• Introduction
• Number of Academic Libraries
• Services
• Collections
• Staff
• Expenditures
• References

Two of the national education goals for the year 2000 emphasize the important roles played by the resources and staff efforts of academic libraries. The nation’s fourth education goal, which is concerned with the ongoing need for access to learning resources for teachers and faculty members, and the nation’s sixth education goal, which speaks of lifelong learning, both stress the importance of maintaining and improving the nation’s academic libraries (National Education Goals Panel 1994). This report presents a description of the status of academic libraries in 1996, a time of rapid technology-related change and increased introduction of electronic services (Lynch 1996). In addition to detailed tabulations for 1996, the report presents historical comparisons with previous years, with a focus on comparisons since 1990.

The data in this report come from postsecondary degree-granting institutions in the United States. The data were collected through the Academic Libraries Survey (ALS) of the U.S. Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). In 1996, ALS was a part of the NCES Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS-L).

In fall 1996, 3,408 of the 3,792 postsecondary degree-granting institutions in the United States reported that they had their own academic library. Just over one-fourth (28 percent) of the academic libraries in postsecondary degree-granting institutions had branch libraries, and among those with branches, the mean number of branches was 2.7. Branch libraries are auxiliary library service outlets with quarters separate from the central library that houses the basic collection.

The rapid development of electronic and Internet library services continues. In fall 1996, over 90 percent of academic libraries had electronic indexes (such as citation or topical indexes) and reference tools (such as encyclopedias and statistical compilations), and 81 percent had Internet access from within the library (figure A). Eighty percent of academic libraries provided access from within the library to an electronic catalog that included the library’s holdings, and 59 percent provided access to the electronic catalog for clientele off-campus.

Figure A.—Percentage of academic libraries having selected types of electronic services available from within library, from elsewhere on campus, and for clientele off-campus: Fall 1996

In fiscal year (FY) 1996, general collection circulation transactions in the nation’s academic libraries at postsecondary degree-granting institutions totaled 186.5 million, and reserve collection circulation transactions totaled 44.9 million. General circulation transactions include materials in the library’s general collection such as books, videos, and records being taken out or charged out by patrons. General circulation transactions also include renewal of charged-out library materials. Reserve circulation transactions involve materials that have been removed from general circulation and set aside so they will be available for a certain academic course or activity offered by the institution.

In FY 96, 18.5 general circulation transactions were conducted per full-time-equivalent (FTE) student.¹ The number of general circulation transactions varied widely by type (i.e., control and 1994 Carnegie classification) of the institution attended, ranging from 8.1 transactions per FTE student at 2-year Associate of Arts institutions to 35.5 transactions per FTE student at Specialized institutions such as military or law schools.

Interlibrary loans are transactions related to filling requests from other libraries for materials. In FY 96, academic libraries provided a total of 9.4 million interlibrary loans to other libraries (both academic and other types of libraries) and received 7.5 million loans. With the advent of more electronic searching and shared catalogs, interlibrary loans have increased in recent years. For example, interlibrary loans received by academic libraries increased by 64 percent over the period between 1990 and 1996.

In fall 1996, on average, academic library physical facilities were open about 76 hours per week. The largest percentage of academic libraries (44 percent) reported providing 60–79 hours of service per typical week. Forty percent, however, provided 80 or more public service hours per typical week.

In fall 1996, there were about 1.6 library visits per week per FTE student based on a gate count of 16.5 million visitors per typical week. The gate count is the number of persons who physically enter library facilities (a person can be counted more than once).

Taken together, the nation’s 3,408 academic libraries at postsecondary degree-granting institutions held a total of 806.7 million volumes of books, bound serials, and government documents. Excluding duplicate titles within a library’s collection, there were 449.2 million titles at the end of FY 96.

Of the total volumes, almost half (45 percent, or 352.1 million) were held at the 125 institutions categorized under the 1994 Carnegie classification as Research I and II institutions (figure B). Research I and II institutions have about 23 percent of FTE students. In contrast, 6 percent of volumes were at 2-year Associate of Arts degree-granting institutions, which have 30 percent of FTE students.

Over the years since 1974, the number of volumes held in academic libraries per FTE student increased. In FY 74, there were 57 volumes per FTE student, and in FY 96, there were 81 volumes per FTE student. The number of volumes per FTE student varied widely among different types of institutions, ranging from 17 volumes per FTE student in public 2-year Associate of Arts degree-granting institutions to 268 volumes per FTE student in private Research I and II institutions.

