. 1994): 912.
  • "Nazism on the Internet," from the Polish-American Journal, Jan. 1995. Also available here.
  • "Holocaust-Denial Literature in Public Libraries: An Investigation of Public Librarians' Attitudes Regarding Acquisition and Access," by John A. Drobnicki, Carol R. Goldman, Trina R. Knight, and Johanna V. Thomas, from Public & Access Services Quarterly, Vol. 1, no. 1 (1995): 5-40. Final version available here.
  • "Libraries and the Work Ethic," a letter to the editor of American Libraries, Vol. 27, no. 1 (Jan. 1996): 44.
  • "The Soap Allegations," from Deceit and Misrepresentation: The Techniques of Holocaust Denial. This article is also available from  the Jewish Virtual Library, has been translated into Spanish (with the title "Discusiones sobre el Jabón Humano"), and inspired an abridged French version (with the title "Le savon humain: rumeur, réalité et histoire").
  • "Some Genealogical Sources on the Internet," from the Polish-American Journal, June 1996.
  • "The Nizkor Project and the Fight Against Holocaust Denial," from The 'Net Homesteader, Vol. 1, no. 4, (Oct./Nov. 1996). Also available here. Article reprinted in the Charlotte Jewish News (Apr. 1999): 22.
  • "Bliss: The Man and the Classification," ERIC document ED396758. Also available here.
  • "Holocaust-Denial Literature: An Additional Bibliography," from the Bulletin of Bibliography, Vol. 53, no. 4 (Dec. 1996): 359-368. Also available here.
  • "Eugene Kusielewicz: Scholar and Teacher," from the the Polish-American Journal, Feb. 1997. Also available here.
  • "The Russo-Polish War, 1919-1920: A Bibliography of Materials in English," from the Polish Review, Vol. 42, no. 1 (Mar. 1997): 95-104. Also available here.
  • Letter from Holocaust revisionist Mark Weber to the Editor of Public & Access Services Quarterly, criticizing my article in Vol. 1, no. 1 (1995).
  • "A Response to Mark Weber," from Public & Access Services Quarterly , Vol. 2, no. 3 (1997): 49-58. Also available here.
  • "Librarians Seek Answers For Literature of Denial," from Martyrdom and Resistance, Vol. 23, no. 4 (May-June 1997): 12, 15.
  • Contributor to Biographical Dictionary of American and Canadian Naturalists and Environmentalists, ed. Keir B. Sterling et al. (Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1997): Edward Augustus Bowers, Thomas Mayo Brewer, Charles Hugh Callison, Merritt Lyndon Fernald, and Karl Patterson Schmidt.
  • "Eugene Kusielewicz, 1930-1996," from Polish-American Studies, Vol. 54, no. 2 (Autumn 1997), inside front cover.
  • Internet Newsgroups, York College Library Internet Users' Guide, 1998.
  • "Holocaust-Denial Literature: A Third Bibliography," from the Bulletin of Bibliography, Vol. 55, no. 3 (Sept. 1998): 157-168. Also available here.
  • Review of The Felix Posen Bibliographic Project on Antisemitism, from College & Research Libraries News, Vol. 59, no. 11 (Dec. 1998): 891.
  • "Holocaust Denial and Libraries: Should Libraries Acquire Revisionist Materials?" from College & Research Libraries News, Vol. 60, no. 6 (June 1999): 463-464. Also available here.
  • "A Bibliography of the Published Writings of Eugene Kusielewicz, 1956-1996," from Polish American Studies, Vol. 56, no. 1 (Spring 1999): 99-110. Also available here.
  • "The War of Griffin's Pig: A Bibliography of the Anglo-American Northwest Boundary Dispute," from the Bulletin of Bibliography, Vol. 56, no. 2 (June 1999): 65-68. Also available here.
  • "Truth in Labeling," a letter to the editor of The New Republic, Vol. 220, no. 24 (14 June 1999): 53. Also available here.
  • "Holocaust Denial," from The Infography.
  • "Please Forgo Your Ferret," a letter to the editor of American Libraries, Vol. 31, no. 8 (Sept. 2000): 41.
  • Review of The International Institute of Social History website, from College & Research Libraries News, Vol. 61, no. 8 (Sept. 2000): 714.
  • "Dealing With Internet Hate," from Martyrdom and Resistance, Vol. 27, no. 1 (Sept.-Oct. 2000): 3, 6.
  • "Holocaust-Denial Literature: A Fourth Bibliography," from the Bulletin of Bibliography, Vol. 57, no. 4 (Dec. 2000): 257-286. Also available here.
