Jessica BrodeFrank is a clinical assistant professor, digital librarian and portal manager of the Chicago Collections Consortium at the University of Illinois Chicago. She has spent the past decade in cultural heritage institutions, running digital asset management systems, digital humanities research, and digital curation.
“Having recognized an early need for cultural heritage institutions to be places for nuanced and trustworthy storytelling, the focus on digital accessibility became key within her career,” said one nominator.
During the last 10 years, BrodeFrank has worked at the Georgetown University Library, Adler Planetarium, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, and the Smithsonian’s National Anthropological Archives, National Portrait Gallery, and National Museum of African American History and Culture.
Currently, she leads the Chicago Collections Consortium portal as part of her role as a clinical professor and digital librarian with the University of Illinois Chicago. The Chicago Collections Consortium puts the history and culture of the city of Chicago in one central place.
“With her experience in museums of various sizes, as well as in archives and libraries, BrodeFrank is uniquely situated to help provide key user experience focus to the platform working with both the institutions and the Chicago community to make the CCC platform more accessible and user-friendly,” the nominator added.
BrodeFrank’s research continues from her doctorate at the University of London. It focuses on crowdsourcing as a means of digital engagement and literacy, and the enrichment of metadata taxonomies with these diverse voices as a way towards inclusive search and access. Her research has been published by the American Alliance of Museums, Art Institute of Chicago and Smithsonian Press.
“She has established herself as an emerging expert and major collaborator within the field intersections of digital humanities and cultural heritage,” the nominator said.