John Erdmann is an information literacy instructor and faculty librarian whose tenure at College of Marin began in 2007, but his career really started while serving as ship’s librarian aboard a Navy submarine homeported in Pearl Harbor. After earning an honorable discharge, John spent a few years hitchhiking and motorcycling around the western states, eventually making his way back home to Seattle and enrolling in community college. He transferred to the University of Washington a few years later and in due course, graduated with degrees in Philosophy, English, and Comparative Religion, earning Cum Laude and Phi Beta Kappa distinction. John supplemented his education by working in a used bookstore during his nine-year stretch of undergraduate studies.
After a harrowing winter journey to the Aleutians on a freighter, followed by a year as park ranger and wildland firefighter in the North Cascades, John returned to his alma mater to earn a master’s degree in Library and Information Science, graduating with coursework that emphasized digital reference, information literacy instruction, and library administration. While attending graduate school, John worked full-time running an editorial office for a peer-reviewed research publication at the University of Washington.
During a four-year stint at the Belvedere-Tiburon Library, John regularly taught technology classes, developed collections, and managed the library’s used book sales. He also worked part-time at several other Marin libraries before accepting a full-time position at College of Marin. In addition to his primary duties as an academic librarian, John has served the college in a variety of support roles, including Department Chair, Academic Senator, and member of various committees. John also represented faculty interests as their union’s Chief Negotiator during collective bargaining. He is currently assigned to the Indian Valley Campus and regularly volunteers at the San Quentin Prison Library.
As a first-generation college student who was raised by a single parent, John appreciates the transformative power of education and is committed to developing resources and teaching skillsets that support student success. John’s academic interests are eclectic but focus primarily on art, literature, and philosophy. When not at work or at home with his nose in a book, it’s likely you may spot John searching for treasures in one of the Bay Area’s vintage stores or hiking the coastal trails of Sea Ranch.
