Diane Dallis-Comentale

Diane Dallis-Comentale is the Ruth Lilly Dean of University Libraries for Indiana University, officially appointed in April 2022 following a 10-month appointment as Interim Dean. She serves on the IU Bloomington Provost’s Cabinet conveying the University’s needs and challenges throughout the IU Libraries. She works closely with the Libraries’ Staff Organization as well as the Bloomington Library Faculty Council, which influence her decision making and operational leadership. 

Dean Dallis-Comentale is a first-generation college student from Gary, Indiana and a proud IU alumna, having earned her Master of Library Science and Bachelor of Science in Education from Indiana University Bloomington, building her distinguished career in libraries from her origins as a student library assistant. Her early career was focused on student success and tailoring instructional services and programs for first generation college students and enriching early undergraduate experiences. 

Dallis-Comentale draws on her experience as she oversees all library operations including finances, collections, and faculty and staff of the largest research library system in the state of Indiana, including IU Press, Indiana University’s well-respected and modernized academic publishing program. IU Libraries promotes outstanding teaching and research as its 270 library employees support all 2,200 faculty, 2,000 instructors, and over 48,000 students on the IU Bloomington campus. Dallis-Comentale and her administrative team have significant university-wide responsibilities serving the research and teaching mission of the entire institution. 

During her tenure as dean, Dallis-Comentale has demonstrated a commitment to openness and understanding as part of her goal to foster an environment of respect, appreciation, and transparency at IU Libraries. She often states that she is “incredibly fortunate” to work with and lead people with remarkable dedication and expertise. She credits her peers, library faculty, and staff as the most significant influence in her professional life. Upon her appointment as dean, she launched an extensive process to revisit and republish library values, mission, and vision statements. In 2023, she oversaw administrative and Libraries’ leaders in their shared work to outline a collaboratively-constructed 2030 Strategic Plan for IU Libraries, aligned with the university-wide “IU 2030” plan. 

Some of her notable recent accomplishments include her collaboration with the IU offices of the Vice President for Research and Vice President for Information Technology to launch institution-wide research data services and infrastructure to accelerate sharing research, creation of the Wells Library Friday Finish student success program, and meaningful relationships she has developed with donors. 

Her demonstrated leadership in academic libraries is apparent at IU and beyond. She co-edited the textbook Planning and Implementing Resource Discovery Tools in Academic Libraries and served on the editorial boards of two highly regarded peer-reviewed journals; portal: Libraries and the Academy, published quarterly by Johns Hopkins University Press, and Library Leadership & Management, a journal of the American Library Association. She serves on the Big Ten Academic Alliance (BTAA) Library Initiatives Directors Board, HathiTrust Board of Governors, and the John Rylands Research Institute and Library Advisory Board. 

Dallis-Comentale has led transformative organizational changes, developing new partnerships between IU Libraries, University Information Technology Services (UITS), the Office of the Vice Provost for Research, and the Office of the Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education. Dallis-Comentale envisioned new service models and spaces as she managed major renovations in the iconic Herman B Wells Library and multiple branch libraries, modernizations that undeniably recast perceptions of academic library spaces. 

Dallis-Comentale contributes her time and resources to support community and national organizations which emphasize education and mental/physical health.