Kristi Tornquist, of Saint Cloud, Minn., has been named chief university librarian at South Dakota State University. Having been approved by

the state Board of Regents, she will begin her duties July 22, replacing David Gleim who retired.

“Dr. Tornquist brings a deep base of knowledge and experience to the Chief University Librarian position,” said Laurie Nichols, provost and vice president for academic affairs. “We look forward to her leadership of Briggs Library as they continue to be the gateway to information and responsive to the needs of our faculty and students.”

As chief librarian at SDSU, Tornquist will direct the work of 30 staff and faculty members and will oversee the extensive resources of Briggs Library, including hundreds of online resources, over one million paper volumes and a large collection of government documents.

The Briggs Library is a founding member of the South Dakota Library Information Network and is one of the largest and most comprehensive libraries in the Northern Plains.

During her time as dean of St. Cloud State University Learning Resources and Technology Services, Tornquist provided leadership for campus academic computing, library and media services.

She has also served as director of library and information services at Southern Arkansas University and held appointments at the University of Minnesota-Minneapolis, University of Wisconsin-Superior, University of Wisconsin-Stout and University of Minnesota-Duluth.

Tornquist received her Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota in higher education administration, her master’s in library science from University of Wisconsin-Madison and a bachelor’s degree with majors in mathematics and English from the University of Minnesota-Morris.

“I expect to base my efforts on the excellent foundation established by retiring Dean David Gleim and the Briggs Library faculty and staff and continue to improve SDSU’s library facilities, collections and service, both physical and virtual,” said Tornquist.

“I enjoy the opportunity to create an environment that enables students of all ages to pursue their education and research goals,” she said.