The number of volumes added to library collections per FTE student declined from 3.0 in FY 74 to a low of 1.9 in FY 90. In FY 96, the number of volumes added per FTE student was 2.1.

A total of 95,580 FTE staff worked in academic libraries in fall 1996. Of the total, just under one-third (27,268, or 29 percent) were librarians or other professional staff. This group included staff members doing work that required professional education (a master’s degree or equivalent) in the theoretical and scientific aspects of librarianship. Professional staff also included staff not trained as professional librarians, but having equivalent education and training in related fields.

Student assistants, employed on a temporary basis, made up 29 percent of total academic library staff. The largest percentage of academic library staff were classified as other paid staff, comprising 42 percent of all academic library staff. Other paid staff included all staff not categorized as library professional staff or student assistants.

Based on counts of postsecondary education staff collected since 1976, it appears that library staff growth has not kept pace with that experienced among the total postsecondary education staff. Overall, since 1976, total library FTE staff has increased by 18 percent, while the total FTE staff in postsecondary degree-granting institutions has increased by about 38 percent (figure C). The total number of library staff, including student assistants, declined by about 1.3 percent from 1990 to 1996.

Figure B.—Percentage distribution of volumes of books, bound serials, and government documents held at the end of the year and distribution of full-time-equivalent (FTE) student enrollment by Carnegie classification: Fiscal year 1996

Figure C.—Percent change in full-time-equivalent (FTE) academic library staff and postsecondary degree-granting institution FTE students and staff: Fall 1976–1995/1996

In fall 1996, there were 9.6 total FTE library staff (including student assistants) per 1,000 FTE students. The institutional median number of FTE library staff per 1,000 FTE students was similar (8.7). Excluding student assistants, the institutional median was 5.8 FTE library staff per 1,000 FTE students.

In FY 96, operating expenditures for the 3,408 academic libraries at postsecondary degree-granting institutions totaled $4.30 billion. Half the total expenditures went to salaries and wages.

Just over one-third (35 percent) of expenditures went to information resources related to the library collection. This category includes expenditures for books and other printed materials (e.g., cartographic materials), current serials, microforms, audiovisual materials, computer files and search services, document delivery and interlibrary loan, and other collection expenditures. Among information resources expenditures, the largest category of expenditures was current serial subscriptions, accounting for fully half of the information resources-related expenditures.

An additional 16 percent of expenditures were for furniture and equipment (e.g., book shelving, security equipment), computer hardware and software, bibliographic utilities (e.g., OCLC Online Computer Library Center, Social Science Abstracts), and preservation costs.

Academic library expenditures per FTE student in constant 1996 dollars were $445 in 1974 and $431 in 1996. Low points in expenditures per FTE student were reached in 1981 ($372) and 1990 ($392). Between 1990 and 1996, expenditures per FTE student increased by about 4 percent in constant 1996 dollars.

Considering academic library expenditures as a part of an institution’s total Education and General (E&G) expenditures² for a given year, there seems to have been a small, steady decline in the percentage of total E&G spent on academic libraries over the period since 1974. The percentage of E&G expenditures for academic libraries was 3.9 percent in 1974 and 2.8 percent in 1996.

¹The number of transactions per FTE student was calculated based on total FTE enrollments and transactions across all institutions with an academic library.

²E&G expenditures are the total expenditures for operating the institution.

References

Lynch, M.J. (1996). Electronic Services in Academic Libraries. Chicago: American Library Association.

National Education Goals Panel. (1994). Data for the National Education Goals Report. Volume One: National Data. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office.

   

Data sources: The NCES Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System, “Academic Libraries Survey” (IPEDS-L:90, IPEDS-L:94, and IPEDS-L:96), “Fall Enrollment Survey” (IPEDS-EF:89 and IPEDS-EF:95), “Fall Staff Survey” (IPEDS-S:95), “Finance Survey” (IPEDS-F:90 and IPEDS-F:96); and the following publication: Digest of Education Statistics:1996 (NCES 96–133). For technical information, see the complete report: Cahalan, M., Mansfield, W., and Justh, N. (2001). The Status of Academic Libraries in the United States: Results From the 1996 Academic Library Survey With Historical Comparisons (NCES 2001–301). Author affiliations: M. Cahalan, W. Mansfield, and N. Justh, Mathematica Policy Research, Inc. For questions about content, contact Barbara Holton (Barbara.Holton@ed.gov). To obtain the complete report (NCES 2001–301), call the toll-free ED Pubs number (877-433-7827), visit the NCES Web Site (http://nces.ed.gov), or contact GPO (202-512-1800).