The CIBER research group at the University College London has announced the completion of its global library survey that examines the challenges, trends and best practices in tough economic times. The results will be presented via a keynote address at the Charleston Conference slated for November 5 in Charleston, South Carolina. The conference is being organised by CIBER and survey cosponsors Baker & Taylor’s YBP Library Services and ebrary, a provider of digital content products and technologies. The survey results will be freely available shortly.
According to the findings of the survey, the current financial year is a tough one for academic libraries, with 34.7 percent of institutions receiving a library budget that is at least 5 percent smaller than the previous year. The outlook for the next two years is mixed, with 31.4 percent expecting their total library budget to be smaller than in the current financial year, 40.1 percent about the same, and 28.4 percent 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, the survey has determined. When trimming their resources budget, libraries were least likely to cut e-books, followed by electronic-only serials and database subscriptions, it further states. Also, 52.5 percent 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.
Over 800 institutions representing academic, public, government and other libraries completed the survey. Of these, nearly 200 provided suggestions on the topic and types of questions to ask.
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