Increase in research library spending may signal end to downward trend

OCT 09, 2012

Physics Today

Chronicle of Higher Education : After several years of tightened budgets and decreased spending, 2011 budgets for research libraries increased on average, according to data from the Association of Research Libraries . The Library Investment Index ranks libraries based on expenditures, size and salaries of staff, and spending on library materials. Digital content access was a major part of the increase in spending, with libraries such as the one at Cornell University spending more than 60% of their materials budget on e-content. Part of that increase was the result of increased costs for online journals and database subscriptions, but increased demand from students and scholars also contributed. The shift toward digital has also resulted in a shift in the types of positions that libraries are hiring: from low-paid generalists, to higher-salaried experts.