(via Gwen Gregory, IACRL President)
ACRL announces the publication of 2014 Academic Library Trends and Statistics, the latest in a series of annual publications that describe the collections, staffing, expenditures, and service activities of academic libraries in all Carnegie classifications. The three-volume set includes Associate of Arts institutions, Master’s Colleges and Universities/Baccalaureate Colleges and Research/Doctoral-granting Institutions. The individual volumes for Associates Colleges, Masters/Baccalaureate, and Doctoral-Granting institutions are also available for purchase.
The 2014 data show that library expenditures for collection materials averaged $6,471,262 for doctoral degree-granting institutions; $776,119 for comprehensive degree-granting institutions; $509,643 for baccalaureate schools; and $143,254 for associate-degree granting institutions. The percentage of the collection materials budget spent on ongoing resources purchases (including subscription expenditures) averaged 70% of the total materials budget. On average, doctoral degree granting institutions spent 74.6% of their materials budgets on ongoing purchases in 2013; comprehensive schools spent an average of 76.5%; baccalaureate schools spent an average 71.5%; and associate degree granting institutions spent an average of 55.6%.
The 2014 data show that expenditures for salaries and wages accounted for 57.3% of the total library expenditures on average. Salaries and wages constituted 77.9% of total library expenditures for associate-degree granting institutions, 52.7% for baccalaureate, 54.7% for comprehensive schools, and 44% for doctoral/research institutions.
Of the libraries surveyed, 34.3% of doctoral degree-granting institutions, 33.8% of comprehensive degree-granting institutions, 20.6% of baccalaureate schools, and 16.9% of associate-degree granting institutions require professional development for tenure-track consideration or other advancement. Less than half of academic libraries have measures or methods in place to assess the impact of professional development, but a small percentage of libraries require staff to report how their professional development activities support student learning or research outcomes at their institutions, with 10.46% of baccalaureate schools using this method. In the past three years, funding for professional development has increased for more doctoral/research institutions (30.8%) than comprehensive schools (19.9%), baccalaureate schools (19.3%), or associate-degree granting institutions (11.4%). Of the libraries surveyed, most budgeted between .01 and 1.99% for professional development including 49% of doctoral/research schools, 42.6% of comprehensive schools, 38% of baccalaureate schools, and 23.4% of associate degree granting institutions.
The 2014 survey includes data from 1,449 academic libraries in seven major categories: collections (including titles held, volumes, and electronic books), expenditures (library materials, salaries and wages, etc.), personnel and public services (staff and services), degrees granted, faculty, student enrollment, and professional development. The survey also provides analysis of selected variables and summary data (high, low, mean and median) for all elements. The 2014 data can be used for self-studies, budgeting, strategic planning, annual reports, grant applications, and benchmarking.
The 2014 Academic Library Trends and Statistics report is available for purchase through the ALA Online Store, by telephone order at (866) 746-7252 in the U.S. or (770) 442-8633 for international customers.