CIBER research group at University College London today announced the availability of the final report for its global library survey that concerns challenges, trends, and best practices during tough economic times. Co-sponsored by Charleston Conference, Baker & Taylor’s YBP Library Services, and ebrary.
“What comes through, both in the key findings and in the many unsolicited comments from librarians, is not depression or even resignation, but a much more positive and realistic assessment,” said Professor David Nicholas, Director of the Department of Information Studies, UCL Centre for Publishing, and CIBER research group. “Library managers see the current difficulties as being an opportunity to rethink what ‘library’ means in the twenty-first century, and to go beyond measuring activity (through benchmarking and performance indicators) to thinking more about the positive impacts of formal information provision on student learning, research performance and other key aspects of organizational missions.”
Key findings of the survey include the following:
* The current financial year is a tough one for academic libraries, with 34.7% of institutions receiving a total library budget that is at least 5% smaller than the previous year (excluding inflation).
* The outlook in two years’ time is mixed, with 31.4% expecting their total library budget to be smaller than in the current financial year, 40.1% about the same, and 28.4% expecting an increase.
* Overall, resource budgets are more vulnerable than personnel, services or infrastructure, with monographs and print journals being the most vulnerable to cutbacks.
* When trimming their resources budget, libraries were least likely to cut e-books, followed by electronic-only serials and database subscriptions.
* 52.5% of libraries view the acceleration of print to digital as the most effective option for balancing their budgets, with subscription as the most popular method.
* Just under half of all libraries see the demonstration of value through usage and outcomes data as the smartest way to manage the cost of resources.
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