Benjamin Aldred

Benjamin Aldred is an Associate Professor and Reference Librarian at the University of Illinois Chicago's University Library. His roles include serving as a Liaison Librarian for the College of Urban Planning and Public Affairs, Public Administration, and the Jane Addams College of Social Work. He specializes in Government Information, Social Work, Transportation, and Urban Planning. His research focuses on geospatial analysis of library collections, information equity, and instructional design in academic libraries.

Education: Aldred holds a PhD in Folklore and American Studies from Indiana University (2009), an M.S. in Library and Information Sciences from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (2014), and prior degrees in History, Sociology, and Folklore. He is certified through the Federal Depository Library Program.

Research Interests: His work bridges GIS applications in library science, folklore studies, and information literacy. He has published on topics ranging from spatial analysis of urban planning literature to the use of ArcGIS in collection management. His earlier scholarship explored folklore in digital spaces, gaming cultures, and film studies.

Professional Service: Aldred chairs committees for the American Library Association’s GODORT division and participates in the Illinois Depository Council. He has served on UIC’s University Senate and led initiatives in diversity, equity, and inclusion. His contributions include judging student research forums and managing ICPSR data services.

Labs/Teams: His current projects emphasize geospatial approaches to addressing equity gaps in academic resources. He collaborates with urban planning departments to map information access disparities using GIS tools.