Education

B.A. in Russian Literature, University of Kentucy; MLIS, University of Texas; MA in English Literature, Minnesota State University, Mankato

Areas of Expertise

information literacy, publishing, crime fiction, internet communication, and popular literacy

Interests

libraries, books, creative writing, and the future of publishing

Barbara Fister

Library

Barbara Fister has been a librarian at Gustavus since 1987. She coordinates the library instruction program, provides reference services, builds the collection in several areas and participates with other members of the library staff in a unique collaborative management model. She teaches Information Fluency (spring), a January Term course on books and culture, and a First Term Seminar on international crime fiction. She has published widely on information literacy, the future of publishing, and popular literacy She writes a weekly column for Library Journal's Academic Newswire, blogs for the Association of College and Research Libraries and has been quoted in Library Journal, The Chronicle of Higher Education, Inside Higher Ed, The Philadelphia Inquirer, and The New York Times. In her spare time she maintains her own blog and writes crime fiction.

Her most recent mystery, In the Wind, was published by St. Martin's in 2008. Paul Goat Allen of the Chicago Tribune called it "an understated crime-fiction gem . . . 'In the Wind' is powered by a highly intelligent story line that underscores disturbing similarities between the counterintelligence practices of post-9/11America and those imposed during the Vietnam War era . . . Discerning fans of political mysteries and thrillers looking for a wildly thought-provoking whodunit should check out this surprisingly compelling read." A sequel will be published in spring 2010.

Contact Information

Library
Gustavus Adolphus College
800 West College Avenue
Saint Peter, MN 56082

Phone: 507-933-7553
E-mail: fister@gustavus.edu

Courses Taught

• Information Fluency

Barbara Fister's Schedule