Freeda Brook
Education
Master of Library and Information Science 2012
University of Washington, Seattle, Washington
Master of Public Administration 2012
University of Washington, Seattle, Washington
Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, with Honors 2007
Grinnell College, Grinnell, Iowa
Coursework 2002 - 2004
Whatcom Community College, Bellingham, Washington
Experience
Acquisition and Resource Management Librarian August 2015 - Present
Luther College
- Oversee all print and electronic material acquisitions for the library, including navigation of scholarly communications, open access, open education resources, and licensing
- Analyze collection statistics to make informed collection management decisions, including working with COUNTER and SUSHI
- Manage WMS ILS, including working with KBART and MARC files
- Review, negotiate, and track license agreements for electronic resources
- Manage library materials budget; developed spreadsheet system for managing budget; pay and process invoices
- Engage with library vendor, including contract and pricing negotiation
- Provide technical support and oversight for online resource linking and access issues
- Oversee and manage 3 full time employees, including hiring, training, and performance review
- Teach information literacy instruction and provide reference services
Head of User Services May 2014 - July 2015
Roosevelt University
- Streamlined delivery of library User Services, including circulation, interlibrary loan, reserves, and technology help services
- Hire and manage 4 full time and 5 part time employees, including training and performance reviews
- Oversaw upgrade of ILLiad server and implemented new billing module for ILL lending services
- System administrator for Voyager ILS, managed upgrade to Voyager 9
- Developed procedures for regular collection maintenance, including inventories and lost item upkeep
- Coordinated implementation and assessment of the Summon discovery tool
- Lead development of the library strategic plan
- Designed a performance management system for all library staff
- Generated university-wide support for the establishment of an institutional repository
- Improved MS Access circulation and collection reports through a self-direct online study of SQL
- Taught 10-15 information literacy instruction sessions every semester
- Served on the University Senate, First Year Task Force, ACP Planning Committee, Honors Program Steering Committee, AAUP chapter executive committee
Reference/Instruction, Scholarly Communication Librarian July 2012 - Present
Roosevelt University
- Develop and manage the library’s Scholarly Communication Program and related initiatives
- Implement and manage student theses repository in ContentDM; develop metadata templates
- Review and update library and archives policies on copyright, fair use, and reserves; consult on copyright questions for use of library and archives materials
- Supervise Student Technology Aides, including hiring, scheduling, training, and task management
- Perform outreach to faculty, staff, and students regarding scholarly communication issues
- Plan, coordinate, and execute events to engage and educate faculty and students about open access issues
- Teach information literacy instruction sessions; coordinate instruction for ACP classes; design and implement assessment of student learning
- Design library’s institutional assessment plan; coordinate individual assessment projects, including website usability study
- Provide reference services to students, faculty, staff, and alumni
- Liaison to Economics, Political Science, Public Administration, Sociology, and Training and Development
- Develop and maintain monograph collections; ensure collections meets curricular and research needs
Degree Project Mar 2011 - June 2012
Highline Community College
- Designed assessment plan for the library tied to college accreditation standards
- Led workshops in library departments to develop measureable goals and outcomes
- Identified indicators to measure success in meeting goals and outcomes
- Collaborated and coordinated with the Library Assessment Committee and Library Management Team
Reference Assistant Aug 2011 - June 2012
Seattle Central Community College
- Participated in planning and implementing an information literacy program at a sister vocational institution
- Coordinated Library Snapshot Day 2012
- Taught information literacy workshops to students; performed in-course assessments
- Provided reference services to students and faculty
Graduate Assistant Aug 2010 - June 2012
University of Washington Information School
- Worked with faculty on special projects, including conducting academic research and analysis
- Assisted with Project Information Literacy including background research, study publication, and website maintenance
- Planned and coordinated the use of multiple online learning tools with faculty and staff
- Built and maintained faculty and course websites in HTML, CSS, JavaScript, PHP, and ASP
- Grant writing and special projects
Program Track Participant 2011
Dipping into ACRL Immersion
- Developed assessment plan for information literacy program at Highline Community College in coordination with the library’s institutional assessment plan
Archives Consultant Summer 2010
San Francisco Zen Center
- Constructed an inventory of organizational records and items, including audio/visual recordings and financial records
- Developed a system for archival record keeping
- Assisted in creating a community-based system of appraisal
Reference Desk Intern 2010
Internet Public Library
- Participated in staff discussion and planning for future IPL services
- Answered reference questions for the online Ask a Librarian service
Information Specialist 2009–2010
Center for Studies in Demography and Ecology
- Managed special library, including inventory, circulation, and collections
- Created and maintain web resource on finding and managing information
- Assisted research affiliates with interdisciplinary research, literature reviews, and bibliographies
Publications
Hallerduff, Martinique and Freeda Brook (Forthcoming). "“I Just Feel Like I’m Not Doing Enough”: Experiences of Feminist Library Leaders", In A. Guimaraes and C. Holm, eds, Academic Librarian Burnout, Association of College and Research Libraries. Accepted.
