Challenges for libraries in difficult
economic times
SLIC/JISC/Scotland’s Colleges
CoP FE Conference
18 November 2010
Sally Curry
Research Information Network
 Budgets and
finance
 Searching for
savings
 New strategies?
 Libraries and their
value
Research Information Network
 A small policy unit funded by the four HE
Funding Councils, the seven Research
Councils and the three National Libraries
 Aims: to enhance and broaden the
understanding of how researchers in the UK
create and use information resources and
services
 Supports: the development of effective
policies and practices for researchers,
institutions, funders, information
professionals and all others involved in the
research information landscape
1. Budgets and finance
The last decade for UK
libraries
Chart 1: Indexed real terms expenditure on libraries 1998-2008
Expenditure (1998=100 for each data series)
160
140
120
100
80
60
40
20
0
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
Year
RLUK
Pre-92 universities
Post-92 universities
Other HE colleges
All SCONUL members
The last decade for UK
libraries
Chart 2: Library expenditure as a proportion of overall institution
expenditure 1998-2008
4.5
4.0
3.5
Percentage
3.0
2.5
2.0
1.5
1.0
0.5
0.0
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
Year
RLUK
Pre-92 universities
Post-92 universities
Other HE colleges
All SCONUL members
US and UK compared
 Survey in late
2009 showed
both UK and
US libraries
expecting
cuts next year
US and UK compared
 … and UK
librarians are
even more
gloomy about
the prospects
in 2 years’
time
2. Searching for savings
Where and how to make
cuts?
 Planning for cuts across services, staffing,
infrastructure and content




staffing = >50% of expenditure in UK university libraries
significant differences between individual libraries (30%
to>70%)
information content = c 36% of expenditure on average
across all libraries
significant variations between library groups and individual
libraries (<20% to >50%)
Staffing

45% in researchintensive universities
Chart 20: Indexed real terms expenditure on staff 1998-2008
160
Expenditure (1998=100 for each data series)
 expenditure on staff has
risen in real terms by
31% in UK university
libraries
140
120
100
80
60
40
20
0
1998
 highest as a proportion
of expenditure (c 60%)
in colleges
significant differences
between individual
libraries (30%->70%)
 but academic staff and
student numbers have
risen faster
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
Year
RLUK
Pre-92 universities
Post-92 universities
Other HE colleges
All SCONUL members
Chart 21: Staff expenditure as a percentage of overall library expenditure
1998-2008
70
60
50
Percentage

1999
40
30
20
10
0
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
Year
RLUK
Pre-92 universities
Post-92 universities
Other HE colleges
All SCONUL members
Staff cuts?
Service and infrastructure
cuts?
 closely related to
staffing

cuts in opening hours,
training, and enquiry
services
 capital cuts?

postponing of IT
projects and building
plans
Content: books

UK students less likely than
in US to purchase texts on
reading lists
 e-books the future?
Chart 5: Indexed real terms expenditure on books 1998-2008
120
Expenditure (1998=100 for each data series)
 expenditure on books
has fallen, from c.12%
to 9% of overall library
expenditure
 power of the student
voice in demanding
books and other library
services
100
80
60
40
20
0
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
Year
RLUK
Pre-92 universities
Post-92 universities
Other HE colleges
All SCONUL members
Content: journals
Chart 7: Indexed real terms expenditure on serials 1998-2008
200
180
Expenditure (1998=100 for each data series)
 expenditure on
journals has risen
dramatically in
research-intensive
universities
 different picture for
recently-created
universities and
colleges
160
140
120
100
80
60
40
20
0
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
Year
RLUK
Pre-92 universities
Post-92 universities
Other HE colleges
All SCONUL members
Content: journals
 journal expenditure has
risen on average from
15% to 19% of overall
library expenditure

over 24% in older universities
>70% of expenditure on
information resources in many
universities
 sustainability vs users’
expectations

those who demand don’t pay:
demand therefore priceinelastic
 future of big deals?
30
25
Percentage

Chart 8: Serials expenditure as a percentage of overall library
expenditure 1998-2008
20
15
10
5
0
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
Year
RLUK
Pre-92 universities
Post-92 universities
Other HE colleges
All SCONUL members
Cuts in content?
 cuts in monographs,
other print books,
and printed serials
the most favoured
 cuts in e-journals
and e-books least
favoured
Content
Chart 3: Indexed real terms expenditure on information provision 1998-2008
180


+52% in research-intensive
universities
-2% in new universities
 as proportion of overall
library expenditure,
relatively stable at 34%


highest in old universities
Lowest in HE colleges
140
120
100
80
60
40
20
0
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
Year
RLUK
Pre-92 universities
Post-92 universities
Other HE colleges
All SCONUL members
Chart 4: Information provision expenditure as a percentage of overall
library expenditure 1998-2008
45
40
35
30
Percentage
 expenditure on content
in UK has risen 34% in
real terms
Expenditure (1998=100 for each data series)
160
25
20
15
10
5
0
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
Year
RLUK
Pre-92 universities
Post-92 universities
Other HE colleges
All SCONUL members
New areas and activities
 supporting developments in teaching
and learning
 information literacy in an ever more
complex information world

how well is library-based training resourced and coordinated with others?
 identification of priorities?
 sustainability?
3. New strategies?
“opportunities to rethink what the
library is and what it means….”
New strategies for content?
 from just-in-case to just-in time?
 from librarian-controlled to usergenerated acquisitions?
 from hybrid to e-only?

drivers and constraints
 consortial collection development?

‘cloud-sourced’ research collections?
 role of Special Collections?
New strategies for
services?
 reduce or eliminate the routine in order to
take on new activities?
 outsource what doesn’t need to be done
locally?


cataloguing?
websites?
 new services for users?



data mining and manipulation?
creating custom collections?
information management and curation?
 digital preservation – data management?
 consortia and collaboration?


shared services
SHEDL
Shared services
‘… it is crucial for libraries to exploit the
potential for co-operation in developing a
range of shared services in order to
enhance efficiency as well as the scope
and quality of what they provide to both
academic staff and students’
New strategies for
staffing?
 reduction in need for the routine?
 focus on areas of biggest impact


speedy delivery of information and services
accurately meeting the needs of students and staff
 library staff need to be willing to
develop new skills and take on new
roles
 Importance of sharing experiences and
good practice
4. The value of libraries
Impact and value
 essential to analyse library activities
against institutional goals and learning
outcomes
 current performance indicators too
basic
 demonstrate return on investment


success in achieving institutional goals
how the library improves the student experience
and supports teaching learning and research
 market the value of the library to
institutional managers
Thank you
Sally Curry
www.rin.ac.uk
References

Challenges for libraries in difficult economic times. RIN in association
with SCONUL http://www.rin.ac.uk/our-work/using-and-accessinginformation-resources/challenges-academic-libraries-difficulteconomic-

Trends in the finances of UK higher education libraries 1999-2009 A
RIN report based on SCONUL library statistics.
http://www.rin.ac.uk/our-work/communicating-and-disseminatingresearch/trends-finances-uk-higher-education-libraries-1999

CIBER (2009) The economic downturn and libraries, survey findings
www.ucl.ac.uk/infostudies/research/ciber/charleston-survey.pdf

Measuring library impact on learning at the University of
Huddersfield, Sue White and Graham Stone.
http://eprints.hud.ac.uk/7842/1/SCONUL_2010_white_stone.pdf
All the RIN reports and briefings are downloadable from the RIN website
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