Brent Etzel, M.A., M.L.S.

Texas Tech University
ABD, Higher Education

Illinois State University
MA, History

Indiana University
MLS, Library Science

Frankin College
BA, Political Science

Brent Etzel is Dean of Library and Archives at Wheaton College, where he provides leadership for the College’s library collections, services, and academic partnerships. His work focuses on the role of libraries in supporting teaching, scholarship, information literacy, and the intellectual life of the Christian college.

Etzel holds a B.A. in Political Science from Franklin College, an M.L.S. from Indiana University, and an M.A. in History from Illinois State University, where his research examined the representation of Native Americans at world expositions. Before joining Wheaton, he held library positions at Augustana College, Cedarville University, and Arkansas Tech University. He has also served in professional leadership roles with the Association of Christian Librarians and the Council for Christian Colleges & Universities.

His scholarly interests extend beyond librarianship to history, international education, and the ways students make decisions about educational experiences. He is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Higher Education at Texas Tech University, where his doctoral research examines what motivates students to participate in long-term study abroad programs. His interest in international education has included volunteer work with the library of an evangelical theological seminary in Croatia and an ongoing interest in the history and cultures of Central and Eastern Europe. He and his wife have four children.

Encyclopedia Articles

"John Amagoalik," "Council for Yukon First Nations," and "James Kivetoruk Moses," Encyclopedia of the Arctic, Mark Nuttall, ed. (New York: Routledge, 2005.)

"Bison," "Council Bluffs, Iowa," "Fort Snelling," and "Mesabi Range," Encyclopedia of the Louisiana Purchase, Junius P. Rodriguez, ed. (Santa Barbara: ABC-CLIO, 2002.)

"Canadian Reciprocity," "Ignatius Donnelly," "Walter Hines Page," "Pan-American Exposition of 1901," "Shipping Act of 1916," "Trans-Mississippi Exposition of 1898," and "James B. Weaver," Encyclopedia of the Gilded Age and Progressive Era, Joseph Buenker, ed. (Armonk, NY: M.E. Sharpe, 2005.)

“Jane Grey Cannon Swisshelm,”Encyclopedia of Emancipation and Abolition in the Transatlantic World, Junius P. Rodriguez, ed. (Armonk, NY:M.E. Sharpe, 2007.)

Donley, Jennifer, Kathleen Baril, and Brent Etzel. “Bridging the Gap with Boopsie: How a Mobile App can Help Keep Your Students Connected.” Academic Library Association of Ohio Annual Conference, Wilmington, Ohio, October 2012.

Etzel, Brent. “The Augustana Model: Sequential, Integrated Information Literacy for First-Year Education and Beyond." Poster session presentation, Association of College & Research Libraries 2007 Conference, Baltimore, Maryland, March 2007.

---.“Cataloging at the Evangelical Theological Seminary in Croatia, 2013-2015, Association of Christian Librarians Conference, Jefferson City, Tennessee, June 2015.

---.“Course-Integrated Information Literacy Assignments for First-Year Students,” Association of Christian Librarians Annual Conference, Quincy, Massachusetts, June 2008.

---.“Defining Canadian Historiography, ”Illinois State University Graduate Symposium, Normal, Illinois, April 2002.

---.”The Evolving Role of Libraries in Supporting Higher Education,” UA-Pine Bluff National Library Week Observance. Pine Bluff, Arkansas, April 2019.

---.“The Future of Academic Library Reference Services,” Panel Discussion on the Future of Libraries. Association of Christian Librarians Annual Conference, Liberal Arts Section Meeting, Marion, Indiana,June 2006.

---.“A Grand Approach to Research Instruction: Integrating Information Literacy into a First-Year General Education Program.” Association of Christian Librarians Annual Conference, Grand Rapids, Michigan, June 2007.

---. “It's Not All Greek: An Analysis & Comparison of Online Language Learning Tools.” Arkansas Library Association Annual Conference, Rogers, Arkansas, September 2017.

---.“The Legacy of the Indian Congress Exhibit of Omaha’s Trans-Mississippi Exposition of 1898,” Missouri Valley History Conference, Omaha, Nebraska, March 2007.

---.”More Than Mobile:Building (and Improving) a Library App” Association of Christian Librarians Annual Conference, San Diego, California, 2013.

---.“World Expositions, Wild West Shows, and the American Worldview,” Faculty Committee to the President Dinner, Cedarville University, Cedarville, Ohio, November 2009.

Ghinazzi, Connie, Amanda Makula and Brent Etzel. “Promoting Quality over Quantity: Information Literacy across the Curriculum in the Digital Age,” Illinois Association of College & Research Librarians Biennial Conference, Bloomington, Illinois, March 2006.