The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) recently published the findings of the 2010 Academic Libraries Survey, a biennial study of libraries in 2 and 4-year post-secondary schools in the United States. Some highlights include:
- At the end of fiscal year 2010, there were 227 academic libraries that held at least 1 million or more books, serial backfiles, and other paper materials including government documents.
- Academic libraries spent approximately $152.4 million for electronic books, serial backfiles, and other materials. Expenditures for electronic current serial subscriptions totaled about $1.2 billion.
- In FY 2010 academic libraries conducted approximately 34.6 million information services to individuals, including computer searches.
- During fiscal year 2010, some 72 percent of academic libraries reported that they supported virtual reference services and about 32 percent of academic libraries reported that they utilized instant messaging applications.
For access to the full report and supplemental statistical tables, visit
http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2012365.
