ROBERTS, F(rancis) X. 1932-

PERSONAL: Born September 15, 1932, in Quincy, MA; son of Arthur K. and Anne (Hagerty) Roberts; married Dorothy Webb (a teacher), June 24, 1963. Ethnicity: "White." Education: Boston State College, B.S., 1959, M.Ed., 1964; Simmons College, M.S., 1968; State University of New York at Buffalo, Ph.D., 1986. Hobbies and other interests: Writing poetry.

ADDRESSES: Home—1128 35th Ave., Greeley, CO 80634. E-mail—[email protected].

CAREER: Writer. High school English teacher in Wareham, MA, 1959–61; Government of Tanzania, Dar es Salaam, education officer, 1961–63; high school English teacher in Narragansett, MA, 1963–64; teacher at a preparatory school in Boston, MA, 1964–66; Emerson College, Boston, library assistant, 1966–67; Veterans Administration Hospital, Boston, librarian, 1967–68; Leeds Polytechnic, Leeds, England, lecturer, 1968–75; Gippsland Institute of Advanced Education, Churchill, Australia, lecturer, 1975–79; California State College, Bakersfield, librarian, 1979–80; State University of New York at Buffalo, Buffalo, administrative assistant at Medical School, 1982–84, reference librarian and bibliographer, 1985–86; Marlboro College, Marlboro, VT, library director, 1986–87; University of Northern Colorado, Greeley, professor of library science, 1987–97, library scholar, 1990; writer, 1997–. Makerere University, lecturer, 1972. Military service: U.S. Air Force, 1951–55; served in Europe; became airman first class.

AWARDS, HONORS: Excellence in Literature Award, World Congress of Writers and Poets, 1978; World of Poetry, Sacramento, CA, Golden Poet Award, 1989, Silver Poet Award, 1990; Sparrowgrass Poetry Forum, Award of Poetic Excellence, 1989, Distinguished Poet Award, 1991; President's Special Citation, University of Northern Colorado, 1995.

WRITINGS:

Feathers and Anvils (poetry), University of Northern Colorado (Greeley, CO), 1989.

Sixteenth-Century English Humanist Educational Theories and Their Influence on the Development of the American College Curriculum, University of Northern Colorado (Greeley, CO), 1990.

At Length (poetry), University of Northern Colorado (Greeley, CO), 1990.

Vitae Summa Brevis … (sonnets), University of Northern Colorado (Greeley, CO), 1991.

Miscellanea (poetry), University of Northern Colorado (Greeley, CO), 1992.

Ballad of the Entry-Level Librarian, University of Northern Colorado (Greeley, CO), 1993.

(Compiler, with Charles D. Rhine) James A. Michener: A Checklist of His Work, with a Selected Annotated Bibliography, Greenwood Press (Westport, CT), 1995.

Poems for the Kids, illustrated by wife, Dorothy Roberts, University of Northern Colorado (Greeley, CO), 1997.

Roundelay and Other Poems, University of Northern Colorado (Greeley, CO), 1998.

Contributor to books, including The Bloomsbury Review Book Lovers Guide: A Collection of Tips, Techniques, Anecdotes, Controversies, and Suggestions for the Home Library, edited by Patricia Jean Wagner, Bloomsbury Review (Denver, CO), 1996. Work represented in anthologies, including Wild Flowers, International Society of Literature (Yorkshire, England), 1973; and Great Poems of the Western World, World of Poetry (Sacramento, CA), 1989. Contributor of poetry, articles, and reviews to periodicals, including Colorado Libraries, Bibliotech, Wilson Library Bulletin, Journal of Academic Librarianship, Technical Services Quarterly, and Behavioural and Social Science Librarian. Editor of newsletter, James A. Michener Society, 1998–2000.

WORK IN PROGRESS: The Collected Poetry of F. X. Roberts.

SIDELIGHTS: F. X. Roberts once told CA: "I write about subjects which pique my interest, be they people or things. For example, I have probably written more about bookmarks than anyone else. I have been motivated to write about them because bookmarks have been around since books and reading began, and are so ubiquitous and widely used, yet are so universally ignored (except by collectors of bookmarks, of course).

"My colleague, Charles Rhine, and I compiled the first bibliography of works by and about James Michener. We were motivated to do this partly because such a work was long overdue, but also to preserve Michener's legacy and to promote interest in his writings among both scholars and the general public. The James A. Michener Society and its newsletter were established for similar reasons."