Midwinter Report: Scilken, Activist, Library Director, Publisher, Dies at Midwinter

Staff -- Library Journal, 2/8/1999

Marvin Scilken, termed by some "the library world's Ralph Nader," died February 2, while at the Midwinter Meeting. With him was his wife, publishing partner, and devoted council-watcher, Polly. Scilken was retired director of the Orange Public Library (1963-1993), NJ, longtime ALA councilor (elected to his fifth four-year term in 1997), and, since 1971, editor and publisher of the U*N*A*B*A*S*H*E*D Librarian (subtitle "How I Run My Library Good"). Scilken challenged injustices in his newsletters and letters to the editor. Notably, in 1966, he confronted the publishing industry with charges of price-fixing of library books, testifying before Congress; the hearings led to more than 1000 lawsuits, allowing libraries to recover over $10 million of the $54 million in alleged overcharges. In 1992, he was instrumental in getting Bell Atlantic to continue giving free out-of-town telephone directories to public libraries, saving libraries in the Bell Atlantic service area more than $350,000 annually.