2 Survey Results: Executive Summary Executive Summary Introduction A SPEC survey on library development was previously conducted in 2006 (SPEC Kit 297: Library Development), but that was prior to the Great Recession that lasted from 2007 to 2009. During that period, public university budgets eroded dramatically with a decline in state support. Both public and private institutions were impacted by the drop in endowment values and reduced donor support. Following the recession, fundraising continued to be a challenge, but as the recovery persisted, outcomes improved. Given the importance of library development and the continuing change in higher education and research libraries, this topic needed to be revisited. This survey retained some elements of the 2006 study for longitudinal comparison of the pre- recession environment and the current, post-recession environment, and included new elements to more broadly depict the current role of library development, including friendraising (efforts intended to generate committed and supportive relationships with outside parties and entities), communication to stakeholders of library value added, and stories and/or descriptive measures provided in these communication efforts. The survey also examined the role of advisory boards in the fundraising process. Since many academic libraries are either currently or soon will be engaged in a capital campaign or the renovation of an old or construction of a new library, the survey also examined the complexities of these common endeavors. The survey was conducted between March 2 and 29, 2018. Sixty of the 125 ARL member libraries responded to the survey for a 48% response rate. While participation was significantly lower than the 73% rate of the 2006 survey, respondents to this survey come from a broad cross section of the ARL university libraries. Forty-six libraries responded to both surveys. Background The development programs in the responding institutions represent a robust mix of initiatives and activities. The survey asked which of seven components are a part of the library’s development program. A majority of the 59 respondents indicated that their program had all seven components. Of particular note, 93% indicated that a fundraising professional is assigned to the library, 90% use direct mailings, and 71% raise more than $500,000 annually. Somewhat surprisingly, only 51% engage with a friends organization. The most common additional activity of note is event planning and support. The date of select milestones among development programs is fairly well distributed. The date of hire for the first chief library development officer (LDO) is somewhat well distributed between 1980 and the present with a particular spike during 1990–2004, when 23 of the 42 responding institutions appointed their first chief LDO. The earliest reported friends group was founded in 1920. Since then the