We are saddened to announce the Feb. 15, 2025, passing of Frank Paluka, former director of Special Collections at the University of Iowa Libraries. Frank joined Special Collections in 1961, becoming the head of the department in 1962. He remained in this position until March of 1986.

Under Frank’s direction, Special Collections’ holdings of rare books grew into a noteworthy collection. Among his many contributions as director, Frank developed the Iowa Authors Collection, worked with author Mildred Wirt Benson to receive her manuscripts, and grew the Leigh Hunt letter collection.

Professionally, Frank was an outstanding scholar and bibliophile. He was the editor of Books at Iowa for over 20 years and author of the book The Three Voyages of Captain Cook. Frank was also a passionate book collector in his free time, and his personal book collection showed a man with a keen eye for fine books who also demonstrated a curiosity about the world around him. His home contained a large collection of Henry James first editions and biographies of Captain Cook. Yet his collection stretched beyond traditional titles and topics, spanning from genre fiction to alternative science and the occult.

Frank donated hundreds of his personal books to Special Collections, including several rare works and items by Clark Ashton Smith, H.P. Lovecraft, and Sax Rohmer. Along with his books, the Libraries also holds his papers in the archives. His professional papers provide a view of his impact on our own collections here at the UI, while personal letters and photographs from his youth offer a look at the man behind the books.

His legacy is still felt here in Special Collections and Archives, especially when we use the material he procured or donated to us in our classes. We will continue to carry on his memory by working to spark even half as much love of books as he had in the students of the university.

Read former University Librarian Dale Bentz’s 1986 tribute to Frank upon his retirement in Books at Iowa.