Primary Research Group Inc. has published Redesigning the College Library, 2018 Edition, ISBN 978-157440-494-4

This 250-page study gives an intensive look at the plans of approximately 40 academic libraries to make changes in how they use their library buildings and their library space. 

The study gives detailed data on library spending plans on renovations, new buildings and other capital expenditures, highlighting plans for technology in the library classroom, group and other special purpose study rooms, information commons, public access computers spaces, atriums and outdoor spaces, library cafes and performance space, storage facilities and library employee space and much much more.  The report also details how libraries are paying for their renovations with funding broken down by grants, capital budget, fundraising, operating budget and other sources of funds.  Survey participants discuss their most pressing redesign priorities and specify the areas targeted for changes.

Just a few of this exhaustive report’s many findings are that:

• Close to 40% of libraries sampled expect their capital budgets to increase over the next three years while less than 13% expect a decrease.
• Colleges with a tuition of over $34,000 were most likely to see a significant or general increase in spending on new technology for classrooms (60.00%), followed by those charging $20,001 - $34,000 (30.00%).
• A plurality of colleges experienced an increase in spending on presentation hardware over the past three years (33.33%).  Schools offering up to PhD-level degrees were the most likely to see significant/general spending increases for the hardware (60.00%), followed by community colleges (37.50%).  
• A third of colleges sampled expected to decrease their use of space for multimedia collections over the next three years while only about 15.45 expected to increase such space use.
• On average, 47.39% of patrons use their own computing device in the library

The following college and university libraries participated in the study:

Albright College, Angelina College, California Baptist University, Annie Gabriel Library Bennett College, Birmingham-Southern College, Brigham Young University-Idaho, David O. McKay Library, Christian Brothers University, College of Southern Maryland, Cottey College, Ross Memorial Library, Hamilton College, Huntingdon College, Jackson State Community College Library, La Salle University, Lawrence University, Lebanese American University, Library and Information Services, Marist College, Mercy College, Midwestern State University, Mitchell University, New College of Florida, New England Institute of Technology. Northwest Arkansas Community College, Providence College Library,Rowan-Cabarrus Community College Library, Shawnee State University, Sierra College,Tri County Technical College, Triton College, Library, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville University of Central Florida, University Libraries, University of Central Oklahoma, University of Massachusetts/Amherst Libraries, University of Minnesota, Morris, Rodney A. Briggs Library, University of Mount Olive, University of the Arts, Westmont College, Wilkes University and York College of Pennsylvania, Schmidt Library.

Data in the report is broken out by a broad range of institutional criteria including total enrollment, type or Carnegie class, tuition, and public/private status.

A PDF version of the 250-page study is currently available from Primary Research Group for $106.00 and a print version at the same price is in production and will be available for shipment on February 25, 2018 and can be ordered now.  Site licenses are also available.  To view a table of contents, an excerpt, the survey questionnaire and a list of the institutional affiliations of the survey participants – or to place an order – view the product page for this report at:

Or call us at 212-736-2316 or visit our general website at www.PrimaryResearch.co