Robert A. Seal

Dean of Libraries, Loyola University

Bob Seal has been the Dean of Libraries at Loyola University Chicago since 2005. From 1994-2005, he served as Dean of the Library at Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, Texas, and was University Librarian at the University of Texas at El Paso from 1985-1994. His previous positions include Associate Director for Library Public Services at the University of Oklahoma, and Head, Administrative Services at the University of Virginia. He has served as a consultant to the Banco Central de Nicaragua, the Benem�rita Universidad Aut�noma de Puebla, Mexico and the United States Information Service in Mexico City.

Bob was elected to the OCLC Board of Trustees in May 2004, after serving six years on OCLC Members Council, including a term as President in 2003-2004. Prior to his service at OCLC, he was a member of the Amigos Board of Trustees for seven years, including serving four years as board chair.

Bob has served as American Library Association Chair of the International Relations Committee (IRC), the IRC Subcommittee on Mexico and the IRC Subcommittee on Latin America and the Caribbean. In Texas, he chaired the TexShare Advisory Board (statewide network of academic and public libraries), the Texas Independent Colleges and University Libraries, the Phoenix Group (Dallas-Fort Worth academic libraries) and the Library Council of the University of Texas System.

Bob has spoken at or contributed papers to more than 20 international library meetings in Mexico, Cuba, Peru, Argentina, Spain and China. He speaks Spanish and was instrumental in the establishment of the U.S.-Mexico Interlibrary Loan Project in 1990 involving over 35 academic libraries in the two countries. He has published two books of astronomy bibliography and written numerous articles on public services topics, interlibrary loan and resource sharing.

Bob has an MLS from the University of Denver and a BA in astronomy from Northwestern University. He is also a member of Beta Phi Mu and Golden Key International.