Library Educator Brooke Sheldon Dies
PrintBrooke Sheldon, 81, 1983–1984 president of the American Library Association, died February 11.
Sheldon earned her BA degree from Acadia University in Wolfville, Nova Scotia, her MLS degree from Simmons College in Boston, and her PhD from the University of Pittsburgh.
Her distinguished career spanned a wide range of roles. She served as young adult librarian at Detroit Public Library; special services librarian for the US Air Force and Army; branch librarian at Albuquerque (N. Mex.) Public Library; adult services librarian at Santa Fe (N. Mex.) Public Library; head of library development at New Mexico State Library in Santa Fe; associate director of the Leadership Training Institute, US Office of Education in Washington D.C.; head of technical services and training at Alaska State Library in Juneau; professor, dean, and acting provost of the School of Library and Information Studies at Texas Woman's University in Denton; professor emeritus and dean at University of Texas, Austin's School of Information; and interim director and professor at the School of Information Resources and Library Science at University of Arizona, Tucson, until her retirement in 2004. Post-retirement teaching positions included service at San José (Calif.) State University and the School of Library and Information Studies at University of Alberta, Edmonton.
Sheldon's honors included being named Distinguished Alumna of Simmons College and the University of Pittsburgh, and awards from San José (Calif.) State University, the Association of Library and Information Science Educators, and the Arizona Library Association. The Brooke E. Sheldon Endowed Professorship in Management and Leadership was established at University of Texas, Austin. She was also granted an honorary Doctor of Civil Laws degree from Acadia University.
An advocate for diversity in librarianship, Sheldon worked to promote and secure funding for minority hiring. She was a long-time supporter of Reforma and opened her home in Austin, Texas, to those attending the first Reforma conference in 1996.
Sheldon served in leadership roles in ALA for over 40 years. In addition to being a past ALA president, she was on the Executive Board and Council, chaired the Committee on Accreditation, and served as president of the Association of American Publishers-ALA. As ALA president, she traveled to Taipei, Taiwan, to be keynote speaker for the 30th anniversary of the Library Association of China. She also co-founded the Continuing Professional Education Round Table in the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions.
Speaking to Public Library Quarterly (Winter 1985/86), Sheldon shared thoughts on librarianship that revealed her dedication to the profession and its impact on the world. "As I've been visiting the state associations and talking to members, I've said to them: Let's remember who we are. We are the gatherers, the organizers, the disseminators, and the analyzers of information. We are also the custodians of and the guides to recorded knowledge—knowledge which is far less ephemeral and less transient than much of what passes for information in today's world."
She is survived by her brother John; her sister, Barbara (Mrs. Eugene Hunter); and her sister-in-law Charlotte (Mrs. Leonard Earle); sons and their families, Scott and Susan Sheldon and Stephen and Maria Sheldon; grandchildren Matthew, Brooke, and Skyler; and many nieces and nephews. The family has asked that contributions in her memory be sent to the Brooke E. Sheldon Endowed Professorship in Management and Leadership at the University of Texas, Austin, and the New Mexico Library Foundation.
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Comments
a great mentor
Brooke was my Dean and my library management professor at TWU. She always had great stories and clever assignments. She’d back any event our student club wanted to host and even let the LS library staff have a party at her house, during which she apologized for not having gotten out on her riding mower to get the yard ready in the past week. She loved that riding mower. I especially appreciated how proud and happy she always was to bring her celebrity librarian friends to meet current students. Every time I showed-up in her office with a form for some scholarship or other opportunity, she’d stop her work to hear about what I was doing and she sign the form without hesitation. She truly was a great mentor. There are lots of good librarians in this world who have Brooke Sheldon to thank for getting them started in the profession.
Encouraging
Brooke Sheldon was one of the most encouraging leaders our field has ever known. Her presidential theme was leadership and she strove to encourage others. I remember many aspects of her life and work but most of all her support of the first REFORMA conference. She lives on in those she encouraged.
Farewell, Brooke Sheldon
She was a giant in her field, and a loving, caring human being to those who were priveleged to know her personally. I will never forget her kindness at a critical juncture in my life, and will strive to follow her example always.
Footprints in the sand
Brooke Sheldon left significant footprints in the sand for us to follow. I had the honor of following in those footprints as director of library development at the New Mexico State Library. As an alumni of the Texas Woman’s University School of Library and Information Studies, I appreciate the impact she had on the library school. Her influence in the field has been significant and provide a model for the rest of us to emulate.