David Seaman, who has served as dean of Syracuse University Libraries and University Librarian since 2015, has been reappointed for a third five-year term. The announcement, made by Interim Vice Chancellor, Provost and Chief Academic Officer Lois Agnew, follows a comprehensive review.
“Dean Seaman is a committed leader with a strong, modern vision for the Libraries,” Provost Agnew says. “During his time as dean, he has fostered a positive culture and high staff morale, raised resources and served as a capable advocate for the Libraries on campus.”
David Seaman
Under Seaman’s leadership, the Libraries has become a driver of discovery and research excellence, with well-curated collections that align with the needs of University researchers and expert library staff who are engaged broadly across campus. Use of Libraries facilities has also been transformed, with interdisciplinary spaces like the Mower Faculty Commons and Blackstone LaunchPad.
Seaman’s term as dean also saw the Libraries’ Association of Research Libraries ranking rise from 83 to 56 (out of 118 North American research libraries). Additionally, the Libraries was awarded Insight Into Diversity magazine’s 2025 Library Excellence in Access and Diversity Award, and the U.S. Government Publishing Office recognized the Libraries for the best website in the Federal Depository Library Program in 2024.
Seaman’s outreach and representation of the Libraries has served to raise awareness, expand collaborative partnerships on and off campus, drive fundraising, increase innovation and showcase the key role the Libraries plays in the life of the University.
“I am delighted to be reappointed as dean and to continue to ensure that the Libraries are a core element of the Syracuse student experience, a driver of discovery and research excellence and a communal hub for innovation,” Seaman says. “I am fortunate to work on a campus that values its libraries, and to have such wonderful library colleagues who are committed to our shared mission to catalyze collaborations, foster curiosity and create spaces and services that are welcoming to all.”
Seaman came to Syracuse following library leadership positions at Dartmouth College, the Digital Library Federation and the University of Virginia. He has lectured and published extensively in the fields of humanities computing and digital libraries, and for many years taught a summer course at the University of Virginia’s Rare Book School.
