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Digest of Education Statistics
2022 Tables and Figures All Years of Tables and Figures Most Recent Full Issue of the Digest


Table 701.40. Collections, staff, and operating expenditures of degree-granting postsecondary institution libraries: Selected academic years, 2001-02 through 2020-21
Collections, staff, and operating expenditures 2001-02 2011-12 2014-15 2015-16 2016-17 2017-18 2018-19 2019-20 2020-21
Total Public Private nonprofit Private
for-profit
Total Public Private nonprofit Private
for-profit
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16
Number of libraries 3,568 3,793 4,134 3,999 3,944 3,710 3,697 3,654 1,551 1,565 538 3,631 1,547 1,542 542
Percentage of institutions with libraries 85.0 80.6 90.2 91.7 91.4 91.8 92.8 93.0 97.7 95.4 76.4 93.1 97.8 94.8 78.4
Number of circulation transactions (in thousands) 189,248 154,409 917,510 778,357 772,169 686,262 700,352 1,028,996 598,187 349,350 81,459 1,074,154 682,420 311,469 80,266
Physical transactions --- --- 81,182 67,796 58,199 52,832 46,054 31,405 18,186 12,868 350 13,480 6,626 6,673 181
Electronic transactions --- --- 836,328 710,561 713,970 633,430 654,298 997,592 580,001 336,482 81,108 1,060,674 675,793 304,796 80,085
Number of circulation transactions per full-time-
   equivalent (FTE) student
16 10 60 52 52 46 47 70 57 99 107 75 68 90 100

Enrollment (in thousands)
                             
Total enrollment1 15,928 20,994 20,209 19,988 19,847 19,778 19,651 19,630 14,504 4,135 991 19,027 13,884 4,101 1,042
FTE enrollment1 11,766 15,886 15,263 15,079 14,938 14,884 14,786 14,762 10,487 3,517 758 14,340 10,068 3,472 800

Collections (in thousands)
                             
Total number of physical and electronic materials
   (books, media, and databases)
--- --- 2,128,233 1,985,142 2,208,941 2,218,419 2,567,446 2,746,699 1,457,560 1,061,389 227,750 2,889,335 1,560,992 1,089,658 238,685
Number of books --- --- 1,711,851 1,573,341 1,650,727 1,637,365 1,798,225 1,956,845 1,030,040 814,142 112,663 2,078,928 1,091,293 839,665 147,970
Physical books --- --- 1,036,223 824,767 799,192 752,950 731,008 728,004 435,246 290,243 2,515 715,070 429,930 283,173 1,967
Electronic books 10,318 252,599 675,629 748,575 851,536 884,414 1,067,217 1,228,841 594,794 523,899 110,148 1,363,858 661,363 556,492 146,003
Number of media (includes audiovisual materials) --- --- 411,822 410,274 557,267 579,814 767,710 788,307 426,959 246,581 114,767 808,942 469,115 249,414 90,413
Physical media --- --- 253,826 190,049 194,763 179,406 166,706 159,066 107,479 51,203 384 155,484 106,702 48,464 318
Electronic media --- --- 157,996 220,225 362,505 400,409 601,005 629,241 319,480 195,378 114,383 653,459 362,413 200,950 90,095
Number of databases (electronic only) --- --- 4,560 1,527 947 1,240 1,511 1,547 562 666 320 1,464 584 579 302
Number of volumes at end of year 954,030 1,099,951 --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---
Number of volumes added during year 24,574 27,605 --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---
Number of serial subscriptions at end of year2 9,855 --- --- 222,010 289,411 291,825 395,521 396,341 134,375 130,264 131,702 614,572 227,737 260,085 126,750
Physical serial subscription --- --- --- 23,578 21,850 23,552 21,096 21,734 13,537 8,082 115 21,803 14,220 7,469 113
E-serial subscription --- --- --- 198,432 267,561 268,273 374,425 374,607 120,837 122,183 131,587 592,769 213,516 252,616 126,637
Microform units at end of year 1,143,678 1,044,521 --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---
Number of volumes per FTE student 81 69 --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---
Number of books per FTE student --- --- 112 104 111 110 122 133 98 231 149 145 108 242 185

FTE library staff
                             
Total staff in regular positions3 69,526 65,242 --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---
Librarians and professional staff 32,053 34,423 --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---
Other paid staff 37,473 30,819 --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---
Contributed services --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---
Student assistants 25,305 20,509 --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---
FTE student enrollment per FTE staff member 169 243 --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---