  • "Pornography is Legal," a letter to the editor of Library Journal, Vol. 126, no. 1 (Jan. 2001): 8.
  • Letter to the Editor regarding libraries, the homeless, and fax policies, from the Journal of Religious & Theological Information, Vol. 4, no. 1 (2001): 3.
  • "Historical Fabrications on the Internet: Recognition, Evaluation, and Use in Bibliographic Instruction," by John A. Drobnicki and Richard Asaro, from the Reference Librarian, Vol. 35, no. 74 (2001): 121-164. [Simultaneously published in Evolution in Reference and Information Services: The Impact of the Internet, ed. Di Su (Haworth Press, 2001), 121-164.] Final version available here.
  • Review of the Armenian National Institute website, from College & Research Libraries News, Vol. 63, no. 4 (Apr. 2002): 297-298.
  • "Holocaust-Denial Literature: A Fifth Bibliography," from the Bulletin of Bibliography, Vol. 59, no. 3 (Sept. 2002): 93-110. Also available here.
  • "Prove Them Right," a letter to the editor from the New York Sun, 9 Apr. 2003, 7.
  • Review of EUROPARL: The European Parliament On-Line website, from College & Research Libraries News, Vol. 64, no. 8 (Sept. 2003): 552-553.
  • "Shedding Light on Schools," a letter to the editor from the New York Sun, 5-7 Dec. 2003, 9.
  • "Making Believe," a letter to the editor of the Daily News, 21 Mar. 2004, 44.
  • "Cuomo-ism," a letter to the editor of the New York Sun, 11 May 2004, 10.
  • "Wall Issue Complex," a letter to the editor of Episcopal Life, Dec. 2004, 26.
  • Letter to NPR's Weekend Edition Saturday, 17 Sept. 2005.
  • "A Brief History of the York College Library," an ongoing project about the history of York's Library.
  • "What's New in Your Library," from Academic Affairs Update, Vol. 2, no. 1 (Feb. 2008): 12.
  • "The Library's Bassin Collection," by Scott Sheidlower and John Drobnicki, from Academic Affairs Update, Vol. 2, no. 2 (Mar. 2008): 5. Also available here.
  • "CUNY Connection to 'The Great Debaters,'" a letter to the editor of the Clarion, Mar. 2008, 2.
  • "Major Donation to Library," by Daniel E. Cleary and John A. Drobnicki, from Academic Affairs Update, Vol. 3, no. 1 (Feb. 2009): 5.
  • "Denying Genocide?" a letter to the editor of Library Journal, Vol. 134, no. 8 (May 1, 2009): 10.
  • "Election & Selection," a letter to the editor of the Clarion, Summer 2009, 2.
  • "York Alumna as Special Librarian," from Academic Affairs Update, Vol. 3, no. 6 (Nov. 2009): 6.
  • "Library's Archival Collection Tapped by Exxon-Mobil," from Academic Affairs Update, Vol. 4, no. 6 (Oct. 2010): 9.
  • Contributor to The Scribner Encyclopedia of American Lives, ed. Kenneth T. Jackson et al. (New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1998-2010):
    - Vol. I: 1981-1985: Howard Harold Hanson. Final version available here.
    - Vol. II: 1986-1990: George Herbert Allen. Final version available here.
    - Vol. II: 1986-1990: William B. Williams. Final version available here.
    - Vol. III: 1991-1993: Davis Eli ("David") Ruffin. Final version available here.
    - Vol. IV: 1994-1996: Wolfman Jack (Robert Weston Smith). Final version available here.
    - Vol. V: 1997-1999: Wilbur Charles ("Weeb") Ewbank. Final version available here.
    - Thematic Series, Vol. I: Sports Figures: Terrance Gordon ("Terry") Sawchuk. Final version available here.
    - Thematic Series, Vol. II: The 1960s: (Abbott) Vaughn Meader. Final version available here.
    - Vol. VI: 2000-2002: Albert George ("Al") Hibbler. Final version available here.
    - Vol. VII: 2003-2005: Joan Beverly Kroc. Final version available here.
    - Vol. VIII: 2006-2008: Lamar Hunt. Final version available here.
  • "Holocaust-Denial Literature: A Sixth Bibliography," from the Journal of Hate Studies, Vol. 8, no. 1 (2010): 103-129. Also available here.
  • "1967 Convocation Charter," from Academic Affairs Update, Vol. 4, no. 10 (Mar. 2011): 15. Also available here.
  • "Al Sears' Saxophone at York Library," from Academic Affairs Update, Vol. 5, no. 6 (Oct. 2011): 12. Also available here.
