49 ARL Academic Law Library Statistics 2014–2015
Question
Number
Footnote
CASE WESTERN RESERVE
1 The Law Library also has access to a number of electronic resources that are counted only in the Main
Library’s statistics.
18–19 The law library’s answers to questions 18 and 19 for the 2014–2015 reporting period are significantly
lower than the figures we provided for the 2013–2014 reporting period. We attribute the reduced
number of full-text article requests and number of regular searches performed to several factors. First,
the numbers we reported in 2013–1204 were some of the highest numbers we’ve ever reported. The
numbers we are reporting for 2014–2015 are more in line with our yearly average (though still slightly
lower). Secondly, the total student enrollment at the law school was at an all-time low for recent years
during the 2014–1205 period and thus resulted in lesser usage of online resources. Third, our most
heavily used database provider, Westlaw, ceased offering free printing in May 2013. This resulted in
full-text article requests dropping significantly from Westlaw. Fourth, our new LLEAP program for
first year law students began in 2014 placed much less emphasis on legal research skills and database
searching than the previous CORE legal research and writing course had emphasized. As such, less
online searches were performed. Fifth, the law school did not offer an Advanced Legal Research
course during the 2014–2015 reporting period which caused less online searches to be performed.
Lastly, there were significantly fewer students fulfilling writing requirements during the 2014–2015
reporting period. This, again, would result in less online research being conducted. Taken together,
these things would be indicative of the lower number of full-text article requests and lower number of
regular searches performed during the 2014–2015 reporting period.
CHICAGO
8.c, 13.c The increase in student hours and salaries for student employees is attributable to separate funding
from the Law School for project work. This funding includes support for the Judith M. Wright
Fellowship and student employees paid for by the Law School to work on Chicago Unbound.
10 “The University’s fringe benefit rates are calculated by Sponsored Award Accounting annually and
negotiated with the Department of Health and Human Services. Rates are calculated for benefit
eligible (receive full benefits). In addition, a Federal rate is calculated which is the same as the benefit
eligible rate excluding unallowable dependent tuition remission benefit expenses. This rate is only
applied to salaries charged to Federal awards. Some of the major fringe benefit cost categories are:
Health Insurance, Retirement, FICA/Medicare, Tuition Remission, Workman’s Compensation
and Unemployment Insurance. Fringe benefit expenses also include short/long term disability, life
insurance, temporary shutdown, staff/faculty assistance, child/elder care, employee physicals, training
and flex-transportation/medical/dependent.”
13.b D’Angelo is down two full-time support staff positions from FY14 to FY15.
14 The number of library presentations to groups varies each year based on requests received by faculty
and the number and schedule for student programming.
17 The decrease in number of initial circulations is due to the implementation of a new library system
in 2014–2015. This implementation caused two changes that affected the circulation transactions at
the D’Angelo Law Library. Frequent system interruptions and downtimes precluded recording some,
not insignificant, percentage of transactions. The new library system records circulation transactions
differently and does not attribute loans to the holding library.
18 This number includes document views from COUNTER compliant vendors: Brill, OUP, and Wiley
and non-COUNTER compliant vendors: ALM, Bloomberg BNA, ChinaLawInfo, CIAO, E&E news,
HeinOnline, IntelliConnect, LegalTrac, LLMC, PACER, and WorldTradeLaw.
Question
Number
Footnote
CASE WESTERN RESERVE
1 The Law Library also has access to a number of electronic resources that are counted only in the Main
Library’s statistics.
18–19 The law library’s answers to questions 18 and 19 for the 2014–2015 reporting period are significantly
lower than the figures we provided for the 2013–2014 reporting period. We attribute the reduced
number of full-text article requests and number of regular searches performed to several factors. First,
the numbers we reported in 2013–1204 were some of the highest numbers we’ve ever reported. The
numbers we are reporting for 2014–2015 are more in line with our yearly average (though still slightly
lower). Secondly, the total student enrollment at the law school was at an all-time low for recent years
during the 2014–1205 period and thus resulted in lesser usage of online resources. Third, our most
heavily used database provider, Westlaw, ceased offering free printing in May 2013. This resulted in
full-text article requests dropping significantly from Westlaw. Fourth, our new LLEAP program for
first year law students began in 2014 placed much less emphasis on legal research skills and database
searching than the previous CORE legal research and writing course had emphasized. As such, less
online searches were performed. Fifth, the law school did not offer an Advanced Legal Research
course during the 2014–2015 reporting period which caused less online searches to be performed.
Lastly, there were significantly fewer students fulfilling writing requirements during the 2014–2015
reporting period. This, again, would result in less online research being conducted. Taken together,
these things would be indicative of the lower number of full-text article requests and lower number of
regular searches performed during the 2014–2015 reporting period.
CHICAGO
8.c, 13.c The increase in student hours and salaries for student employees is attributable to separate funding
from the Law School for project work. This funding includes support for the Judith M. Wright
Fellowship and student employees paid for by the Law School to work on Chicago Unbound.
10 “The University’s fringe benefit rates are calculated by Sponsored Award Accounting annually and
negotiated with the Department of Health and Human Services. Rates are calculated for benefit
eligible (receive full benefits). In addition, a Federal rate is calculated which is the same as the benefit
eligible rate excluding unallowable dependent tuition remission benefit expenses. This rate is only
applied to salaries charged to Federal awards. Some of the major fringe benefit cost categories are:
Health Insurance, Retirement, FICA/Medicare, Tuition Remission, Workman’s Compensation
and Unemployment Insurance. Fringe benefit expenses also include short/long term disability, life
insurance, temporary shutdown, staff/faculty assistance, child/elder care, employee physicals, training
and flex-transportation/medical/dependent.”
13.b D’Angelo is down two full-time support staff positions from FY14 to FY15.
14 The number of library presentations to groups varies each year based on requests received by faculty
and the number and schedule for student programming.
17 The decrease in number of initial circulations is due to the implementation of a new library system
in 2014–2015. This implementation caused two changes that affected the circulation transactions at
the D’Angelo Law Library. Frequent system interruptions and downtimes precluded recording some,
not insignificant, percentage of transactions. The new library system records circulation transactions
differently and does not attribute loans to the holding library.
18 This number includes document views from COUNTER compliant vendors: Brill, OUP, and Wiley
and non-COUNTER compliant vendors: ALM, Bloomberg BNA, ChinaLawInfo, CIAO, E&E news,
HeinOnline, IntelliConnect, LegalTrac, LLMC, PACER, and WorldTradeLaw.
