Skip Navigation
IES    
NCES
National Center for
Education Statistics
Menu
Contact
Tools
ED.gov
Newsflash
Search IES
Digest of Education Statistics
2000 Tables and Figures All Years of Tables and Figures Most Recent Full Issue of the Digest

Table 419. General statistics of college and university libraries: 1975-76 to 1996-97 
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
                      Item                      |1975-76\1\ |1976-77\1\ |1978-79\1\ |  1981-82  |  1984-85  |  1987-88  |  1991-92  |  1994-95  |  1996-97
________________________________________________|___________|___________|___________|___________|___________|___________|___________|___________|___________
                       1                        |     2     |     3     |     4     |     5     |     6     |     7     |     8     |     9     |    10
________________________________________________|___________|___________|___________|___________|___________|___________|___________|___________|___________
Number of libraries ............................|     2,987 |     3,058 |     3,122 |     3,104 |     3,322 |     3,438 |     3,274 |     3,303 |     3,408
General collection transactions, in thousands ..|       --- |       --- |       --- |       --- |       --- |       --- |       --- |   183,123 |   186,545
Reserve collection transactions, in thousands ..|       --- |       --- |       --- |       --- |       --- |       --- |       --- |    48,380 |    44,189
Total enrollment, in thousands\2\ ..............|    11,291 |    11,121 |    11,392 |    12,372 |    12,242 |    12,767 |    14,359 |    14,279 |    14,300
Full-time-equivalent enrollment, in             |           |           |           |           |           |           |           |           |
  thousands\2\ .................................|     8,480 |     8,313 |     8,348 |     9,015 |     8,952 |     9,230 |    10,361 |    10,348 |    10,402
                                                |===========|===========|===========|===========|===========|===========|===========|===========|===========
        Collections, thousands of units         |           |           |           |           |           |           |           |           |
                                                |           |           |           |           |           |           |           |           |
Number of volumes at end of year ...............|   468,033 |   481,442 |   519,895 |   567,826 |   631,727 |   718,504 |   749,429 |   776,447 |   806,717
Number of volumes added during year ............|    22,977 |    22,367 |    21,608 |    19,507 |    20,658 |    21,907 |    20,982 |    21,544 |    21,346
Number of serial subscriptions\3\ ..............|     4,618 |     4,670 |     4,775 |     4,890 |     6,317 |     6,416 |     6,966 |     6,212 |     5,709
Microform titles at end of year ................|       --- |       --- |       --- |       --- |       --- |       --- |       --- |   158,345 |   181,203
Computer files at end of year ................  |       --- |       --- |       --- |       --- |       --- |       --- |       --- |       465 |       983
                                                |===========|===========|===========|===========|===========|===========|===========|===========|===========
    Library staff, in full-time equivalents     |           |           |           |           |           |           |           |           |
                                                |           |           |           |           |           |           |           |           |
Total staff in regular positions\4\ ............|    56,852 |    57,087 |    58,416 |    58,476 |    58,476 |    67,251 |    67,166 |    67,433 |    67,581
FTE student enrollment per FTE staff ...........|     149.2 |     145.6 |     142.9 |     154.2 |     153.1 |     137.2 |     154.3 |     153.5 |     153.9
                                                |___________|___________|___________|___________|___________|___________|___________|___________|___________
  Librarians and professional staff ............|    23,104 |    23,308 |    23,676 |    23,816 |    21,822 |    25,115 |    26,341 |    26,726 |    27,268
  Other paid staff .............................|    33,748 |    33,779 |    34,740 |    34,660 |    38,026 |    40,733 |    40,421 |    40,381 |    40,022
  Contributed services .........................|       --- |       --- '       --- '       --- |       --- |     1,403 |       404 |       326 |       291
  Student assistants ...........................|       --- '       --- '       --- '       --- '       --- |    33,821 |    29,075 |    28,411 |    27,998
                                                |           |           |           |           |           |           |           |           |
Hours of student and other assistance,          |           |           |           |           |           |           |           |           |
 in thousands ..................................|    36,725 |    39,950 |    39,552 |    40,068 |    28,360 |       --- |       --- |       --- |       ---
                                                |===========|===========|===========|===========|===========|===========|===========|===========|===========
        Library operating expenditures          |           |           |           |           |           |           |           |           |
           (excluding capital outlay)           |           |           |           |           |           |           |           |           |
                                                |           |           |           |           |           |           |           |           |
Operating expenditures, total, in thousands ....|$1,180,128 |$1,259,637 |$1,502,158 |$1,943,769 |$2,404,524 |$2,770,075 |$3,648,654 |$4,013,333 |$4,301,815
                                                |___________|___________|___________|___________|___________|___________|___________|___________|___________