  • "Hezekiah and Charity Mills of Westport, Connecticut," Connecticut Ancestry, Vol. 54, no. 2 (Nov. 2011): 94.
  • Contributor to the The Polish-American Encyclopedia, ed. James S. Pula (Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Co., 2011): Henryk Archacki, Mieczysław Horszowski, Byron Janis, Jerzy Jan "George" Lerski, Frank Mocha, Edward Alan Peckwas, Richard Edgar Pipes, Polish Anti-Defamation Committee, Robert Prosky, Frank Anthony Renkiewicz, Stanisław Skrowaczewski, and Hank Stram.
  • "Full Circle," News from CUNY Libraries, Vol. 31, no. 2 (Winter 2012).
  • "Preface," from Vision of Silence: Pastel Paintings by Lin Shih-Yu (Taipei: Kaun Tang International Publications, 2013), 4-5.
  • "Library Faculty vs. Pathways," a letter from the PSC Library Faculty Committee, Clarion, June 2013, 2.
  • "CUNY Librarians and Faculty Status," LibWire, Vol. 7, no. 1 (Spring 2013): 3. Also available here.
  • "CUNY Librarians and Reassignment Leave: What is it? How do I get it?" News from CUNY Libraries, Vol. 32, no. 2 (Winter 2013). Also available here.
  • "Holocaust Denial Literature Twenty Years Later: A Follow-up Investigation of Public Librarians' Attitudes Regarding Acquisition and Access," from Judaica Librarianship, Vol. 18 (2014): 54-87. Also available here.
  • "GLIS 709 Revisited." News from CUNY Libraries, Vol. 33, no. 1 (Spring 2014). Also available here.
  • "Decade of the Libraries," by John Drobnicki and Mariana Regalado, from the Clarion website, Sept. 16, 2014.
  • "CUNY Librarians and Faculty Status: Past, Present, and Future," from Urban Library Journal, Vol. 20 (2014). Also available here.
  • "Gladys W. Jarrett," from Women of Library History (Mar. 16, 2015).
  • "York College Library's School Media Specialist: A New Library Model for Easing the Transition from High School to College," by Christina Miller and John A. Drobnicki, in Enhancing Teaching and Learning in the 21st-Century Academic Library: Successful Innovations That Make a Difference, ed. Bradford Lee Eden (Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield, 2015), 91-102.
  • "York's Founding Librarian Made H[er]story: Remembering Gladys Jarrett," from Academic Affairs Update, Vol. 9, no. 2 (Mar. 2015): 1-2. Also available here.
  • "Research Opportunities and CUNY Library Faculty: The Need for Annual Leave Parity," by the PSC-CUNY Library Faculty Committee [Jay Bernstein, Jill Cirasella, John Drobnicki, Francine Egger-Sider, Lisa Ellis, Robert Farrell, William Gargan, Bonnie Nelson, Mariana Regalado, Sharon Swacker, and Tess Tobin]. White Paper, June 2015.
  • "Petrillo, James (1892-1984)," in Italian Americans: The History and Culture of a People, ed. Eric Martone (ABC-CLIO, 2017), 133-134.
  • "Davis, Katherine Kennicott (1892-1980)," in Women in American History: A Social, Political, and Cultural Encyclopedia and Document Collection, ed. Peg A. Lamphier and Rosanne Welch (Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO, 2017), Vol. 3, 41-42.
  • Contributor to Technical Innovation in American History: An Encyclopedia of Science and Technology, ed. Rosanne Welch and Peg A. Lamphier (Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO, 2019):
    - "Stevens, Robert Livingston (1787-1856)," Vol. 1, 292-294.
    - "Electric Guitar," Vol. 2, 270-271.
    - "Paul, Les (1915-2009)," Vol. 2, 304-305.
  • "In Memoriam: Robert Machalow, York's Longest-Serving Chief Librarian," from LibWire, Vol. 13 (Spring 2019): 5.
  • Contributor to Race and Ethnicity in the United States: From Pre-Contact to the Present, ed. Russell M. Lawson and Benjamin A. Lawson (Santa Barbara, CA: Greenwood, 2019):
    - "Latimer, Lewis Howard (1848-1928)," Vol. 2, 121-122.
    - "Mills Brothers (1924-1981)," Vol. 3, 147-148.
  • "A Day at the Races in Black and White: How an 1898 Horse Race Led to a Whipping, a Lawsuit, and a 1901 Arrest," from Sport in History 41, no. 3 (2021): 333-359. Final version available here.

    • Thanks to William Skeith for the email-hider.

    Last modified: Feb. 21, 2024