The State of U.S. Academic Libraries: Findings from the ACRL 2023 Annual Survey

CHICAGO - The Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) announces the publication of the report "The State of U.S. Academic Libraries: Findings from the ACRL 2023 Annual Survey."

Academic libraries provide essential services that support research and student success in higher education. To help track the nature and quantity of those services, ACRL fields an annual Academic Library Trends and Statistics Survey that collects key metrics on academic library staff, expenditures, collections, circulation, and information services. The data help librarians, administrators, and stakeholders assess the impact of academic libraries, make peer comparisons, and track trends over time.

This report focuses on U.S. academic libraries and the results reflect the 1,414 responding institutions in 2023. Key findings include:

• The average full-time equivalent (FTE) library staff is 36.2 and the median is 15.7. Doctoral universities have much higher staffing levels than all other types. Associate’s colleges and two year institutions have the highest ratio of students to staff.
• In 2023, total expenditures excluding fringe benefits reached an average of almost four million and the median reported was $1.1 million. Adjusted for inflation, this represents a slight increase from 2022, but expenditures remain below pre-pandemic levels.
• Digital materials continue to account for a significant proportion of library circulation, at 98.4% of the total reported. These materials come at significant cost: ongoing commitments to subscriptions account for 34.9% of total library expenditures.
• Library instruction shows signs of recovery from pandemic lows. The reported average number of annual presentations to groups and average total attendance at those presentations have increased over the last three years, though still lagging relative to pre-pandemic levels.

Survey data from 1998-2023 is available for subscribers in Benchmark: Library Metrics and Trends. Benchmark makes data-driven planning and advocacy easy for academic and public libraries by providing libraries with data visualizations that allow them to compare their inputs and outputs to peer and nationwide data.

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The Association of College & Research Libraries (ACRL) is the higher education association for academic libraries and library workers. Representing nearly 8,500 individuals and libraries, ACRL (a division of the American Library Association) develops programs, products, and services to help those working in academic and research libraries learn, innovate, and lead within the academic community. Founded in 1940, ACRL is committed to advancing learning, transforming scholarship, and creating diverse and inclusive communities. Find ACRL on the web, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, Threads, and YouTube.