Library dean Seo will retire in July

Hilary Seo, Colonel  Gary G. Swenson Ph.D. Dean of Library Services, will retire from Iowa State on July 31, 2026.

Seo has served as dean and interim dean of the University Library since 2019.  She will be formally installed as the  Colonel  Gary G. Swenson Ph.D. Dean of Library Services  during a medallion ceremony on Nov. 3.

"Dean Seo has positioned the library as both a resource and destination for student and faculty scholarship, creating and expanding its services, and serving as an advocate for its people and programs," said senior vice president and provost Jason Keith. "We are grateful for her many accomplishments over more than two decades at Iowa State."

Seo began her career at Iowa State in 2003 as head of preservation and was promoted to associate professor with tenure in 2009. She served as associate dean for curation services from 2015 to 2019.  Prior to her career at Iowa State, Seo was preservation librarian at the Georgetown University Law Library, Washington, D.C.

As dean, Seo championed student-centered initiatives including a child-friendly study room. She prioritized library affordable education efforts like Tech Lending and Open Educational Resources. In partnership with the division of student affairs, she developed the vision and oversaw the launch of Cyclone Support Central, which connects students to academic and campus resources and wellness activities.

Seo advanced Iowa State's land-grant mission by promoting open access and increasing accessibility to research and scholarship produced by ISU faculty, staff and students. A nationally recognized leader and mentor, Seo serves on the executive board for the Greater Western Library Alliance and the Association for Research Libraries board of directors.

The search for Seo's successor will be launched in 2026.

The University Library provides world-class collections, services and technologies with more than 2.3 million physical items and 2 million e-books in addition to access to online articles, databases and journals. Home to special collections and university archives, the library curates distinctive collections that document Iowa State University history, and its digital repository provides more than 1.5 million annual downloads of Iowa State research and scholarship to users around the world.