Priscilla Gardner Main Library Chief Librarian John Beekman Honored with Local Historian Award

Jersey City Free Public Library is proud to share that Priscilla Gardner Main Library Chief Librarian John Beekman has received the J. Owen Grundy History Award from Jersey City Landmarks Conservancy.

Priscilla Gardner Main Library Chief Librarian John Beekman shared, “I am honored and truly humbled by this recognition linking my name to the esteemed local historian and activist J. Owen Grundy. It has been a privilege to spend nearly 20 years working in the collection Grundy used and shaped, building on the efforts of my predecessor.”

John Beekman has worked as a local history librarian and archivist in the New Jersey Room of the Jersey City Free Public Library since receiving his MLIS degree from Rutgers in 2006. In 2020, he took on the role of Department Manager of the New Jersey Room. Later, he advanced to Chief Librarian, overseeing all departments of the Priscilla Gardner Main Library while continuing his work in local history reference.

He is a founding Board member of the Museum of Jersey City History. He serves as co-editor of the H-Net forum for NJ History, H-New-Jersey. He is active in the NJ Studies Academic Alliance, the Mid-Atlantic Regional Archives Conference, and the New Jersey Library Association’s History and Preservation section, from which he received the 2022 Susan Swartzburg Award. He has served as a judge for the New Jersey History Day competition for many years.

Jersey City Free Public Library Director Terry B. Hill says, “This J. Owen Grundy History Award from the Jersey City Landmarks Conservancy highlights the invaluable contributions that Jersey City Free Public Library Chief Librarian John Beekman has made over the years. Throughout his career as a librarian and historian, he has shown himself to be a true steward of our community’s history. His dedication to preserving and teaching our local history will continue to have a lasting impact. We are proud to see his work recognized.”

“It is with immense pleasure and pride that the Jersey City Landmarks Conservancy extends our heartfelt congratulations to John Beekman for being recognized with the J. Owen Grundy History Award this year! Named after the late prominent Jersey City historian, this award recognizes work chronicling the history of Jersey City in a written and/or visual medium,” said Christopher Perez, President of the Jersey City Landmarks Conservancy.