JAMES MICHAEL "JIM" MATARAZZO

Mine will be one voice among many, many GSLIS students. Jim was a prominent part of my graduate school years and professional library career. I will always remember how welcoming he was to International students. Throughout my career when I went to him for advice with my next adventure or move, he always said...hmm how can we make this work out for you? Ever optimistic, enthusiastic and energetic Jim was a truly great mentor and I will miss him. I was so happy to be invited to speak at one of his classes - to have the chance to give back just a little bit and still learn a lot from him even then as I was making a career move outside of librarianship. He always understood that the skills learned in library school were the underpinning of everything I did! He was the master of corporate libraries and it was because of Jim that I got a great start in my corporate library career. I will always be grateful to have met Jim and to have had the chance to learn from him. My thoughts and prayers are with his family.

Jim was a guiding force on my doctoral dissertation committee, and I'll always be grateful. He was deeply respected by many professionals in the special library community, and his original research was highly regarded and strongly relevant when it was published and today. He was an inspiration to all, students, alumni, and those in the library and information science community.

Dean Matarazzo was a wonderful mentor. During my years at Simmons when I was working two jobs to pay for library school, he always remembered who I was and reached out with a smile and with encouraging words. Consummate professional, influential academic, engaged teacher and truly a kind human.

Welcoming smiles would emerge when we would see Jim. He shared a permanent sense of optimism and viewed our library and academic worlds through a positive prism. He was quick to compliment us as we would follow his lead and share in his ideas. Jim will always be a memorable and substantive force in making libraries better and library education more meaningful.

Jim Matarazzo did so much for the future of the library profession, and for the students and graduates of Simmons Colleges library school. He made an extra effort to place graduates in terrific jobs, and his own research into corporate libraries was visionary. Personally, he told me, nope, forget about working at a university, I think instead you should look at business libraries - and now I am about to retire from a successful and rewarding 40-year career in corporate libraries and content management, which I wouldnt have considered without his guidance. Rest In Peace, Jim, and thank you for everything you did - and for your enormous heart and fabulous laugh.

Sorry For Your loss. Rocco Staffier

My condolences to the family. Our lord father promises that very soon he will bring back our loved ones and we will never lose them again. Isaac 25:8

Offering our deepest condolences during this difficult time.

Prof. Matarazzo was a wise and patient advisor to many graduate students of library and information science at Simmons College. He will be sorely missed.

R.I.P.--JIM

We are truly sorry to here about Jim's passing. He was a wonderful mentor and friend. We will always remember the great diners, warm smile and of course his pipe. With deepest condolences Mary Hapij and John Cavanaugh