The ALB librarians and staff commemorated Banned Books Week with the dedication of the graphic novel collection in memory of their late colleague, Michael R. Lavin MBA’ 86. Mike, a part-time evening and weekend reference librarian, passed away suddenly on June 24, 2017.
Shown in the photo to the left are Mike’s son Andrew and wife, Irene Lavin, who also is a librarian, at the dedication of the graphic novel collection named in his honor. The collection is located on the library’s first floor.
He had a life-long love of comics and championed the graphic novel as an important literary genre. Through his efforts, the library’s graphic novel collection has grown and gained a reputation for excellence.
In addition to his Canisius degree, Mike held a master of library science degree from UB. He concentrated his professional practice on business and management, and regularly worked with students and faculty of the Wehle School of Business to provide reference services and instruction classes.
Mike’s scholarly publications included Comic Books and Graphic Novels : What to Buy; Comic Books for Young Adults : A Guide for Librarians and A Librarian’s Guide to Marvel Comics. He served on the editorial board of the Journal of Business & Finance Librarianship for more than 20 years and wrote a standard textbook in library education programs entitled Business Information: How to Find It, How to Use It.
Mike’s family and friends, including several librarians from throughout WNY attended the dedication ceremony on Thursday, September 28.
Submitted by: Kathleen DeLaney, archivist and special collections librarian, archives & special Collections
