Linette Schuler, Founder of Bibliographic Instruction at UWSP, to Retire

An “information broker” who has spent 35 years helping library researchers find reference information retires in May from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point.

Linette Schuler, assistant professor in the UWSP Library, came to UWSP in 1971 after teaching library science at UW-Whitewater for one year. A Glen Haven native, she holds degrees from UW-Whitewater, UW-Madison and UWSP.

Schuler’s career at UWSP has involved classroom instruction to students on library research and helping patrons to use the reference area. She is especially proud of initiating library research-related lectures in several disciplines and developing units on use of the library as an information source. She also designed a one-credit course titled “Effective Use of Learning Resources,” and has taught a computer course on evaluation of the Web. The Web explosion has brought about significant changes in student research, Schuler says. Also, the ability to access shared information databases with other libraries throughout the state, the “connectedness,” as she calls it, has made a major difference in broadening researchers’ options. The downside of the electronic revolution is the greater imperative for users to ferret out authentic, relevant information from the proliferation of Web sites.

Schuler has loved working with students so much she plans to become a student herself, taking classes during retirement. She says she will miss the “library family,” her colleagues for more than three decades.

She and her husband, Don, a retired junior high school science teacher, plan to escape Wisconsin winters for several months each year. They also will spend time with their two grown children, who live nearby in Stevens Point. Her hobbies of walking, reading, cross stitching, playing bridge, and volunteer work will occupy much of Schuler’s time. Also, frequent stops at the Blueberry Muffin will be on her agenda.

Article and photo courtesy of UWSP News services.