Adjunct Lecturer Zachary Stier has been selected as the Early Career Award recipient of the 2025 Association for Library and Information Science Education (ALISE) Excellence in Teaching Award. He will be honored at an awards presentation during the ALISE 2025 Annual Conference, which will be held from October 6–8 in Kansas City, Missouri.
At the iSchool, Stier teaches Early Literacy (IS 423) and Public Library Partnerships (IS 591 PL), which he also developed. He has been included on the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign's list of "Teachers Ranked as Excellent," based on outstanding ratings received from his students.
In addition to teaching, Stier is a children's librarian at Ericson Public Library in Boone, Iowa. He also has a consulting company, Zachary Stier Consulting, LLC, and partnership company, Zach and Ollie's Publishing, LLC. Stier has authored two books: Zach and Ollie's Adventures: A Walk through the Seasons and Creativity in Young Children: What Science Tells Us and Our Hearts Know.
"I share this award with the students and faculty of the iSchool. It means the world to know your appreciation and support," said Stier. "As a person with a learning disability, I was often told that higher education was not an option for me. But with a tenacious spirit and support from family and mentors, I accomplished that and more. It is also bittersweet to receive this award at a time when I recently lost my father who helped me to discover that I am a librarian and was the first to bring me to the library with a red wagon and said, 'Let's fill it up.' Love to him as well as my mom."
Stier's educational background includes associate degrees from Des Moines Area Community College, a bachelor's degree in psychology from Drexel University, an MLIS from Drexel University, postgraduate studies from the Erikson Institute, a master's degree in early childhood education from Concordia University Portland, and an EdD from Concordia University Chicago.
Stier serves on state and national boards and recently finished his term as president for Beta Phi Mu Honor Society. He was included in Library Journal's 2024 class of Movers & Shakers, an annual list that recognizes 50 professionals who are moving the library field forward as a profession.