Selected highlights

SFU Library’s initiatives, collections, and physical spaces sit at the heart of the university. SFU Library’s iconic W.A.C. Bennett branch on Burnaby campus, designed by Arthur Erickson and Geoffrey Massey is a historically significant example of Brutalist style, reminiscent of the J. Edgar Hoover F.B.I. Building in Washington, D.C. and Boston City Hall. 

It is also home to a rich array of material within Special Collections and Rare Books—a diverse collection from Canadian editorial cartoons to manuscripts and printed books spanning the Italian Renaissance to modern experimental poetry. Initiatives like the Student Learning Commons and Media and Maker Commons promote collaborative learning. The Knowledge Mobilization Hub and Digital Humanities Innovation Lab help researchers share their work within the SFU community and beyond. 

SFU Library also provides the community with hands-on learning spaces like the Digital Commons and Makerspace at the Fraser Library on SFU Surrey campus or the Dick Kouwenhoven Book Arts Studio at the W.A.C. Bennett Library in Burnaby.

3 locations across Metro Vancouver:

• W.A.C. Bennett (Burnaby)
• Samuel and Frances Belzberg (Vancouver)
• Fraser Valley Real Estate Board Academic Library (Surrey)

By the numbers

• 1.2 million print books
• 3.3 million e-books
• 555+ online databases
• 300,000+ journals
• 250+ archival and manuscript collections
• 70+ digital collections, with more than 400,000 items

2024-25 Academic Year