RLI 280 Research Library Trends: A Historical Picture of Services, Resources, and Spending 22 SEPTEMBER 2012 RESEARCH LIBRARY ISSUES: A QUARTERLY REPORT FROM ARL, CNI, AND SPARC Figure 2. Monograph and Serial Costs in ARL Libraries, 1986–2011 -25% 25% 75% 125% 175% 225% 275% 325% 375% 425% 2010 2007 2004 2001 1998 1995 1992 1989 1986 Serial Expenditures (+402%) Monograph Unit Cost (+99%) Monograph Expenditures (+71%) Monographs Purchased (+10%) % Change Since 1986 Figure 2 displays the skyrocketing expenditures since 1986 for serials in comparison to monographs. This graph no longer includes serial unit cost or serial subscriptions because in 2006–2007 ARL switched to counting serial titles instead. This change refocused the statistics on more meaningful indicators since serial subscriptions were acquired in duplicate fashion through digital products resulting in multiple subscriptions to the same title. Furthermore, with the realization that counting serial titles is also problematic, serials will not be tracked as a separate entity starting with the 2011–2012 ARL Statistics. In future years beginning with the 2011–2012 ARL statistics, expenditures for subscriptions and expenditures for monographs will no longer be collected separately. In other words, the expenditures