Sharad Karkhanis
{{Short description|Indian American librarian}}
{{Infobox academic|birth_date=1935|death_date=March 28, 2013|birth_place=India|death_place=Boca Raton, Florida, US|occupation={{hlist|author|educator|librarian}}|known_for=cofounder and first president of the Asian Pacific American Librarians Association|workplaces=Kingsborough Community College|discipline=political science|alma_mater={{hlist|University of Bombay|Rutgers University|Brooklyn College|New York University}}}}
Sharad Karkhanis (1935–2013) was an Indian American author, educator, and librarian who co-founded and served as the first president of the Asian Pacific American Librarians Association (APALA).
Early life and study
Karkhanis was born in India in 1935. He pursued and attained a diploma in library science from the Bombay Library Association and a bachelor's degree in Economics from the University of Bombay (now the University of Mumbai). Karkhanis moved to the United States in the 1960s,{{Cite web |title=Special APA Library Leaders — APALA Founders, Dr. Sharad Karkhanis and Dr. Suzine Har Nicolescu – APALA |url=https://www.apalaweb.org/special-apa-library-leaders-apala-founders-dr-sharad-karkhanis-and-dr-suzine-har-nicolescu/ |access-date=2023-05-10 |language=en-US}} where he continued his education, obtaining a Masters in Library Science from Rutgers University, a Master of Arts degree in International Relations/American Government from Brooklyn College, and a Ph.D. in American Government from New York University."Sharad Karkhanis." Gale Literature: Contemporary Authors, Gale, 2001. The title of his two-volume doctoral dissertation was "Indian Politics and the Role of the Press" - his faculty adviser was Louis W. Koenig, and the chair of the research committee was Gisbert H. Flanz.ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global database.
Career
The majority of Karkhanis' career was spent at Kingsborough Community College, where he served as a lecturer in history and then as a Professor of Political Science and Libraries from 1974 to 2005.{{Cite journal |last=Yamashita |first=Kenneth A. |date=2000 |title=Asian/Pacific American Librarians Association--A History of APALA and Its Founders |url=https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ615336 |journal=Library Trends |language=en |volume=49 |issue=1 |pages=88–109 |issn=0024-2594}} Karkhanis authored articles about the acquisition of South Asian library materials,{{Cite journal |last=Karkhanis |first=Sharad |date=1984-01-01 |title=Acquisition of South Asian material for the libraries of North America and Europe: Problems, prospects and perspectives |url=https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/0364-6408%2884%2990050-4 |journal=Library Acquisitions: Practice & Theory |language=en |volume=8 |issue=1 |pages=11–30 |doi=10.1016/0364-6408(84)90050-4 |issn=0364-6408|url-access=subscription }} and several books, including Indian Politics and the Role of the Press and Jewish Heritage in America: A Bibliography.
During this time, Karkhanis was an active leader in the American Library Association, leading various committees such as Council Resolutions, International Relations, the Publications Committee, and several Association of College and Research Libraries committees. He served as the president of Library Association of the City University of New York (LACUNY) from 1967 to 1969.{{Cite web |title= LACUNY History |url=https://lacuny.org/LACUNY-History |access-date=2023-05-10 |website=lacuny.org}} Most notably, Karkhanis was a co-founder of the Asian Pacific American Librarians Association (APALA) and served as its first president from 1980 to 1982. He has been called a "beloved library trailblazer."{{Cite web |last= |date=2019-02-08 |title=ALA President announces future EDI Efforts |url=https://www.ala.org/news/press-releases/2019/02/ala-president-announces-future-edi-efforts |access-date=2023-05-10 |website=News and Press Center |language=en}}
Karkhanis was the founder and editor of "The Patriot Returns," an online newsletter critical of the Professional Staff Congress faculty union and the City University of New York (CUNY) administration.{{Cite web |date=2008-07-23 |title=The Patriot Returns! |url=http://www.patriotreturns.com/archive.htm |access-date=2023-05-10 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080723141128/http://www.patriotreturns.com/archive.htm |archive-date=2008-07-23 }} Despite his claims that the newsletter was satire, Karkhanis was sued for libel and defamation in 2007 by CUNY professor Susan O'Malley.{{Cite web |last=Jaschik |first=Scott |title=Muzzling a Watchdog? |url=https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2007/11/02/muzzling-watchdog |access-date=2023-05-10 |website=Inside Higher Ed |language=en}}{{Cite web |last=Jaschik |first=Scott |title=Apology Ends Defamation Suit |url=https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2010/03/17/apology-ends-defamation-suit |access-date=2023-05-10 |website=Inside Higher Ed |language=en}}{{Cite web |title=Free Speech, PSC-Style |url=https://historynewsnetwork.org/blog/44190 |access-date=2023-05-10 |website=historynewsnetwork.org}}
Karkhanis died in Boca Raton, Florida, on March 28, 2013.{{Cite web |title=Sharad KARKHANIS Obituary (2013) |work=The Palm Beach Post |url=https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/palmbeachpost/name/sharad-karkhanis-obituary?id=18374535 |access-date=2023-05-10 |via=Legacy.com}}
References
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Category:Kingsborough Community College faculty
Category:Rutgers University alumni
Category:University of Mumbai alumni
Category:New York University Graduate School of Arts and Science alumni