Libraries

Interview with John Stierman

Photo of John Stierman
John Stierman
Title: Professor
Department: Libraries
Office Location: Malpass Library
Office Phone: (309) 298-2785x5
Email: JP-Stierman@wiu.edu

Do you specialize in any areas?

History (esp. U.S.), fitness, nutrition, philosophy (esp. Eastern), psychology.

What is your favorite thing to research?

Intersection of food and mood.

Tell about a time when you were able to help a patron that really sticks with you.

Rather than a specific question, I have a type of question that confirms my decision to be a librarian. A student will come to the reference desk with a vague notion of what they want to research, and I help them find a topic and start thinking about a research question related to it. Last spring, 2015, I had a student who was struggling to find a topic for her communication class; I introduced her to Marshall Rosenberg's work on nonviolent communication (NVC). She clearly was inspired by the topic, and returned later to thank me for introducing her to NVC. I work for those moments.

How can patrons get ahold of you?

Best to e-mail me at jp-stierman@wiu.edu. I get messages on my phone and check regularly.

What do you geek out over?

Zotero. Zotero is cloud-based citation management app. It collects all your research in a single, searchable interface. I use it everyday along with Evernote and Delicious to help be maintain "bibliographic control." For more on each of these apps visit: www.zotero.org, evernote.com, and delicious.com.


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