March 10, 2005
This is the first in a series of articles that will
highlight the background, skills and talents of our library
personnel. We hope to increase awareness of the rich
diversity of knowledge and interests among those who support the
academic and scholarly initiatives of our university
community.
Prof. Heckman has been a part of the SJU community since 1977,
when she began her career in the University Libraries. Her
educational background includes an undergraduate degree in English
Literature and a graduate degree in Library Science from St. John’s
University, and a second masters’ degree in Business Administration
from Adelphi University. She is the head of the Reference
Department in the Main Library on the Queens Campus; in addition,
she also serves as the University Libraries’ business subject
specialist, a title she has held for many years. Among her
responsibilities are ordering materials to support the various
subspecialties within the discipline, including Finance, Economics,
and Management, and serving as a liaison to the Tobin School of
Business. She works closely with the college’s faculty to
meet the curriculum needs of their students, and their own research
pursuits. To support courses as well as special programs,
such as the Henry George Lecture Series, Prof. Heckman has created
resources such as subject bibliographies (lists of materials
including books, articles, databases and web sources) and Focus On
guides (the Focus On series are topic-based research guides which
are part of the University Libraries resources available to
students and faculty on the library’s web pages. These pages
can be seen at http://www.stjohns.edu/academics/libraries/resources/focus).
Prof. Heckman offers a variety of services to both students and
faculty in all areas of Business. She provides classes and
workshops focusing on business-related topics, many of which are
tailored to support specific programs of study and course
requirements. Prof Heckman also offers research assistance on
a more individualized basis through the library’s One-On-One
Reference Appointments
(
http://www.stjohns.edu/academics/libraries/services/reference/oneonone.sju
). Through this service, students and faculty members can
make an appointment with Prof. Heckman to discuss research
projects, paper topics and course assignments, and receive guidance
on research strategies, formulating theses, and paper
composition.
Prof. Heckman is also an accomplished author, having written 4
books in the field of business, including one on the history of the
New York Stock Exchange which offers readers historical commentary
as well as an extensive bibliography of the topic. Her
research included delving into the archives of the stock exchange,
which began in 1792, and reviewing original documentation and
artifacts from this period. She has also written a number of
encyclopedia and trade journal articles in her subject area.
Prof. Heckman’s interests extend beyond the academic arena and
include thoroughbreds among other topics. A native of Queens,
NY, she often visited Belmont Park, a thoroughbred racetrack in
Elmont NY as a child, where a relative’s stable gave her a
behind-the- scenes view of horseracing and sparked an interest in
thoroughbreds. Her fascination was further cultivated through
her passion for reading, particularly horse-related literature such
as The Black Stallion, Man O’War, King of the Wind, the Island
Stallion, as well as many of the books by Marguerite Henry and
Walter Farley. Her most recent publication is entitled
Damascus, about the thoroughbred racehorse of renowned fame who
raced in the 1960’s and was named 1967 Horse of the Year (Damascus
is also a member of the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame)
. Published by Eclipse Press in 2004, it is the fourth book
in their series Thoroughbred Legends – Classic Winners (http://www.eclipsepress.com/legends/B11-2022.html;
an excerpt of the book is available at this site).
Through her research on the book she met William and Thomas
Bancroft, the sons of Damascus’ owner, Edith Woodward Bancroft. She
interviewed Ron Turcotte, who rode Damascus and Secretariat, as
well as legendary jockeys Bill Shoemaker and Braulio Baeza, and
trainer Frank Whiteley Jr. Her work on the book included
travel and study at the National Museum of Racing at Saratoga
Springs, NY; the New York Public Library, the Cornell University’s
Veterinary Medicine collection, and Keeneland Library, one of the
world's largest public-access repositories for information related
to thoroughbred horseracing and the thoroughbred breed.
Beyond business and thoroughbreds, Prof. Heckman has a personal
interest in history, travel, fiction, and biographies, topics in
which she would happily make recommendations to any interested
patrons.