John “Jack” Vincent Neal, cofounder of Neal-Schuman Publishers and the Neal-Schuman Foundation, died on February 20. He was 77.
Neal was executive v-p of Neal-Schuman Publishers from 1976 until 2011 when the company was acquired by the American Library Association. Neal cofounded the publishing house as well as the Neal-Schuman Foundation, which provides aid and educational research for the improvement of libraries, with Patricia Glass Schuman, who was president of the ALA from 1991-1992.
During Neal’s tenure as executive v-p, the Neal-Schuman house published more than 500 books and two journals focusing on libraries and information services. He conceived many of Neal-Schuman's titles and series, including the How-to-do-it Manuals for Librarians. The Neal-Schuman Foundation has funded several important library advocacy programs, including the ALA Friends of the Library USA (FOLUSA) and its “Citizens Save Libraries,” a multi-year program that organizes support programs for libraries.
