BROOKINGS, S.D. (9-1-26) — Kristi Tornquist, dean of Hilton M. Briggs Library at South Dakota State University, has announced her upcoming retirement after more than 15 years of service to the university.
Tornquist’s last day at SDSU will be Jan. 21, 2027.
Significant accomplishments during Tornquist’s tenure include leading Briggs Library through technological and organizational changes while expanding access to scholarly resources, advancing collaboration and helping ensure the library continues to meet the evolving needs of SDSU students, faculty and researchers.
“Dean Tornquist’s leadership will have a lasting impact on SDSU and the South Dakota Board of Regents system,” said Dennis Hedge, provost and vice president for academic affairs. “Throughout her time at SDSU, Kristi has demonstrated a deep commitment to high-quality library programs and services that support the university’s comprehensive mission. I appreciate all she has done to support SDSU and our state.”
Among Tornquist’s significant achievements was initiating Open PRAIRIE, SDSU’s institutional repository, which provides access to the scholarly and creative work of the university community. She also spearheaded library investment in Read and Publish agreements to expand open access to scholarly research.
Tornquist initiated library licensing of electronic textbooks to help reduce costs and support affordability for students while continually evolving library resources and services. She also extended her leadership across the university and South Dakota’s public university system by helping lead the implementation of Lean process improvement at SDSU. Tornquist provided oversight for collaborative library services across the South Dakota Board of Regents and helped guide the transition to a new integrated library system.
“It has been my joy and privilege to serve the SDSU community working with the dedicated Briggs Library faculty and staff,” Tornquist said. “I have also had the opportunity to work with statewide and regional partners to further collaborative endeavors that provide collections and services for all South Dakota citizens. SDSU has been blessed with exceptional leadership, and I have appreciated that my career has intersected with these bold and insightful men and women. I’m grateful that as I move to the end of my professional career, I am doing so as a Jackrabbit.”
Tornquist oversaw significant changes to SDSU’s physical collections, including the realignment of collections in both Briggs Library and Lincoln Hall, improving access and preservation. She also encouraged and supported library employees in pursuing grants and projects that expanded the library’s impact, including digitization of collections, creation of the Wokini Knowledge Circle and advancement of collaborative access to archival materials across South Dakota. Special collections also grew during her tenure, including the addition of the Prairie Striders Running Club collection and the South Dakota Cookbook collection.
Tornquist’s leadership extended into the Brookings community and across the state. She served on the Brookings Planning Commission, the Wegner Health Sciences Library Board and the South Dakota Humanities Council. She contributed to the advancement of academic libraries nationally and regionally by participating in university and college library program reviews for multiple institutions. Through the American Library Association’s College Library Director Mentoring Program, Tornquist served as a mentor to numerous library professionals across the region.
Prior to joining SDSU, Tornquist served as dean of learning resources and technology services at St. Cloud State University. Throughout her career, she has been active in the library profession as a member of the American Library Association, Association of College and Research Libraries and South Dakota Library Association.
About South Dakota State University
Founded in 1881, South Dakota State University is the state’s Morrill Act land-grant institution as well as its largest, most comprehensive school of higher education. SDSU confers degrees from seven different colleges representing more than 230 majors, minors and specializations. The institution also offers 39 master’s degree programs, 17 Ph.D. and two professional programs.
The work of the university is carried out on a residential campus in Brookings, at sites in Sioux Falls, Pierre and Rapid City, and through Extension offices and Agricultural Experiment Station research sites across the state. SDSU’s research expenditures for the 2025 fiscal year were more than $94 million. SDSU has a Doctoral University: High Research Activity designation on The Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education.
For more information: SDSU News • www.sdstate.edu
— From SDSU University Marketing and Communications
