CHARLESTON, S.C.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--CIBER research group at University College London today announced the completion of its global library survey that concerns challenges, trends, and best practices in tough economic times. The results will be presented via keynote address at the Charleston Conference, Thursday, November 5, from 10:45am to 11:30am in the Carolina Ballroom at the Francis Marion Hotel in Charleston, SC, by CIBER and survey co-sponsors Baker & Taylor’s YBP Library Services and ebrary®, a leading provider of digital content products and technologies.

The survey results will be freely available shortly. Register to receive a copy at http://www.ebrary.com/corp/inforequest/survey2009.jsp.

Key findings of the survey include the following:

• The current financial year is a tough one for academic libraries, with 34.7% of institutions receiving a total library budget that is at least 5% smaller than the previous year (excluding inflation).
• The outlook in two years’ time is mixed, with 31.4% expecting their total library budget to be smaller than in the current financial year, 40.1% about the same, and 28.4% expecting an increase.
• Overall, resource budgets are more vulnerable than personnel, services or infrastructure, with monographs and print journals being the most vulnerable to cutbacks.
• When trimming their resources budget, libraries were least likely to cut e-books, followed by electronic-only serials and database subscriptions.
• 52.5% of libraries view the acceleration of print to digital as the most effective option for balancing their budgets, with subscription as the most popular method.
• Just under half of all libraries see the demonstration of value through usage and outcomes data as the smartest way to manage the cost of resources.

“We are proud that more than 800 institutions representing the world’s academic, public, government, and other libraries completed our survey,” said Professor David Nicholas, Director of the Department of Information Studies, UCL Centre for Publishing, and CIBER research group. “By making the results available to all, our hope is that they will stimulate further discussion and collaboration within and beyond the library community, and ultimately lead to improvements and solutions.”

“We are extremely grateful for the support the survey has received from the world’s librarians, nearly 200 of whom provided suggestions on the topic and types of questions to ask,” said Mark Kendall, Senior Vice President, Global Sales at YBP Library Services. “In the face of changing financial situations, libraries have demonstrated a tremendous ability to maximize their budgets and resources, and we will continue to seek their input and feedback in the development of products and services to address their needs.”

“The library community has been incredibly supportive in providing data about the issues that they face individually and as a community,” said Christopher Warnock, CEO of ebrary. “By sharing their decisions openly, this valuable information will help the libraries, publishers and services communities move towards greater transparency and improved products and services. ebrary is proud to have been able to participate in this collaboration.”

Librarians, faculty members, publishers, and others are encouraged to write papers on the survey. For more information, please email marketing@ebrary.com. A listing of additional ebrary surveys on libraries, faculty, and students is available at http://www.ebrary.com.

About CIBER

CIBER’s expertise lies in the mapping, monitoring and evaluating of digital information systems, platforms, services, roll-outs and environments, using robust, big picture and innovative research methods, especially deep log analysis. CIBER has published a number of studies regarding digital information use, ejournal use and impact, cultural heritage online, impact of electronic course texts, information-seeking behavior of business students, and the like. For a full listing visit http://www.ucl.ac.uk/infostudies/research/ciber/.

About the Charleston Conference (http://www.katina.info/conference)

The Charleston Conference is an informal annual gathering of librarians, publishers, electronic resource managers, consultants, and vendors of library materials in Charleston, SC, in November, to discuss issues of importance to them all. It is designed to be a collegial gathering of individuals from different areas who discuss the same issues in a non-threatening, friendly, and highly informal environment. Presidents of companies discuss and debate with library directors, acquisitions librarians, reference librarians, serials librarians, collection development librarians, and many, many others. Begun in 1980, the Charleston Conference has grown from 20 participants in 1980 to over 1,000 in 2005.

About Baker & Taylor

Baker & Taylor, Inc. (www.baker-taylor.com) is a global information and entertainment services company that offers print and digital books and entertainment products along with value-added services to libraries, educational institutions and retailers. Based in Charlotte, N.C., the company has been in existence for more than 180 years, developing long-term relationships with major suppliers, including book publishers, movie studios and music labels. Baker & Taylor maintains one of the largest combined in-stock book, video and music inventories in the United States, and services the broadest customer base in the industry. Baker & Taylor is majority owned by Castle Harlan Partners IV, L.P., a leading private equity investment firm.

About ebrary (www.ebrary.com)

ebrary helps libraries, corporations, publishers, and consumers get the most out of their digital content. The company offers a growing selection of more than 170,000 digital books, handbooks, reports, maps, journals and other valuable content from over 350 of the world’s leading publishers under flexible subscription, purchase, and usage-based models. Additionally, ebrary offers e-publishing services for customers to cost-effectively distribute their own PDF content online on ebrary’s servers or their own.

All ebrary products and services can be integrated and delivered via a single easy-to-use interface that includes powerful tools for finding, discovering, and managing information. With ebrary InfoTools™, every word in the ebrary system is a network to other online resources of the customers’ choice, extending their value while increasing end-user knowledge and efficiencies.

Founded in 1999, ebrary is privately held and is headquartered in Palo Alto, CA, USA.

Wagner Communications
Tish Wagner, +1-707-963-2035
tish.wagner@ebrary.com