Do you specialize in any areas?

I do a lot of work with the natural sciences, including Agriculture, Biology, Geography and Geology, but teach library instruction in the sciences. Because of my familiarity with government information sources for U.S. and Illinois History, I also teach a few history classes too. I also help people find and use data on a variety of topics and teach faculty and students how to find data using American Factfinder, map data using GIS and help students, faculty and staff use GIS if needed. I also oversee the map collection.

What is your favorite thing to research?

I am working on several research projects right now:

• How to spot questionable scholarly opportunities (less than reputable journals and conferences)
• Comparison of database platforms using the GeoRef database (which happens to be available on 4 platforms). I have also added Google into the analysis.
• Comparison of GeoBase (an index to geography information) with other library databases.
• Reference work as it relates to protected places.

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

I once did an in-person reference exchange with a deaf student. I brought my laptop to work, and we did the entire exchange by entering questions in Word and carrying the laptop around the map collection. The other time is when a faculty member spent a day looking for information in historical print Census volumes before I noticed and asked what he was looking for. I showed him a resource that had all of the historical data available digitally (the National Historical GIS data system).

How can patrons get ahold of you?

Linda Zellmer

Government Information & Data Services Librarian

Liaison to Natural Sciences & Agriculture

415 Malpass Library

Macomb, IL 61455

LR-Zellmer@wiu.edu

Phone: 309-298-2723

Fax: 309-298-2791

I am in at 7 AM and am willing to come back to campus in the evening if needed.

What do you geek out over?

Finding data that can be mapped with GIS. For example, the Thanksgiving Dinner maps that I do.