Academic libraries

From the National Center for Education Statistics, an Academic Library is defined as the library associated with a degree-granting institution of higher education. Academic libraries are identified by the post-secondary institution of which they are a part and provide all of the following:

1. An organized collection of printed or other materials or a combination thereof;
2. A staff trained to provide and interpret such materials as required to meet the informational, cultural, recreational, or educational needs of clientele;
3. An established schedule in which services of the staff are available to clientele; and
4. The physical facilities necessary to support such a collection, staff, and schedule.

Statistics about Academic Libraries

Reports

From the National Center for Education Statistics, tabulations from Academic Library Surveys dating to 1990. The These academic libraries are informational resources within degree-granting postsecondary institutions in the United States, including institutions that are eligible for Title IV aid and branch campuses of Title IV eligible institutions.

• Academic Libraries: 2010 First Look (pdf)
• Academic Libraries: 2008 First Look (pdf)
• 2006 First Look (pdf)
• 2006 First Look - Supplemental Tables (pdf)
• 2004 First Look (pdf)
• 2000 First Look (pdf)
• 1998 First Look (pdf)
• 1996 First Look (pdf)
• 1994 First Look (pdf)
• 1992 First Look (pdf)
• 1990 First Look (pdf)

Documentation for the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) Academic Library Survey includes training modules, presentations, committee roster, meeting notes and 2010 questionnaire.

Tools

The Compare Academic Libraries tool allows users to compare one library (the library of interest) with similar libraries (the comparison group). For example, a user may wish to compare one library's total circulation with the total circulation of a group of libraries with similar total expenditures.

To use Compare Academic Libraries:

• Select the library of interest for which you want to find a comparison group.
• Choose the basis for identifying similar libraries (the “Comparison Group”): e.g. size of staff.
• Choose the information you would like displayed in the report.
• View the report, which compares your library of interest with its comparison group.

Secondary reports

• Academic Library Trends, 1998-2008 American Library Association (published July 2011)
• The Condition of U.S. Libraries: Academic Library Trends, 1999 - 2009

Reports about Academic Libraries

• The Value of Academic Libraries blog (by the Association of College and Research Libraries) | The Value of Academic Libraries Report (2010),
• ARL Statistics Association of Research Libraries (ARL)
• Academic Library Statistics Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL)
• Academic Libraries in the United States: Statistical Trends

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