Gabriella Mateo | Staff Writer
Three months into his tenure as FIU’s new dean of University Libraries, Benjamin Walker isn’t rushing to make sweeping changes. Instead, he’s spending his first semester listening.
Walker said his first year will focus on gathering feedback from students, faculty and staff before making major changes to the university’s libraries.
“I’m still very much in the information-gathering stage… I really want to understand what students would like to see out of the library,” said Walker.
Before arriving at FIU, Walker spent 12 years at the University of Florida as associate dean of George A. Smathers Libraries. “I was looking for a challenge… I wanted to be at a research institution with a student focus, an international reputation, and I wanted to be in a city. Miami was something brand new, and there was something about it that was really exciting,” said Walker.
As FIU works toward its goal of becoming a top 30 public university by 2030, Walker said the libraries can play a larger role in supporting research, digital literacy and student success.
Among his priorities are expanding collaborative study spaces, strengthening research support and increasing opportunities for students to engage with librarians and library services. He also hopes to expand the library’s outreach through social media, including its Instagram presence.
Dean Walker (left) at UF 2025 Libraries Convention | UF Communications
As FIU continues its push to become an AI-focused institution, Walker said libraries have a role in helping students and researchers navigate the technology responsibly.
“I think the libraries, in particular, have a role in talking about the ethical use of AI and instructing students in how best to use AI for research purposes,” Walker said.
While technology will continue to shape academic libraries, Walker said personal connections remain just as important. “Technology is amazing… but there is something about having that face-to-face contact with somebody who can really walk you through the process,” he said.
Walker has already begun meeting with students, including members of the Student Government Association, to hear their feedback on the Green Library.
“Most of them were like, ‘We love the libraries.’ Somebody did mention the elevators,” Walker said, noting that upgrades to the building’s elevators are already underway.
Walker also addressed concerns about library funding, saying FIU faces many of the same financial pressures affecting academic libraries nationwide as the costs of scholarly journals and research materials continue to increase.
“These aren’t unique to FIU. Libraries across higher education are facing the same constraints,” Walker said. “My goal is to advocate for the libraries at the highest levels of the university.”
At UF, Walker helped lead digital library and preservation initiatives, including work with the Digital Library of the Caribbean (dLOC), national shared print preservation programs and other collaborative digital preservation efforts. Now at FIU, Walker hopes students see the library as more than just a place to study.
“I hope everybody is a much better college student than I was. I didn’t spend a lot of time in the libraries, and that’s why my professor said, ‘Go to library school.’ I was like, ‘Library school? We still have librarians?’ I hope that students will be much more engaged than I was,” joked Walker.
Looking ahead, Walker emphasized his first year will be centered on learning from the campus community.
“I really want this to be a two-way street. I don’t want to sit behind a closed door,” Walker said. “It’s easy to sit in your office and make decisions, but if you’re not talking to people, I don’t know how you really understand what the needs are.”
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