93 ARL Statistics 2014–2015
Question Number Footnote
MASSACHUSETTS
All figures are as of 06/30/2015.
Library branches included: Science and Engineering Library, and the Image Collection Library.
Library branches NOT included: N/A.
7.a Fiscal 2014 one-time expenditures were greater than normal. In addition to the return to a more
normal planning target in FY 2015, expenditures for one-time purchases (along with reductions
in Collection Support) were reduced even more to maintain expenditures for ongoing resources.
7.b Ongoing resource purchases were only maintainable by sharp reductions in one-time purchases
and additional reductions in collection support.
7.c Collection support was reduced (in addition to reductions in one-time resources) in order to
maintain ongoing resource purchases.
9 During the fiscal year substantially more was invested in technology and supporting
infrastructure.
10 The library budget includes $210,809 for fringe benefits for benefited positions that are not
funded by the commonwealth’s annual appropriations, i.e., positions paid from grants and
contracts. Of the total $2,347,449 attributed to fringe benefits, $210,809 is included in the library
budget, and $2,136,640 is provided by the legislature directly to the fringe providing agencies
(retirement, insurance, etc.) without passing through the university’s budgetary process.
16 Organizational restructuring and merging of service points has resulted in a cascading series
of circumstances that precludes quantification of user interactions implied in the instructions
for counting reference transactions. Additionally, changes in patron contact metrics have
eliminated the clear distinction between “directional” questions and “Research/reference”
questions.
22 Presumably the reduction in materials requested and received from other libraries is related to
the increase in database searches and full-text downloads.
MIT
All figures are as of 06/30/2015.
Library branches included: All libraries at MIT are included in the ARL Statistics, including all
special collections.
7.a This reflects a special one-time purchase for this fiscal year.
7.c Categories include contract binding, document delivery/ILL, outsourced cataloging, and, new
this year, memberships for publications.
13 We have a number of vacant positions at this time.
16 Beyond normal reference activity decreases, this year’s somewhat high decrease is likely caused
by our sampling methodology that results in variation from year to year.
19–20 Intota Assessment reports more accurately reflect actual count of regular searches than EBSCO
Discovery Service in COUNTER reports.
21 This includes interlibrary loans, as well as loans through the Boston Library Consortium and
BorrowDirect partnerships.
22 The uptick in filled requests received from other libraries is likely because unmediated services
now allows MIT users to request materials MIT owns that are checked out. Prior to having this
service ILB staff cancelled requests for items we owned. Additionally, users have become much
more aware of borrowing options via BorrowDirect and the Boston Library Consortium, using
the WorldCat Local interface.
MIAMI
All figures are as of 05/31/2015. [Central Library (Richter) and Marine Library]
Question Number Footnote
MASSACHUSETTS
All figures are as of 06/30/2015.
Library branches included: Science and Engineering Library, and the Image Collection Library.
Library branches NOT included: N/A.
7.a Fiscal 2014 one-time expenditures were greater than normal. In addition to the return to a more
normal planning target in FY 2015, expenditures for one-time purchases (along with reductions
in Collection Support) were reduced even more to maintain expenditures for ongoing resources.
7.b Ongoing resource purchases were only maintainable by sharp reductions in one-time purchases
and additional reductions in collection support.
7.c Collection support was reduced (in addition to reductions in one-time resources) in order to
maintain ongoing resource purchases.
9 During the fiscal year substantially more was invested in technology and supporting
infrastructure.
10 The library budget includes $210,809 for fringe benefits for benefited positions that are not
funded by the commonwealth’s annual appropriations, i.e., positions paid from grants and
contracts. Of the total $2,347,449 attributed to fringe benefits, $210,809 is included in the library
budget, and $2,136,640 is provided by the legislature directly to the fringe providing agencies
(retirement, insurance, etc.) without passing through the university’s budgetary process.
16 Organizational restructuring and merging of service points has resulted in a cascading series
of circumstances that precludes quantification of user interactions implied in the instructions
for counting reference transactions. Additionally, changes in patron contact metrics have
eliminated the clear distinction between “directional” questions and “Research/reference”
questions.
22 Presumably the reduction in materials requested and received from other libraries is related to
the increase in database searches and full-text downloads.
MIT
All figures are as of 06/30/2015.
Library branches included: All libraries at MIT are included in the ARL Statistics, including all
special collections.
7.a This reflects a special one-time purchase for this fiscal year.
7.c Categories include contract binding, document delivery/ILL, outsourced cataloging, and, new
this year, memberships for publications.
13 We have a number of vacant positions at this time.
16 Beyond normal reference activity decreases, this year’s somewhat high decrease is likely caused
by our sampling methodology that results in variation from year to year.
19–20 Intota Assessment reports more accurately reflect actual count of regular searches than EBSCO
Discovery Service in COUNTER reports.
21 This includes interlibrary loans, as well as loans through the Boston Library Consortium and
BorrowDirect partnerships.
22 The uptick in filled requests received from other libraries is likely because unmediated services
now allows MIT users to request materials MIT owns that are checked out. Prior to having this
service ILB staff cancelled requests for items we owned. Additionally, users have become much
more aware of borrowing options via BorrowDirect and the Boston Library Consortium, using
the WorldCat Local interface.
MIAMI
All figures are as of 05/31/2015. [Central Library (Richter) and Marine Library]
