Stats At A Glance

For additional data on our collections, including a five year growth synopsis, check out our collection data from our Library Catalogers.

resource & project data

Tech Fee Projects

From 2009 to 2012, the FIU Libraries received a total of $2,774,597.73 in Technology Fee funding to implement 22 unique technology projects. Our librarians collaborated with other FIU academic units on an additional 6 technology projects for a total of $723,079.00. These funds were invested in the following main areas:

User Statistics

Subject specialists (reference librarians) have developed a virtual reference service environment for our students and faculty. Using social media tools and service management systems, they have developed on-line research services providing individual real time chat consultations and a 24/7 self-service research environment for 30+ different disciplines. Our devoted library faculty and staff have taught over 2,666 library research instruction sessions, reaching over 63,000 students (as of 2011), created 234 research guides (viewed 16,563 times) and responded to over 186,682 user queries.

The annual number of visits to library websites averages 1.6 million, with 550,000+ unique users. Notably, the mobile use of the website has grown from 3,090 visits in 2008 to 74,129 visits in 2012. (See table below)

Collection Statistics

In the past 5 years, the FIU Libraries have grown our electronic collections significantly. We have increased our electronic book collection by 82,349 titles, a 142% increase. We now track an additional 71,472 electronic journal titles, a 830% increase, and an additional 217,532electronic files 209,736, a 132% increase compare to 5 years ago. FIU students and faculty can access these electronic resources from their offices and homes. (See table below)

In addition, our efforts in digitizing and preserving cultural, scientific and intellectual content for both FIU and South Florida communities have grown significantly. The digital files created and preserved by the Library Digital Collection Center has seen a 147% increase from 23,054 to 56,941. The annual number of hits for these files has risen from 872,256 in 2008/09 to 2,320,662 in 2011/12. (See table below)

University and personal collection acquisitions added roughly 648 linear feet of records. The personal collections acquired from Enrique Hurtado, Dr. William Straight, Elena Kurstin, Dr. Marvin Dunn, Dr. Uva de Aragon and Nicolas Quintana had an appraised and in-kind value of over $1 million.

Since 2011, FIU Library houses the gift to CARTA (College of Architecture + the Arts) of over 20,000 sound recordings, mostly in LP format with over 600 books, piano scores and compact discs from local attorney and Miami arts patron, Julian Kreeger. They are housed in a new-constructed facility in room GL535. Furthermore, our Cuban Music Collection has become an international hit, the unique visits has doubled from 2000+ in 2008 to 4000+ in 2012. (See table below)

Grants & Contracts

In the past 5 years, the FIU Libraries, in collaboration with other academic units and institutions, have secured a direct total of $1.6 million in external funding. Funding agencies included the USAID, the South Florida Water Management District, the National Park Service, the NSF, the Miami-Dade Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO), the Broward MPO, the Palm Beach MPO, and the City of Coral Gables. The Digital Library of the Caribbean (DLoC), the City of Coral Gables Talking Book, and the Coral Gables’ Virtual History are examples of innovative applications of digital libraries and geo-spatial tools in disseminating community assets and intellectual properties. The library-based GIS Center has collaborated widely with FIU faculty on sponsored activities in the areas of Everglades restoration, vegetation monitoring, transportation and urban planning, geo-humanities, global disaster risk reduction and geo-enabled knowledge management in the Global Water for Sustainability (GLOWS) programs. (See table below)