  Salaries\5\ ..................................|   649,374 |   698,090 |   824,438 | 1,081,894 | 1,156,138 | 1,451,551 | 1,889,368 | 2,021,233 | 2,147,842
  Hourly wages .................................|    66,175 |    68,683 |    79,535 |   100,847 |       --- |       --- |       --- |       --- |       ---
  Fringe benefits ..............................|       --- |       --- |       --- |       --- |   231,209 |       --- |       --- |       --- |       ---
  Preservation .................................|    22,375 |    22,521 |    25,274 |    30,351 |    32,939 |    34,144 |    43,126 |    46,554 |    45,610
  Furniture/equipment ......................... |       --- |       --- '       --- '       --- |       --- '       --- |       --- |    55,915 |    56,128
  Computer hardware/software ...................|       --- '       --- '       --- '       --- '       --- '       --- '       --- |   128,128 |   157,949
  Utilities/networks/consortia .................|       --- '       --- '       --- '       --- '       --- '       --- '       --- |    81,106 |    85,113
  Information resources ........................|   357,544 |   373,699 |   450,180 |   561,199 |   750,282 |   891,281 | 1,197,293 | 1,348,933 | 1,499,249
    Print materials ............................|       --- |       --- |       --- |       --- |       --- |       --- |   420,930 |   442,495 |   472,592
    Serial subscriptions .......................|       --- |       --- |       --- |       --- |       --- |       --- |   639,128 |   690,410 |   780,830
    Microforms .................................|       --- |       --- |       --- |       --- |       --- |       --- |    43,666 |    62,421 |    61,577
    Audiovisual materials ......................|       --- |       --- |       --- |       --- |       --- |       --- |    23,879 |    28,753 |    28,879
    Computer files/search services\6\ ..........|       --- |       --- |       --- |       --- |       --- |       --- |    29,093 |    70,792 |   103,539
    Document delivery/interlibrary loan ........|       --- |       --- |       --- |       --- |       --- |       --- |       --- |    12,238 |    17,645
    Other collection expenditures ..............|       --- |       --- |       --- |       --- |       --- |       --- |    40,596 |    41,823 |    34,186
  Other library operating expenditures .........|    84,660 |    96,643 |   122,731 |   169,478 |   233,957 |   393,099 |   518,867 |   331,463 |   309,925
Operating expenditures per FTE student .........|       139 |       152 |       180 |       216 |       269 |       300 |       352 |       388 |       414
Operating expenditures per FTE student in       |           |           |           |           |           |           |           |           |
  constant 1996-97 dollars .....................|       399 |       410 |       417 |       364 |       404 |       412 |       405 |       410 |       414
                                                |===========|===========|===========|===========|===========|===========|===========|===========|===========
Operating expenditures, total, in percents .....|     100.0 |     100.0 |     100.0 |     100.0 |     100.0 |     100.0 |     100.0 |     100.0 |     100.0
                                                |___________|___________|___________|___________|___________|___________|___________|___________|___________
  Salaries\5\ ..................................|      55.0 |      55.4 |      54.9 |      55.7 |      48.1 |      52.4 |      51.8 |      50.4 |      49.9
  Hourly wages .................................|       5.6 |       5.5 |       5.3 |       5.2 |       --- |       --- |       --- |       --- |       ---
  Fringe benefits ..............................|       --- |       --- |       --- |       --- |       9.6 |       --- |       --- |       --- |       ---
  Preservation .................................|       1.9 |       1.8 |       1.7 |       1.6 |       1.4 |       1.2 |       1.2 |       1.2 |       1.1
  Information resources ........................|      30.3 |      29.7 |      30.0 |      28.9 |      31.2 |      32.2 |      32.8 |      33.6 |      34.9
  Other library operating expenditures\7\ ......|       7.2 |       7.7 |       8.2 |       8.7 |       9.7 |      14.2 |      14.2 |      14.9 |      14.2
                                                |===========|===========|===========|===========|===========|===========|===========|===========|===========
Library operating expenditures as percent of    |           |           |           |           |           |           |           |           |
  total institutional expenditures for          |           |           |           |           |           |           |           |           |
  educational and general purposes .............|       3.8 |       3.8 |       3.7 |       3.5 |       3.4 |       3.2 |       3.0 |       2.8 |       ---
________________________________________________|___________|___________|___________|___________|___________|___________|___________|___________|___________

---Not Available.
\1\Includes data for U.S. territories.
\2\Fall enrollment for the academic year specified.
\3\Data are for end of year.
\4\Excludes student assistants.
\5\Includes expenditures for fringe benefits (except for 1984-85 and 1987-88), salary equivalents of contributed services staff, and hourly wages for 1996-97.
\6\Computer files/search services was formerly labeled "Machine readable materials."
\7\Includes furniture/equipment, computer hardware/software, and utilities/networks/consortia as well as expenditures classified above as "other library operating expenditures."

NOTE: Detail may not sum to totals due to rounding.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Library Statistics of Colleges and Universities, various years; and Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System, "Academic Library Survey." (This table was prepared July 2000.)


2000 Tables and Figures All Years of Tables and Figures Most Recent Full Issue of the Digest
IES    
NCES
National Center for
Education Statistics
Explore the Institute of Education Sciences