Florida Atlantic: 'Shelf'lessly Devoted

As a child, Linda Marie Golian-Lui, Ed.D., did not know what she wanted to be when she grew up.

But thanks to a doting uncle with a connection to Golden Books, volunteer work in elementary school, and strong mentors throughout her college career, the path became increasingly clear as she got older. That path led her to Florida Atlantic, where she has served as its dean of university libraries since 2022.

Golian-Lui directs all functions and services of the university libraries — a responsibility she carries out with pride. Not only because she oversees a system serving more than 32,000 students across six campuses and several collections of nearly 4 million items, but also because she's a two-time alumna of the university.

"I was a library faculty member and graduate student at FAU from 1990 to 1997. I obtained my education specialist degree in 1995 in adult and community education and my Ed.D. in 1998 in higher education administration," she said. "I am a first-generation student and was very lost during my academic journey, especially when I was moving through my graduate programs. FAU provided me with help and guidance to navigate a path I could not comprehend, so that I was not only managing things well, but I excelled."

Today, Golian-Lui boasts more than 33 years of experience in academic libraries and an extensive publication record in library administration, management and higher education. Prior to coming to Florida Atlantic, she was the dean of libraries at the University of Hawaii at Hilo for 10 years, as well as the associate dean of libraries at Kennesaw State University. She also previously worked as a student at the FAU Libraries, first as a serials librarian, then as serials department head and a librarian professor, and held other positions within the academic libraries at Florida Gulf Coast University.

Golian-Lui recently sat down with Florida Atlantic magazine to discuss her role at the university — and what fuels her lifelong passion for service.

What inspired you to become a librarian/dean?

I had an uncle who worked for Golden Books as a child. He was especially close to my mother, and the families visited at least once a month. My uncle would always shower the children with books when he saw us. As my love for reading developed, he gave me more books over the years and would even spend time talking to me about books. In elementary school, I was allowed to be a library aide one day a week for my service work, and the library bug started to bite. I also did volunteer work in the school library as part of my service work obligations for various honor societies/clubs in junior high school and high school.

When I started college, I was a Pell Grant student and worked evenings and weekends at the University of Miami's Otto G. Richter Library. I had never been in a library so large. I excelled as a student worker, and when my financial aid ran out, I was offered a full-time library job as a staff member so that I could continue to go to school part-time for free. When I finished my B.A. degree at the University of Miami, Florida State started a Miami-based master's program in library science. Even though I was one semester from my B.A., letters of reference about my B.A. studies and letters of reference from my library supervisors convinced FSU to accept me as a provisional student.

I eventually graduated as the top student in my cohort group.

When I obtained my master's in library science at FSU, I stayed at the University of Miami but took a librarian job at the law school. I initially thought my life career was to either be a journalist or a lawyer. My first year of undergraduate studies convinced me I did not want to be a journalist. My first six months working as a law librarian convinced me I did not want to work in the field of law. However, from my experience at UM, I knew that I loved academic libraries and wanted to work at a university library, preferably at an R1 institution.

I took a job at FAU in January 1990 because my UM career mentor suggested I consider a career in academic library administration. To accomplish this, I was advised to complete a doctoral degree. UM did not provide financial assistance for employees' postgraduate studies at the doctoral level, while the State University System of Florida did. In 1990, I came to FAU as a library faculty member at the Wimberly Library inside technical services as head of the serials unit and became a student in the College of Education in its higher education leadership program.

What did you enjoy most as a student at Florida Atlantic?

I loved learning about various learning theories, such as andragogy (the art and science of teaching adults), appreciative leadership, and leading with kindness. These lessons changed my life and made me a better leader. I also stumbled into learning about the differences between learning styles and thinking styles, which became the focus of my dissertation. I became fascinated by thinking styles and became an expert in the field using the InQ instrument. I also learned what effective academic librarianship is — it's a combination of librarianship theory, human resource management, and running a big multimillion-dollar business. I also loved my education cohort students. We formed a wonderful team, and I am still friends with many of them today.

How is Wimberly Library unique compared to libraries at other universities?

Florida Atlantic is unique because of the people, the special collections, and the leadership style. The library faculty and staff have great passion and dedication, especially for undergraduate students. They genuinely care about the students and want to do everything they can to help students succeed. We foster programs like textbook affordability, laptop loaning and other programs to assist all students. We tell everyone "Welcome to Your Library" and design events that encourage everyone from first-generation FAU students to members of the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute to come and utilize it. Our outstanding special collections, such as the Alan B. and Charna Larkin American Presidential Study, Jaffe Center for Book Arts and the Weiner Spirit of America Collection, help us connect with our local Boca Raton community. Our unique partnership with FAU High School is also well known.

What is your favorite part of your job?

Engaging with students and the local Boca Raton community. I love hosting events in any of the FAU University Libraries that students and/or the local community can attend. Research proves that students who engage with their university library get better grades, have better retention rates, progress through their academic programs faster, have better graduation statistics, and even have higher chances for better-paying post-school jobs. Library anxiety is real, but when the students come for a fun event, such as Donuts with the Dean, I love interacting with them and asking them, "What do you need?"

What is your most proud accomplishment thus far as dean?

When FAU announced it was now an R1 institution, I knew that the libraries played a significant role in that journey. When FAU had a successful Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Schools review, once again, I knew that the libraries played a significant role. In May, the Florida Library Association awarded me a Lifetime Achievement Award for my service to the library profession. My very first library award came from the Florida Library Association in 1987, and receiving this award from FLA was especially meaningful to me. Since 2022, I have been asked to give a presentation to the first-generation students during their campus orientation. It is a highlight of my year to meet with other first-generation students to tell them my story, welcome them to FAU, and praise them for their tenacity and grit that will take them far in life.

Tell us something about yourself that might surprise people.

Upon graduation from the University of Miami, I considered taking a commission as an officer in the U.S. Air Force since I participated in their USAF ROTC program. Another thing about me is that I like thrill rides. I love roller coasters and ziplines. I have also gone hang-gliding off a cliff, hang-gliding behind a boat, and have jumped out of a helicopter and a plane. I met my husband when we were in high school and we fell madly in love. We have been together for more than 47 years and have an incredible 25-year-old daughter who is in a pharmacy doctoral program. We also have a crazy, spoiled shih tzu dog, Oreo, and like to raise ornate goldfish.