ARL Statistics 2014–2015 1
Overview
ARL Statistics 2014–2015 is the latest in a series of annual publications that describe collections, staffing,
expenditures, and service activities for the 124 members of the Association of Research Libraries (ARL). Of
these, 114 are university libraries the remaining 10 are public, governmental, and nonprofit research libraries.
ARL member libraries are the largest research libraries in North America, representing 16 Canadian and 108 US
research institutions. The academic libraries, which comprise 92% of the membership, include 15 Canadian and 99
US libraries.
Statistics have been collected and published annually for the members of the Association of Research Libraries
since 1961–62, and the data are available through an interactive web interface. Prior to 1961–62, annual statistics
for university libraries were collected by James Gerould, first at the University of Minnesota and later at Princeton
University.1 These data, covering the years 1907–08 through 1961–62, are now called the Gerould statistics.2 The
whole data series from 1908, which is available on the ARL Statistics website at http://arlstatistics.org/publications,
represents the oldest and most comprehensive continuing library statistical series in North America.
ARL libraries are a relatively small subset of libraries in North America, but they do account for a large portion
of academic library resources in terms of assets, budgets, and the number of users they serve. The total library
expenditures of all 124 member libraries in 2014–2015 was approximately $4.6 billion from that, approximately $3.4
billion was spent by the 114 university libraries and more than $1.2 billion by the nonuniversity libraries. The pie
charts below show how the two types of libraries divide these expenditures differently.
University Libraries 2014–2015 Nonuniversity Libraries 2014–2015
Other Operating
11.60%
Library Materials
45.39%
Total Salaries
43.00%
Other Operating
40.78%
Library Materials
6.58% Total Salaries
52.64%
1 Kendon L. Stubbs and Robert E. Molyneux, Research Library Statistics 1907–08 through 1987–88. (Washington, DC: ARL, 1990).
2 Robert E. Molyneux, The Gerould Statistics 1907/08 1961/62. (Washington, DC: ARL, 1986) http://www.libqual.org/documents/
admin/2012/1986_Molyneux_Gerould.pdf and http://www.libqual.org/documents/admin/2012/2010_Molyneux_Gerould.pdf
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