ORLANDO, FL, July 08, 2021 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Peter Spyers-Duran, Ed.D. has been included in several Marquis Who's Who publications. As in all Marquis Who's Who biographical volumes, individuals profiled are selected on the basis of current reference value. Factors such as position, noteworthy accomplishments, visibility, and prominence in a field are all taken into account during the selection process.
Esteemed for his decades of professional services, Dr. Spyers-Duran has held the designation of a Dean and Professor Emeritus at Wayne State University in Detroit since 1995. Moreover, he has excelled as a management consultant for Higher Education with Spyers-Duran Associates since 1994. During 1996 and 1997, Dr. Spyers-Duran also served as the Acting University Librarian at Nova Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
Dr. Spyers-Duran previously served in a number of high level appointments at Wayne State University, Detroit including as Professor and Dean of the University Library System, and the Dean of the ALA accredited Master's Degree program in Library and Information Systems, between 1983 and 1995. He formerly flourished as the Director of the Library and Learning Resources at California State University, Long Beach CA. from 1976 to 1983. During prior years Dr. Spyers-Duran served as the Director of Libraries and Professor of Library Sciences at Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton FL. from 1970 to 1976.
Prior to these positions, Dr. Spyers-Duran was recruited as the Director of Libraries and Professor at Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo MI. from 1967 to 1970. Between 1963 and 1967, he was appointed as the Associate Director of Libraries and Associate Professor of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee campus. Dr. Spyers-Duran began his professional career as the Head of Library Public Services at the University of Wichita, KS, 1960. Short of two years at U of Wichita, he was recruited by the Administration Division of the American Library Association's National Headquarters in Chicago, where he served as the Division's Assistant Executive Secretary during 1961-1962.
Dr. Spyers-Duran pursued his postsecondary education at the Free University of Budapest, receiving a Certificate in Liberal Arts in 1955. After the Soviet army crushed the Hungarian Revolution fighting against the communist regime, he escaped and moved to the U.S in 1956. He continued his formal studies, earning a Master of Arts degree, specializing in library and information science at the University of Chicago - Graduate Library School in 1960. Following these accomplishments, Dr. Spyers-Duran concluded his academic efforts at Nova Southeastern University. He received his Doctor of Education degree, specializing in Higher Education Finance. Beyond his primary responsibilities in the field, Dr. Spyers-Duran has thrived in numerous endeavors within his professional circles. He was invited to teach during the Sumer terms of 1969 and 1970 as a visiting professor at the State University of New York (SUNY- Geneseo). He also provided leadership to the Board of International Conferences, and served as its Chairman from 1970 to 1995. He generously volunteered his time to the Bayou Club Community Association, Largo FL. serving as the president, and as a member of the Board of Directors between 2000 and 2012. Dr. Spyers-Duran has also provided his wealth of knowledge to the Kalamazoo County Library Board from 1969 to 1970, to the board of directors for the United Way of Palm Beach County from 1973 to 1974 and to the Board of the Homeowners Association of Eagle Creek, Orlando from 2017 to 2018.
Dr. Spyers-Duran has found success with his written works as well, having authored "Moving Library Materials" in 1965, "Public Libraries - A Comparative Survey of Basic Fringe Benefits" in 1967, and myriad published monographs and articles. He served on the Editorial Board of the Journal of Library Administration from 1989 to 1995. Dr. Spyers-Duran has been credited as the editor of ten publications between 1969 and 1985, including "Approval and Gathering Plans in Academic Libraries," "Economics of Approval Plans in Research Libraries," "Requiem for the Card Catalog: Management Issues in Automated Cataloging," "Austerity Management in Academic Libraries", and "Issues in Academic Libraries."
Dr. Spyers-Duran has been associated with various organizations in relation to his areas of expertise. He was the founding member, and provided leadership to the Detroit Area Library Network. He also served as president of the University of Chicago Graduate Library School Alumni Club, the Southwestern Michigan Library Consortium, the Southeastern Library Network, and the Library of Congress Center for the Book, Michigan Chapter. Furthermore, Dr. Spyers-Duran is a life member of the American Library Association. Past professional memberships include the California Library Association, the Florida Library Association, the Michigan Library Association, the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions, the Association for Information Science and Technology. He also represented his institution at the meetings of the National Association of State Universities and Land Grant Colleges, among many others.
In light of his exceptional undertakings, Dr. Spyers-Duran has accrued several accolades throughout his career. In 1999 he was presented with the prestigious G. Flint Purdy Award for Outstanding Contributions by the President of Wayne State University. Likewise, he was selected for inclusion in multiple editions of Who's Who in America, Who's Who in Finance and Business, Who's Who in American Education, Who's Who in the Midwest, and Who's Who in the World. He received a Certificate of Merit for Distinguished Service from the Publishers of the Dictionary of International Biography, and his biography was included in volume vi, published in 1970.
He fondly recalls creating endowments and scholarships alongside with his wife of almost six decades, Jane F. Spyers-Duran for the benefit of students at Wayne State University, Detroit MI, and at California State University- Long Beach, CA.
Dr. Spyers-Duran is particularly proud to have helped Wayne State University to advance in national research library rankings from 78th place to 37th place among the American Association of Research Libraries. There were a total of 107 designated research libraries in the United States in 1990. He was able to accomplish this with the improved funding support received from President of the University, David Adamany, resulting in restored research book collections, vastly increasing serial subscriptions, and by an ongoing improvement of their automation and computer literacy programs. He is also proud to have achieved the restoration and the full accreditation of the Graduate Library Science degree program, which was put on probation by the American Library Association's Accreditation Committee in 1982 for keeping faculty positions vacant, and for other budget cuts that were imposed during the austerity years. During the late 1970's and early 1980's the entire Midwest region suffered from an economic downturn, forcing drastic austerity measures on institutions of higher education like Wayne State University. Recovering successfully from such a multiyear long austerity period was a herculean task.
About Marquis Who's Who®
Since 1899, when A. N. Marquis printed the First Edition of Who's Who in America®, Marquis Who's Who® has chronicled the lives of the most accomplished individuals and innovators from every significant field of endeavor, including politics, business, medicine, law, education, art, religion and entertainment. Today, Who's Who in America® remains an essential biographical source for thousands of researchers, journalists, librarians and executive search firms around the world. Marquis® now publishes many Who's Who titles, including Who's Who in America®, Who's Who in the World®, Who's Who in American Law®, Who's Who in Medicine and Healthcare®, Who's Who in Science and Engineering®, and Who's Who in Asia®. Marquis® publications may be visited at the official Marquis Who's Who® website at www.marquiswhoswho.com.
# # #