Research library trends: ARL statistics (original) (raw)

2000, The Journal of Academic Librarianship

There is an increasing recognition of the limitations of the national data collection efforts for libraries, among them the ARL Statistics. On the other hand, a widespread recognition that amidst the flux and uncertainty of the information revolution the research library paradigm offers a sense of stability and opportunity to be realized in its digital future. Libraries are "competing" for attention with an increasing number of internet start-ups, as well as, established information service providers; they are in need of more management information and data to show their value in an increasingly competitive environment -a need that a variety of new and revived efforts in library statistics are trying to address. (1) Despite the shortcomings, ARL Statistics, (2) one of the oldest efforts, (3) does serve the purpose of describing research libraries in a sustainable way, sheds light on scholarly communication trends by showing the decline of ownership and the growth of access, and tracks gross trend activity in library services and expenditure allocations. ARL Statistics is illuminating both by what the tell and by the story they fail to tell. ARL Statistics describes collections, staffing, expenditures, and service activities for the 121 member libraries of the Association of Research Libraries (ARL). Of these, 111 are university libraries; the remaining 10 are public, governmental, and private research libraries. ARL member libraries are the largest research libraries in North America, representing 15 Canadian and 106 U.S. research institutions. The academic libraries, which comprise about 92% of the membership, include 13 Canadian and 98 U.S. libraries.