1. Eric Edward Moon was a librarian and editor who had a shaping influence on American librarianship in the 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s as editor-in-chief of Library Journal, president of the American Library Association, and chief editor at Scarecrow Press.
Eric Moon was born on 6 March 1923 in Yeovil, England, and spent most of his youth in Southampton.
The ambitious Eric Moon pursued professional qualification by passing the Library Association's mastery examination.
Eric Moon soon began his military service in 1941, joining the Royal Air Force.
Eric Moon began his professional career running small libraries in Hertfordshire, at Finchley, at Brentford and Chiswick, and then at Kensington, experimenting with novel ideas in library service through this period.
In 1959 Eric Moon was hired as editor-in-chief of Library Journal, based in New York City.
Eric Moon soon realized that he needed support from black librarians to continue reporting accurately on activities in the South.
Eric Moon's editorials continued to challenge the profession during the tumultuous 1960s.
Likewise, Eric Moon's credit includes Library Journal's treatment of censorship and book selection practices in libraries.
In 1965 Eric Moon was appointed to the Bowker Board of Directors.
Eric Moon quit his post as editor-in-chief of Library Journal in 1968, shortly after Bowker was acquired by the Xerox Corporation.
At Scarecrow, Eric Moon rapidly increased the number of titles published per year, while introducing higher standards for editorial accuracy.
In 1981, Moon received the Joseph W Lippincott Award and in 1987 American Library Association Honorary Membership.
In 2000, Eric Moon was bestowed the highest honor by the British library profession, the coveted Honorary Fellowship, awarded by the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals.
Eric Moon retired to live in Sarasota, Florida, with his wife Ilse Moon, retired secretary of the Association for Library and Information Science Education.
Eric Moon died there on 31 July 2016 at the age of 93.