Daniel MollnerFaculty

I have always loved stories. I love hearing them, telling them and reading them. I wonder about the lives of the characters beyond the story at hand, about the reality or unreality of their worlds. This curiosity to know what else is going on is the basis for my interest in history, the stories of our various pasts. I love to hunt for the evidence beyond and behind the immediate event, to pull the clues together, to analyze them and give context.

Today in History

When I work with students in the Library or in my classes, I encourage them to develop their curiosity. I want to know how their topics interest them and where those topics may lead them.  I urge students to look beyond the obvious answers to their questions, to respond creatively and critically so that they become active contributors in the development of knowledge.  Above all, I want to help students to enjoy this process of discovery.

I joined the Gustavus faculty as academic librarian in 1988.  My primary responsibilities are reference, instruction, U.S. government documents and the overall coordination of library collection development.  I have co-taught a First Term Seminar (Persuasion) several times and taught the 3Crowns Senior seminar in the classroom and by arrangement many times.  I served as Library department chair for ten years and am most proud of my work in the ongoing development of the Bernadotte Library as a model of collegial management.

Below are pictures of my late beagles, Buddy, and his successors, MeMe the Peanut & Georgie.

Courses Taught