LibGuides: Research Support: Home

Recent FAU Faculty Publications
(updated weekly)

Welcome to Research at Florida Atlantic University Libraries

As a Postgraduate or Faculty member at Florida Atlantic University, you are eligible for additional facilities and services.

We provide support for your research, academic investigations and thesis preparations.

You are eligible for:

Support provided by your Research Librarian, including a range of training options.
Facilities and Services including:
- Interlibrary Loan (ILLiad) Service
- Postgraduate Study Spaces

Please explore this guide using

the Tabs above, or
Search for a topic or word within this Guide using the Search Box at the top right side of this guide.

Welcome Message from Dean Carol Hixson

Welcome to the 2019-2020 Academic Year!

Posted on August 12, 2019

Welcome to the 2019-2020 academic year at Florida Atlantic University Libraries! Bienvenidos! Bienvenus!

People often hear me say that I wish we could take the word “library” out of our name. My reasoning is that in the popular understanding of the word engrained in the minds of many people, a library is synonymous with a boring, stuffy, rules-bound place where people are forced to come only when they need an old, dusty book and where they are not permitted to talk, eat, smile, or engage in any normal human interaction. In that worldview, libraries are irrelevant and have already been or are about to be replaced by everything digital that is freely available on the Internet. We challenge that view of libraries every day in our three facilities in Boca Raton, Jupiter, and Harbor Branch, as well as with our partner facilities in Davie and Fort Lauderdale. The more than a million visits to our three facilities and the 1.2 million virtual visitors to our website in 2018-2019 are a testament to our continued relevance to the students, faculty, and community of Florida Atlantic University.

Students sitting on couch on first floor east in Wimberly Library.

We are a meeting place for people from all backgrounds and experiences, a crossroads, a bridge between disciplines, a hub of intellectual activity, a bustling hive of activity and conversation, a safe physical and virtual space for exploring the world and creating something brand new. We embrace the newest technologies, along with the tried-and-true, centuries-old technology of the printed book and hand-written manuscripts. We provide quiet nooks for individual students and researchers to dig deep into the scholarly record and craft their own contributions to that record, along with busy collaborative spaces where students engage in active learning and testing new ideas.

Study carrel area on 4th floor, east, in Wimberly Library.

We cater to undergraduates, graduate students, residential and commuter students, those who spend hours every day in our spaces and those who use our resources over the Internet without even realizing they are using the library. We cater to first-generation-in-college students, side-by-side with world-renowned scholars who teach and carry out ground-breaking research that shapes our world. We engage with our community in a myriad of ways, promoting lifelong learning and exploration and open dialogue with people of all ages, backgrounds, and experiences.

Dean Carol Hixson greeting students.

The FAU Libraries have a vision of ever-evolving services and spaces to meet the needs of today’s students and faculty, in partnership with FAU’s Colleges, other University units, regional and national institutions, and the community. We do this with and on behalf of dedicated people who exude purpose and passion in their quest to create a new paradise for themselves and others.

You can track some of our efforts to reinvent ourselves as we describe how we are Reimagining the Wimberly Library. There are many changes that are not visible that include new programs, services, and approaches. You can check out some of what is coming up on our events calendar.

One of our goals in the coming academic year will be to emphasize our services for all students and faculty, regardless of background and experiences. We will be creating exhibits, hosting lectures, and sponsoring events that celebrate the diversity of our university and the community and that ensure that everyone knows they are welcome and valued.

Come visit one of our facilities, connect with our dedicated faculty and staff, and see what we’re up to. If you have a concern or want to raise an issue that’s important to you, send me an email at hixson@fau.edu

Dean Carol Hixson sitting in the Diversity Burrow at Wimberly Library.