Brook, Freeda and Martinique Hallerduff. (2020). “Feminists at Work: Organizational Leadership in Academic Libraries.” In S.S. Hines and D.H. Ketchum, eds, Critical Librarianship (Advances in Library Administration and Organization, Vol. 41), Emerald, 41-64.
Brook, Freeda, Dave Ellenwood, and Althea Lazzaro. (2015). “In Pursuit of Anti-Racist Social Justice: Denaturalizing Whiteness in the Academic Library.” Library Trends, 64(2): 246-284.
Presentations
Brook, Freeda, Martinique Hallerduff, and Althea Lazzaro. “Faculty status and information literacy: Our power in the classroom and the curriculum.” Library Instruction West 2020. *Cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic.
Hinchliffe, Lisa Janicke and Freeda Brook. “Privacy in the Age of Data Commercialization: Our Values and Our Responsibilities” Acquisitions Institute 2020. *Cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic.
Brook, Freeda, et al. (March 2017). "Navigating Transformation: Wikipedia, the Academic Library, and the Changing Landscape of Information." Panel presentation . ACRL 2017 Conference, Baltimore, MD.
Brook, Freeda. (May 2015). “Whiteness, Diversity, and the Academic Library Workforce: An Anti-Racist Approach to Recruitment, Hiring, and Retention.” Presentation. Canadian Association of Professional Academic Librarians Annual Conference, Ottawa, ON.
Brook, Freeda, et al. (April 2015). “Academic Worker Inquiry: Knowledge-Workers and the Journal-Industrial Complex.” Panel presentation. Association of American Geographers Annual Meeting, Chicago, IL.
Guittar, Michelle and Freeda Brook. (April 2015). “Critical Information Literacy in Wikipedia Edit-a-Thons: Theory and Practice.” Presentation. Information Literacy Summit, Palos Hills, IL.
Brook, Freeda. (April 2014). “When First Year Students Come to the Library: Using Twitter for Engagement and Student Learning Assessment.” Presentation. RUMCOT 2014, Chicago, IL.
Brook, Freeda and Althea Lazzaro. (April 2013). “Anti-Racism in the Library: Rethinking Policies, Practices, and Values on the Reference Desk.” Roundtable. ACRL 2013 Conference, Indianapolis, IN.
Brook, Freeda. (November 2012). “Open Access: The New Norm for Research and Practice.” Faculty workshop. Roosevelt University, Schaumburg, IL.
Brook, Freeda, Caroline Conley, Althea Lazzaro, and Rachel Woodbrook. (2010). “eReaders and the Freedom to Read: The Amazon Kindle as an Educational Device.” Panel presentation. iEdge 2010 Conference, Seattle, WA.
Service
Luther College
- Iowa Academic Library Alliance, Group Purchasing Committee (invited), 2016–present
- Iowa Private Academic Library Group, Steering Committee (elected), 2019–present
- OCLC WMS Acquisitions Advisory Group (invited), 2016–2019
- Film in Instruction Task Force, chair 2016–2017
Roosevelt University
Library Service
- Assessment Committee, member 2013–2015
- Library Vision Statement Committee, chair 2013–2015
- Library Website Committee, member 2013
University Service
- University Senate (appointed), 2012–2015
- Honors Advisory Board (invited), 2013–2015
- First Year Seminar Advisory Board (invited), 2013–2015
- Foundations of Excellence Task Force (appointed), 2013–2015
- Strategic Plan Task Force (appointed), 2012–2013
Awards and Honors
- ACRL WA-OR Conference Student Scholarship, 2011
- Eric and Christine Larsen Endowed Fellowship for innovation in information management, 2010
- Harold A. Fletcher Jr. Scholarship for academic achievement and breadth of scholarship in the Social Studies, 2007
Membership
- ALA, 2010–present
- ACRL, 2012–present
- MARIL, 2012–2015
Volunteer
- International Student Friendship Family Program, Host Family, 2016-present
- Seed Savers Exchange, Volunteer, 2016–present
- Working in the Schools (WITS), Reading Tutor, 2013–2015
- Seattle Public Library, Help Desk Volunteer, 2009–2010
- Bryant Elementary School Library, Library Assistant, 2009
