Rate My Professor Kristi Tornquist

Kristi Tornquist serves as Dean of the Library and Professor at South Dakota State University’s Hilton M. Briggs Library, a position she has held since her appointment as Chief University Librarian in 2011. In this role, she leads library services that support the university’s academic mission, including research facilitation, space management, and community engagement initiatives. Prior to joining SDSU, Tornquist was Dean of Learning Resources and Technology Services at St. Cloud State University from 1997 to 2011, overseeing the development and operations of library and technology facilities, such as the James W. Miller Learning Resources Center.

Tornquist holds a Ph.D. in Higher Education from the University of Minnesota (1992), a Master of Library Science (M.L.S.) from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and a B.A. with majors in mathematics and English from the University of Minnesota-Morris. She is a member of the American Library Association, Association of College and Research Libraries, and South Dakota Library Association. In 2015, she was inducted into the Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society at SDSU. Her scholarly contributions include co-authoring the white paper "Support for Open Access at SDSU: Recommendations" (2023) with Enerel Dambiinyam and Michael Biondo, which outlines strategies to promote open access scholarship at the university. Additionally, she co-presented "Making Spaces: Resolving Use and Usability Issues of the Modern Library" (2015) with Melissa Clark and Jeanne R. Davidson, focusing on library design improvements. Tornquist serves on the 2025-2026 Graduate Council and the R1 Our Way Champions and Steering Team. She contributes to library newsletters for Friends of the Hilton M. Briggs Library, detailing updates like study space enhancements, special collections access via grants, and events such as the Jackrabbit Gallery Art Show.