Academic Libraries:2010 First Look
The Department of Education's agency National Center for Education Statistics published Academic Libraries: 2010 First Look in December 2011, which is a tabulation of the 2010 Academic Libraries Survey (ALS).
The NCES collects, analyzes and reports data relationed to education to the United States and other nations. Congress gave the orders for the NCES to "collect, collate, analyze, and report full and complete statistics on the condition of education in the United States; conduct and publish reports and specialized analyses of the meaning and significance of such statistics; assist state and local education agencies in improving their statistical systems; and review and report on education activities in foreign countries" (Phan, Hardesty, Hug, Sheckells, 2011).
This survey is conducted every two years, and gathers information from two- and four-year degree-granting postsecondary institutions in the United States. The survey found that academic libraries loaned near 11.2 million documents to other libraries in 2010, and also near 10.2 documents were borrowed from other libraries and commercial services. Academic libraries hosted apporximately 158.7 million ebooks and about 1.8 million electronic reference sources. It is reported that 32 percent of academic libraries reported that they utilized instant messaging applications.
To see more NCES academic library findings, click to view the survey report http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2012/2012365.pdf.
Phan, T., Hardesty, L., Hug, J., and Sheckells, C. (2011). Academic Libraries: 2010 (NCES 2012-365). U.S. Department of Education, Washington, DC: National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved [date] from http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch.
-Submitted by Elizabeth McLellan
Can libraries keep up with technology?
As technology changes, so does the public system of libraries. The presence of library services affect the community in numerous ways, and put valliant effort to stay abreast of the changes in technology.
"Rapidly changing technology, adequacy of financial resources, and changing demographics are three major issues facing libraries," said Molly Raphael, President of the American Library Association. "Keeping up with the rapid pace of technological advancement is very challenging."
Here are some interesting facts about libraries and their use:
1. Americans go to school, public and academic libraries nearly three times more often than they go to the movies.
2. There are more public libraries than McDonald's in the U.S. (total of 16,604 including branches).
3. 59% of adults in the U.S. have a public library card.
4. Reference librarians in the nation's public and academic libraries answer nearly 5.7 million questions weekly.
5. Public libraries are the number one point of online access for people without internet connections at home, school or work (98.7% of public libraries provide public access to the internet).
6. Public libraries are one of the greatest equalizers for equitable access to information regardless of race, creed or income level.
7. In these times of economic crisis, over 65% of public libraries provide services for job seekers.
8. Americans spend more than twice as much on candy as they do on public libraries.
9. Americans spend $34.95 a year for the public library (and check out an average of more than seven books a year)
10. A public library provides a safe, warm, friendly place for a poor family to read with their children.
(Sources: American Library Association, Henmead Enterprises, Inc.)
Read How Will We Read: In Public Libraries? by C.M. Rubin, posted on the HUFFPOST BOOKS website.
Award winning website knows libraries
Arianna Huffington, founder of The Huffington Post
The Huffington Post has a page dedicated to Libraries in Crisis that hosts articles and blog posts to inform readers about current library standings.