Seth Porter has served as the dean of the Kraemer Family Library and Chief Innovation Officer at the University of Colorado-Colorado Springs since 2021.

Texas Tech University today (May 13) named Seth Porter the new dean of University Libraries, effective Aug. 1.

A highly respected scholar, author and library expert, Porter will lead the University Libraries and its components to ensure students and faculty have access to the most up-to-date works to support research, teaching and learning.

“As research and learning continue to evolve, libraries remain essential to the future of the university,” Porter said. “I am excited to join the team and help build a people-centered library at Texas Tech that serves as foundational infrastructure for research, creativity and innovation.”

Porter arrives at Texas Tech after serving the past five years as dean of the Kraemer Family Library at the University of Colorado in Colorado Springs, as well as the school’s inaugural Chief Innovation Officer. 

Under his guidance, the school’s library led the charge in innovation leadership and positioned the library as the campus hub for innovation in research, teaching, entrepreneurship and community engagement. He helped establish the C3 Innovation Lab in 2023, which enhances the university’s ecosystem and promotes interdisciplinary collaboration.

He also helped rase more than $6 million in private philanthropy, grants and other funding for the Kraemer Family Library, innovation portfolio, and the Center for Study of the Government and Individual (CSGI), established 20 years ago. He oversaw an annual budget of close to $6 million and supervised more than 67 faculty and staff over multiple units.

“I look forward to welcoming Seth Porter to Texas Tech University,” said Provost and Senior Vice President Ron Hendrick. “His experience in entrepreneurship, innovation and community engagement will help position Texas Tech libraries as a critical partner in advancing the university’s strategic priorities and supporting student and faculty success.”

Porter has been widely published, having written the book “Engaging Design: Creating Libraries for Modern Users” in 2018, while contributing to several book chapters and other publications. 

He was named a 2026 Fellow to the P3-EDU Innovation & Public-Private Partnership in Higher Education, and last year was named to the Southern Colorado Business Forum & Digest 40 under 40.

Prior to his time at Colorado-Colorado Springs, Porter served as the assistant director of Digital Teaching, Learning and Scholarship and director of the Donald E. Stokes Library at Princeton University. There he led the library’s digital teaching, learning and scholarship division and managed programming and the library’s faculty and staff. 

Porter also has served as the coordinator of instruction, program lead and social science librarian at the Georgia Institute of Technology; instruction coordinator, government documents coordinator and lecturer at the University of Alabama in Huntsville; and director of the library at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in Hollywood, California.

He earned his bachelor’s degree in history from the University of Wyoming and master’s degrees in library and information science from San Jose State University and public affairs and policy from Alabama-Huntsville. He holds a doctorate degree in public administration from West Chester University in Pennsylvania.