Libraries
Fairleigh Dickinson University maintains libraries at the Florham Campus in Madison and the Metropolitan Campus in Teaneck, both in New Jersey. The University also maintains libraries at its Wroxton College campus in England and the Vancouver campus in Canada that support the academic programs offered there.
Extensive reference collections are available at all campus libraries for consultation and research, with the library serving its campus as a center for education and learning. At the New Jersey campuses and Wroxton College campus, professional librarians offer individual assistance to students on mastering information literacy skills as well as classroom instruction in library use and research methodology.
Students and faculty on both New Jersey campuses have easy access to all FDU library materials through the online catalog. Intercampus loan requests can be delivered to the appropriate campus within two to three days. A user needing library materials not owned by FDU can access library holdings throughout the country with interlibrary loans. These can be requested either online or in person at any campus library.
FDU Library provides access to more 450,000 print books and eBooks, 20,000 print and online journal titles, 3,000 DVDs and online videos, and over 190 research databases. The library’s online resources are available 24/7 both on and off-campus to current students, faculty and staff. The library is equipped with desktop computers, as well as laptops, copiers, and scanners for student use. Additionally, the Metropolitan Campus Library has two 3D printers and three group study rooms.
The FDU library digital collection consists of unique items from the University’s archives and from distinctive collections developed in collaboration with non-library partners, related to both the history of northern New Jersey and the University. Materials include historical photographs and documents, student newspapers, digital artifacts, and maps. This collection is continually growing as the University works to preserve its heritage.
Mission Statement
Fairleigh Dickinson University Library supports the curricular objectives of the University, student success, faculty research, and lifelong learning through access to research resources, excellence in information literacy, and promoting the creation of new knowledge.
Values:
- Knowledge: nurture the attainment, application, creation and dissemination of knowledge by developing, maintaining, and providing access to a variety of information sources
- Innovation: provide resources and services that facilitate curiosity, discovery, and agility in responding to changing user needs
- Personalized support: deliver user-focused services and best practices to encourage lifelong learning.
- Respect for diversity: provide an inclusive atmosphere to foster a global, creative learning environment.
Metropolitan Campus
The Metropolitan Campus libraries include the Metropolitan Campus Library in Teaneck and the Business Research Library (Dickinson Hall) in Hackensack. Several special collections complement the library holdings including the Gehl collection of psychoanalytic materials, the Columbia film archives and selected presidential papers on microfilm. The Sammartino Room at the Metropolitan Campus Library houses some of the intellectual and historical heritage of the University including the monographs by the founder and first president of FDU, Peter Sammartino. This room also stores monographs published by FDU Press, The Literary Review, doctoral dissertations, and yearbooks. The Magister Room, which houses the campus’s masters and honors theses and the J. Michael Adams Room which houses the International Association of University Presidents (IAUP) archives, completes the special collections suite at the Metropolitan Campus Library.
One of the campus’s most prominent works of art is Epic of America, which hangs on the face of the Metropolitan Campus Library. The casting was created by artist William Zorach. He described the symbolism as “The Indians that possessed this land … left us a rich heritage — We are all sun worshippers, loving life and the great forces of creation, renewed each day and yet never the same.” The flags represent all the flags that “have flown over this country until we were all united under one flag.” The woman represents America itself, beautiful and full of fertile promise. And the man and the child represent “the spirit of enterprise and education, leading the new generation to carry on the work of today into the new visions of tomorrow — the new age flowing into life.”
Florham Campus
At the Florham Campus, the library is part of the John and Joan Monninger Center for Learning and Research, along with the College Writing Department, the Academic Support Center, and the Office of Disability Support Services. The library plays a crucial role in supporting student academic success and retention by providing expert research assistance and valuable information resources, as well as a comfortable place to study.
The non-circulating print collections in the Monninger Center include the Douglas Lloyd Kahn Collection on the History of Photography and Film with some 4,400 plus titles; and the smaller, non-circulating collections of the Kushen Family Collection in memory of Betty Kushen, PhD, including special editions of 19th- and 20th-century British women writers; Literature by Black Authors, in particular, African-American writers in first editions; the Twombly estate collection; as well as the archives of Fairleigh Dickinson University founder Peter Sammartino; and the New York Cultural Center.
The older portion of the library building occupies the site of the greenhouses of the former Vanderbilt-Twombly estate. The large reading room and event space at the front of the building, the Orangerie, once held tropical plants and is all that remains of the original greenhouse-orangerie complex. The Fred Hassan Orangerie, designed by McKim, Mead, and White, faces Hennessy Hall across a wide expanse of lawn, which is part of the larger Frederick Law Olmsted-designed grounds.
Business Research Library
The Business Research Library (BRL) is located on the first floor of Dickinson Hall in Room 1194 on the Hackensack side of the Metropolitan campus. The newly renovated 2019 FDU Spirit Bridge over the Hackensack River connects the two sides of the Metropolitan campus. It is a short walk over the bridge from the FDU Metropolitan Campus Library in Teaneck to the Business Research Library in Hackensack. A river truly does run through our Metropolitan campus.
The BRL is primarily an electronic reference facility supported by professional librarians who assist all levels of students and faculty, both business and non-business, with their research and reference needs.
Wroxton College Library
The Wroxton College Library is in the heart of the Abbey, with beautiful views of the College grounds. The Library is made up of five separate rooms, housing over 17,000 books.
The Guilford Library is devoted to Literature, Drama, Poetry and Art. It also contains a selection of books on Architecture and Photography. The Guilford Library is a silent room, for those students that work best without any distractions. The Pope Library has books on International Business, Media and Communication, Psychology, Global Issues, the Anatomy of Britain, Education, Social Policy, Sociology, and Women and Race. The North Library contains our History and Politics sections.
The Reading Room serves the three libraries and the student body as a whole. Newspapers, journals, periodicals, magazines and a selection of novels are all available in the Reading Room. The George III Room houses the Bruce George collection. The collection covers a wide range of subjects, including history, politics, religion, sport, and entertainment.
The Library is open twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week and is solely for the use of the student body and College faculty. The FDU Digital Archives collection consists of unique items from the university’s archives, including documents, photos and pictures from Wroxton’s history both as an Abbey and latterly as a College.
Library Resources for Faculty
Librarians at FDU are dedicated to helping faculty and instructors incorporate information literacy into their courses, as well as find information to support their teaching and research needs. Library Liaisons are assigned to specific programs and schools to communicate library-related information, help fill specific requests, address concerns or hear suggestions. Consult with a librarian and see for yourself how the library can help you with:
- Integrating information literacy into existing curricula
- Teaching and assessing information literacy
- Incorporating open educational resources
- Creating course-specific research guides
- Embedding a librarian in your course
- Citation management
- Avoiding plagiarism
- Copyright questions
- So much more!
Visit the Library website for more information.
Contact
- Monninger Center (Florham Campus) at (973) 443-8516
- Metropolitan Campus Library (Metropolitan Campus) at (201) 692-2278
- Business Research Library (Hackensack) at (201) 692-2608
- For more information about the Wroxton College Library or Library Services at the Vancouver campus, please email the University Librarian at afontoura@fdu.edu