Parks Library at 100: Art, Architecture, and Innovation

2025 marks a century of discovery, exploration, and collaboration at the beloved Parks Library at Iowa State University. More than a repository for books, Parks Library has been a welcoming destination for students, faculty, staff, and researchers since its doors first opened on January 6, 1925. 

The historic building is the culmination of work by a series of accomplished architects iterating upon each other’s designs for 100 years resulting in spaces that are intuitive, navigable, and accessible.  

The celebration continues at 6 p.m. Wednesday, April 16 in Room 198, Parks Library for Parks Library at 100: Art, Architecture, and Innovation, a panel discussion with Hilary Seo, dean of the University Library, and Sydney Marshall and Alison Ranniger Van Zante from University Museums, and Paul Mankins, FAIA, LEED AP, founder and consulting principal at substance Architecture, to discuss the roles of art, architecture, and innovation over the past 100 years at Parks Library.

Panelists:

Paul Mankins

Paul Mankins (FAIA, LEED AP) is the founder and consulting principal at substance Architecture in Des Moines. Prior to founding substance in 2004 he was an associate principal at Herbert Lewis Kruse Blunck Architecture. He has a Bachelor of Arts from Iowa State University and a Master of Architecture from Yale University. Mankins is currently a professor of practice in architecture in the College of Design.

Mankins will speak on the Parks Library architecture from the original 1925 building through three significant additions. His insight lends an understanding of the evolution of the library building and its impact on the campus overall.

Sydney Marshall

Sydney Marshall is a curator for University Museums at Iowa State University, overseeing the Art on Campus Collection and the Anderson Sculpture Garden. She earned a bachelor’s in anthropology and history from Iowa State in 2015 and a master’s degree in museum and field studies at University of Colorado Boulder in 2019. 

Alison Ranniger Van Zante 

Alison Ranniger Van Zante is the curator of the Christian Petersen Art Museum at Iowa State University. She holds a BA from Central College in Pella, Iowa, and a master’s in arts and Culture, specializing in art history and theory, from Leiden University in the Netherlands, where she served as a curatorial assistant for Museum Beelden aan Zee, focusing on national and international sculpture. Ranniger’s professional focus includes exhibitions that address historical and contemporary cultural narratives, with an emphasis on the Christian Petersen Art Collection and the University Museums’ public art collection. 

Marshall and Ranniger Van Zante will speak on Parks Library as a primary location for campus visual arts starting in the 1920s, the Grant Wood Murals, Christian Petersen Library Boy and Girl, and sculpture work by other artists.

Hilary Seo

Hilary Seo joined the library in 2003 and has been the dean of library services since 2021 after serving as interim dean. Seo has led carefully considered renovations to Parks Library, aiming to enhance student collaboration and access to technology. These include creation of versatile collaboration spaces that reflect the needs of students, additional seating, and modern furniture. Seo has a BA from the University of California, Santa Barbara, an MA in library and information science from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and advanced training in preservation administration from the University of Texas at Austin.

Seo will reflect on the importance of the library on campus and adapting to emerging technology and student needs to ensure access to cutting-edge resources, innovative tools, and enhanced learning experiences.

For additional information, visit the University Lectures website.