John Mack Freeman

HI!

I'M JOHN MACK FREEMAN

I'M A SPEAKER,

A PRIVACY ADVOCATE,

A LIBRARIAN,

AND A LIFELONG LEARNER.

Bio Pic

Librarian and speaker with nearly a decade of experience in public services, privacy advocacy, and service development to enhance communities.

ABOUT ME

Full Name : John Mack Freeman

Best way to reach me? : Email, always!

Email : johnmackfreeman [at] gmail [dot] com

CV : Available on request, or click the person icon in this section for a copy

Current Obsession : The intersection of cake and culture

Last book I loved? : Four Thousand Weeks by Oliver Burkeman

Short Bio : I'm John Mack Freeman, a librarian currently living in the north Atlanta suburbs. In my day job, I manage a team of 18 people to offer above and beyond library services to over 40,000 institute community members. I am deeply invested in creating community partnerships and into developing the next generation of library leaders. In addition to my day job, I am active in the Library Freedom Project and the Georgia Library Association. When I'm not working on library stuff, I enjoy reading (creative nonfiction, essays, SF, fantasy, poetry), hiking, watching horror films, hanging out with my husband, playing with my dog, and exploring new parts of the Atlanta metro area.

Email Download CV Video Content Southerns Eath Too Much Cake

Presentations

Some of my favorite topics to present on include underserved communities, misinformation, evolving tech, and next steps in information literacy.

Achievements and Honors

I've had the honor to work with a lot of fantastic library organizations to learn more and extend the reach of the LIS field.

2021

Georgia Library Association McJenkin-Rheay Award

The McJenkin-Rheay Award is given to recognize an early career librarian who has made outstanding contributions to the Georgia Library Association

2020

Library Freedom Institute

Proud member of cohort 3!

October 2016 - October 2017

PINNACLE Leadership Development

Year-long leadership development program co-sponsored by the Georgia Public Library Service and the Carl Vinson Institute at the University of Georgia.

2016

American Library Association Emerging Leader

The first Emerging Leader sponsored by the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Round Table of the American Library Association. Worked on a project to revamp the New Member Round Table newsletter Footnotes.

2014

Gordon M. Conable Conference Scholar

Recipient of Gordon M. Conable Conference Scholarship from the Freedom to Read Foundation

Experience

I've been working in public libraries and marketing to help extend the reach of this vital social service. Click each box for more info!

  • GEORGIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY as Head of Public Services (Librarian II) 2021 to present

    Oversee public services department of 18 FTE staff and 30-40 student workers to provide excellent library service to stakeholders at Georgia Tech at every service point.

  • GWINNETT COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY as Branch Manager 2017-2021

    Branch manager of Peachtree Corners (2017-2018) and Suwanee (2018-2021) locations. Manage staff of 16 in branch that receive 300,000 annual visits. Supervise connections with local community and promote over 700 annual branch events.

  • WEST GEORGIA REGIONAL LIBRARY as Marketing and Programming Coordinator 2014-2017

    Led marketing and programming initiatives for a 5 county, 17 member library west of Atlanta, GA. Primary grant writer for programming initiatives. Primary website developer.

  • JMF SPEAKER SERVICES as Speaker 2018-Present

    Work with nonprofits to provide educational talks for staff days and other training opportunities in-line with client needs. Previous topics include deep dives in services to underserved communities and upselling/cross-promotion in the non-selling sector.

  • JMF SERVICES as Web and Marketing Consultant 2009-2018

    Provided web and marketing support to a variety of businesses based in Georgia with a specialty in technical writing, small business website development, and social media.

  • CITY YEAR LOS ANGELES as AmeriCorps Member 2009-2010

    In-class tutor (1st and 3rd grade) and after school coordinator at 112th Street Elementary School in Los Angeles, California. Executive Director of Camp City Year, Watts, a spring break camp offering free extracurricular activities during spring break for 130 campers.

Professional Associations

These are a sample of some of the work that I have done for professional associations. See my CV for a complete list.

2013-present

Georgia Library Association

Intellectual Freedom Interest Group Chair 2017-2021, Interest Group Council Chair 2019, Interest Group Council Vice-Chair 2018, Vice President for Membership 2016-2017, Scholarship Committee Chair 2016, Scholarship Committee Vice-Chair 2015

2021-present

Georgia First Amendment Foundation

Board of Directors

2016-2019

American Library Association - Intellectual Freedom Round Table

Nominations Committee Chair, 2019-2020 Chair 2018-2019, Strategic Planning Task Force Chair, 2018-2019, Chair-Elect 2017-2018, Director-at-Large 2016-2017

2011-2019

American Library Association - Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Round Table

Stonewall Book Award Committee, Chair 2017, GLBT News Editor 2014-2016, Blog Administrator 2012-2014

2016-2019

Association of Library Services to Children

Committee on Services to Underserved Populations and Their Caregivers 2016-2018

2020-present

Library Freedom Project

Member of Library Freedom Institute Cohort 3, Health and Privacy webinar series planning committee (2020-2021). IMLS 2022 grant writing team (2021)

Education

Education is the backbone of society, and I've been lucky enough to attend many fine institutions. Click each box for more info.

  • Doctorate: Valdosta State University, 2020-2023

    Doctor of Public Administration, projected graduation in 2023. Area of focus: power and influence at the margins within public employees

  • Master's: Valdosta State University, 2013

    Master's of Library and Information Science

  • Bachelor's: Shorter College, 2009

    Bachelor of Arts, Theatre

  • Bachelor's: Shorter College, 2009

    Bachelor of Arts, English

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Project Title

( Live Link )

Write a short description (2 lines) about your project (when you did this? for whom you worked for? ) How was the accomplishment etc? Remember, a good practise, you must not write more than 40 - 60 words