Banks tapped for new Libraries & Archives deanship

August 6, 2026

Columbus State University has appointed Dr. Bryan Banks as the dean of Libraries & Archives. A member of the university’s faculty since 2018, he has served as interim dean of Libraries & Graduate School since 2024.

In his new role, Banks will lead the CSU library network’s strategic vision, academic planning and operations. This network features the Simon Schwob Memorial Library on Main Campus, as well as specialized art and music libraries at the RiverPark Campus. With nearly 300,000 items in its collections, the libraries provide informational access to all programs on campus. Additionally, it includes the Archives & Special Collections, charged with preserving university and regional history, along with maintaining more than 500 distinct collections that include the renowned J. Kyle Spencer Map Collection and a developing military history archive.

“Dr. Banks has outlined a vision for the CSU Libraries that enhances our students’ and faculty’s academic, research and creative endeavors,” said Dr. Dustin Anderson, the university’s provost and chief academic officer. “He has also expressed a deep commitment to engaging the community and our stakeholders in supporting our efforts to sustain student success, scholarly excellence and historic preservation.”

About Banks

Banks has advanced through teaching and administrative roles since joining Columbus State in 2018. After being promoted to a tenured associate professor in 2023, he chaired the Department of History, Geography & Philosophy before becoming interim dean of the Libraries & Graduate School in 2024.

Banks specializes in 18th-century French history, focusing on the Huguenot Diaspora, Christianity's history, the Enlightenment and the Age of Revolutions. His expertise covers early modern and modern European history, comparative revolutions, religious studies, and digital humanities, especially at the intersection of digital media and public history. He has also specialized in regional history and shared about the topic in a January 2026 TEDxColumbusStateU talk.

He co-founded and serves as the executive editor of Age of Revolutions, a digital public humanities platform exploring revolutionaries, revolutions, and the concept of “revolution” itself. Additionally, he authored Write to Return: Huguenot Refugees on the Frontiers of the French Enlightenment. He is also the co-editor of the recent volume The Global Age of Revolutions: A History from 1650 to the Present. 

He has three degrees in history: a doctorate and a master’s from Florida State University, along with a bachelor’s degree with a minor in French from Georgia State University.

Leadership of the Graduate School, previously overseen by Banks during his interim dean role, will now be assigned to a soon-to-be-named director of graduate studies based in the Office of the Provost & Chief Academic Officer.

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Media contact:  Michael Tullier, APR