Nov. 6, 2025

The University morns the loss of longtime University Libraries Professor Larry Kelland, who passed away Oct. 5. He was 87 years old.

John Laurence “Larry” Kelland was born in East Orange, NJ, in 1938. He earned a B.S. from Rutgers University and his Ph.D. in entomology from Princeton University. He served as a postdoctoral fellow at Johns Hopkins University and taught science at the University of Toronto, Princeton, and Finch College in New York.

He earned an M.A. in Library Science from Queens College, CUNY, and worked as a librarian at the University of Georgia and Clemson University.

He was hired as an assistant professor at the University of Rhode Island in 1984, where he was the Life Sciences Librarian with a few stints as acting Health Sciences Librarian. He achieved tenure and promotion to associate professor in 1990, and was promoted to full professor in 1997.

Among his other duties, Professor Kelland taught LIB 508/BIO 508 “Seminar in Biological Literature,” a 1-credit graduate course. He wrote a book to support the course, Searching the Biological Literature, which is available in URI’s Digital Commons. He retired in 2008.

His colleagues cherished Larry for his wisdom, gentleness, quiet dignity, and sometimes impish sense of humor. He assisted his colleagues in their endeavors and worked to improve URI and support its teaching and research mission.

Larry lived in Wakefield for much of his time in Rhode Island, where he enjoyed the access to nature. He was active in the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of South County.

He is survived by his brother, David Kelland, and his sister, Betsy Koehler, as well as his nieces Karen Coyle, Beth Forlander, and Jennifer Kelland, and nephews Jeff and Mark Kelland.

To view his full obituary or to leave condolences, please visit Avery-Storti Funeral Home.