In the Ithaka S+R US Library Survey 2013 report we examine how the leaders of academic libraries are approaching systemic changes in their environment and the opportunities and constraints they face in leading their organizations. While exploring key topics covered in our 2010 survey of library directors, such as strategic planning, collecting practices, and library services, in 2013 we also introduced a new emphasis on organizational dynamics, leadership issues, and undergraduate services.

The 2013 Ithaka S+R Library Survey was sent via email to library deans and directors at four-year colleges and universities in the United States during the Fall of 2013. We received 499 responses, an overall response rate of 33%. With this robust response, we have been able to track differences between different types of institutions and note where the divergences are most pronounced.

The US Library Survey is part of a larger program of survey research carried out by Ithaka S+R. The goal of our survey program is to provide data for informed planning and decision-making in academic institutions. The program includes the Ithaka S+R Library Survey, the Ithaka S+R Faculty Survey, local surveys of faculty members and students, and planning tools for institutions. The full set of surveys brings together the perspectives of different stakeholder communities in order to give libraries and higher education institutions holistic data-gathering and planning resources.

Library Survey News Coverage

Beyond eBooks

State of the Stacks: Academic Libraries in a Digital Age

What Matters to Academic-Library Directors? Information Literacy

Ithaka Study Shows Shifting Priorities Among Academic Librarians

Advisory Committee

  • Larry P. Alford, University of Toronto
  • Joseph S. Meisel, Brown University
  • Jenica P. Rogers, The State University of New York, Potsdam
  • Charles Thomas, University System of Maryland and Affiliated Institutions Library Consortium