ACRL releases “2018 Academic Library Trends and Statistics”

CHICAGO – The Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) announces the publication of “2018 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 one-volume title includes data from Associate of Arts Colleges, Baccalaureate, Master’s Colleges and Universities/ and Research/Doctoral-granting Institutions. The 2018 survey data is also available through ACRL Metrics, an online subscription service that provides access to the ACRL survey data from 1999-2018.

The 2018 data show that library expenditures for collection materials averaged $5.3 million for doctoral degree-granting institutions; $684,000 for comprehensive degree-granting institutions; $498,000 for baccalaureate schools and $196,000 for associate-degree granting institutions. On average, doctoral degree granting institutions spent 77.2% of their materials budgets on ongoing commitments to subscriptions in 2017; comprehensive schools spent an average of 82.4%; baccalaureate schools spent an average 79.5% and associate degree granting institutions spent an average of 64.9%. On average, academic libraries spent 76% of their materials budget on ongoing subscriptions.

Expenditures for salaries and wages accounted for 55.6% of the total library expenditures on average. Salaries and wages constituted 72.5% of total library expenditures for associate-degree granting institutions, 51.6% for baccalaureates, 55.4% for comprehensive schools, and 43% for doctoral/research institutions.

Spending per FTE student averaged $81.27 for associate-degree granting institutions, $400 for baccalaureate schools, $262 for comprehensive universities, and $633 for doctoral/research institutions. Staffing at associate-degree granting institutions averaged 4.97 FTE librarians, 5.44 FTE librarians at baccalaureate schools, 7.82 FTE librarians at comprehensive universities, and 30.2 FTE librarians at doctoral/research institutions.

The 2018 survey includes data from 1,726 academic libraries in five major categories:

• Collections (including titles held, volumes, and electronic books)
• Expenditures (library materials, salaries and wages, etc.)
• Library services 
• Staffing
• Library contributions to student success initiatives

The survey also provides analysis of selected variables and summary data (high, low, mean and median) for all elements. The 2018 data can be used for self-studies, budgeting, strategic planning, annual reports, grant applications and benchmarking.

“2018 Academic Library Trends and Statistics” is available for purchase through the ALA Online Store and by telephone order at (866) 746-7252 in the U.S. or (770) 442-8633 for international customers. 

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The Association of College & Research Libraries (ACRL) is the higher education association for academic libraries and library workers. Representing nearly 10,500 individuals and libraries, ACRL (a division of the American Library Association) develops programs, products, and services to help those working in academic and research libraries learn, innovate, and lead within the academic community. Founded in 1940, ACRL is committed to advancing learning and transforming scholarship. Find ACRL on the web, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.