This 61-page report presents data and commentary from 100 academic library directors and deans about their library’s recent experience and plans for library expansion, renovation or new construction. The report helps its readers to answer questions such as: how much control to librarians have over the library’s capital budget and future renovation/construction plans? Does the library have a planning commission? How much have libraries been spending on capital projects? What have been the most successful renovation or expansion projects? What have been the least successful? What is on the wish list for the near future and what is actually planned or approved? What have been recent trends in the budget for renovation or expansion of the library?
Just a few of this report’s many findings are that:
A plurality of 42% said that their library did not have a capital budget.
Research universities reported extreme cramping and a strong need for new space despite the freeing up of space in recent years by the contraction of print collections.
21% of librarians sampled felt that they were not listened to “nearly enough” by college administration in establishing priorities for library capital spending.
Far fewer private than public college librarians felt that the library capital budget had increased in recent years.
Data in the report is broken out by size and type of institution, by tuition level, for public and private institutions and by other useful variables. A PDF edition of this report is