Arthur Plotnik (1937 - August 28, 2020) was a photographer, journalist, author and librarian, known for being the editor of American Libraries magazine for fifteen years. Plotnik worked for the American Library Association for over twenty years. His photographs covering 23 years of librarians and librarianship are held at the American Library Association Archives.
Before working at ALA, Plotnik worked at the Library of Congress and was a staff writer and reviewer at AlbanyâÂÂs Times-Union. Two of his books The Elements of Editing and The Elements of Expression: Putting Thoughts into Words were Book of the Month Club selections.
Plotnik was born in 1937 to Annabelle and Mike Plotnik, Russian immigrants. Plotnik graduated from White Plains High School in 1955; he was voted "wittiest" in his class. He earned a BA at Harpur College and a master's degree in English at the University of Iowa, where he studied under Philip Roth.