Library operating expenditures4
                             
Total operating expenditures (in thousands of
   current dollars)
$5,370,217 $6,981,276 $7,957,153 $8,085,556 $8,243,595 $8,317,493 $8,386,070 $8,322,052 $4,930,094 $3,318,079 $73,879 $7,908,508 $4,734,820 $3,101,663 $72,025
Salaries and wages5 2,753,404 3,443,831 3,422,050 3,455,940 3,504,446 3,529,745 3,555,572 3,548,072 2,216,796 1,301,788 29,488 3,317,580 2,093,322 1,197,063 27,196
Fringe benefits --- --- 745,195 759,363 784,747 800,253 816,903 829,550 537,990 288,825 2,735 793,183 525,318 265,659 2,206
Computer hardware/software 155,791 143,660 --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---
Bibliographic utilities/networks/consortia 92,242 123,650 --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---
Information resources 1,944,490 2,763,202 3,016,495 3,083,854 3,126,900 3,160,687 3,196,130 3,184,815 1,804,193 1,348,080 32,542 3,126,299 1,778,974 1,313,098 34,228
Books, serial backfiles, and other materials --- --- 604,100 614,389 604,279 578,131 555,367 510,194 252,597 255,366 2,230 499,272 264,592 232,704 1,976
Books and serial backfiles—paper 563,007 503,851 --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---
Books and serial backfiles—electronic 44,792 180,570 --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---
Audiovisual materials 37,041 37,022 --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---
Ongoing commitments to subscriptions --- --- 2,217,573 2,287,252 2,353,844 2,402,873 2,461,531 2,501,948 1,456,148 1,017,564 28,235 2,449,480 1,416,244 1,002,449 30,786
Current serials—paper 926,105 487,265 --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---
Current serials—electronic 297,657 1,436,671 --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---
Preservation, other materials/services
      expenditures
--- --- 162,484 182,213 168,777 179,684 179,233 172,673 95,447 75,150 2,077 177,547 98,138 77,945 1,465
Document delivery/interlibrary loan 22,913 32,490 --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---
Other collection expenditures 52,976 85,334 --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---
Other library operating expenditures 424,290 506,934 773,413 786,399 827,502 826,808 817,466 759,615 371,115 379,386 9,114 671,445 337,206 325,843 8,397

Operating expenditures per FTE student
                             
In current dollars 456 439 521 536 552 559 567 564 470 943 97 552 470 893 90
In constant 2021-22 dollars6 722 545 621 635 641 635 632 618 515 1034 107 591 504 958 96
Information resource expenditures per FTE student                              
In current dollars 165 174 198 205 209 212 216 216 172 383 43 218 177 378 43
In constant 2021-22 dollars6 262 216 235 242 243 241 241 237 189 420 47 234 189 405 46

Operating expenditures (percentage distribution)
100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Salaries and wages5 51.3 49.3 43.0 42.7 42.5 42.4 42.4 42.6 45.0 39.2 39.9 41.9 44.2 38.6 37.8
Fringe benefits --- --- 9.4 9.4 9.5 9.6 9.7 10.0 10.9 8.7 3.7 10.0 11.1 8.6 3.1
Information resources7 36.2 39.6 37.9 38.1 37.9 38.0 38.1 38.3 36.6 40.6 44.0 39.5 37.6 42.3 47.5
Other8 12.5 11.1 9.7 9.7 10.0 9.9 9.7 9.1 7.5 11.4 12.3 8.5 7.1 10.5 11.7
---Not available.
1Fall enrollment for the academic year specified.
2If a single title comes in both paper and electronic formats, it counts as two subscriptions.
3Excludes student assistants.
4Excludes capital outlay. Expenditure data are reported only by degree-granting institutions with total expenditures over $100,000.
5Includes student hourly wages.
6Constant dollars based on the Consumer Price Index, prepared by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, adjusted to a school-year basis.
7Expenditures on information resources include expenditures on preservation.
8Includes computer hardware/software, bibliographic utilities/networks/consortia, and "other library operating expenditures" not individually listed.
NOTE: Data in this table represent the 50 states and the District of Columbia. Degree-granting institutions grant associate's or higher degrees and participate in Title IV federal financial aid programs. Some data have been revised from previously published figures. Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Academic Libraries Survey (ALS), 2000 through 2012; Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), Spring 2015 through Spring 2021, Fall Enrollment component; and IPEDS Spring 2015 through Spring 2021, Academic Libraries component. (This table was prepared April 2023.)

2022 Tables and Figures All Years of Tables and Figures Most Recent Full Issue of the Digest