02/07/21
SCONUL is publishing a new report into “Drivers for the Usage of SCONUL Member Libraries”. The use of academic and research libraries continues to increase despite the fact that much content is now available digitally. The report uses published and unpublished sources to examine this phenomenon, looking particularly at:
- changes to library space in the wider context of changes in campus design and use
- the interrelated factors driving changes in the use of academic libraries
- what published studies tell us about trends in the use of library space
- and what unpublished sources from SCONUL member libraries also reveal
- the factors which may shape library use in the future, including the impact of the recent pandemic.
The report has been produced by Andrew M Cox and Melanie Benson-Marshall of the Information School at the University of Sheffield, with the support of the SCONUL Trends and Futures Strategy Group, and individual SCONUL member institutions which kindly supplied data for the study.
A full copy of the report is available here.