b. Feb. 21, 1932, Toronto, ON; d. Aug. 28, 2018, Toronto, ON

1954 BA (University of Toronto)
1966 MLS (Syracuse University)
1986 MA (History) (York University)
1989 Certified Archivist (National Archives of Canada)

1956 Circulation Dept., Main Library, University of Toronto
1957 Reference Library and Archives, University of Rochester
1966-1967 Serials Dept., McMaster University Library
1968-1969 College BiblioCentre, Ryerson Polytechnical Institute
1967-1998 York University Libraries (a reference librarian, Head of the Frost Library at Glendon College, and an archivist in the Clara Thomas Archives and Special Collections)

Platnick, Phyllis (1985). Canadian poetry: index to criticisms, 1970-1979 = Poésie canadienne: index de critiques, 1970-1979. Ottawa: Canadian Library Association.

Platnick, Phyllis and Beverly Smith ( 2001).Canadian poetry: index to criticisms = Poésie canadienne: index de critiques: first supplement, 1980-1989. [Sl. : s.n.]

Platnick, Phyllis (2008). “How I became a librarian.“ ELAN 43 (Spring): 6.

Canadian Library Association
Ontario Library Association (member of Professional Development Committee, 1982)
Association of College & Research Libraries
Ex Libris Association (member of ELA Membership and Recruitment Committee, 2005; member of ELA Board of Directors, 2006-2007)
Association of Retired Faculty and Librarians of York University (ARFL)
York University Retirees’ Association (YURA)

While at Syracuse University, Phyllis was asked to design an on-line computer program to organize collections, and when she was working at McMaster University Library, she prepared a printed catalogue for the Serials Department. At the College BiblioCentre, her work involved recataloguing a technical college library and integrating it into a centralized system. However, she never gave up on the idea of being an archivist. When she became a Certified Archivist, she became an archivist at York University. She loved the work, and once said “Where else could one get paid to read other people’s mail.”
Her works can be found at the Ontario Jewish Archives.

Phyllis Platnick. Obituary. Globe and Mail, Aug. 30 – Sept. 3, 2018. Accessed June 26, 2021.
Platnick, Phyllis (2008). “How I became a librarian.” ELAN 43 (Spring): 6.