Arthur Neef Law Library

A Statistical Profile of The WSU Library System

These statistics - unless otherwise indicated - cover the operations in the WSU Library System: the Arthur Neef Law Library, the Oakland Center Library, Purdy/Kresge Library, Science and Engineering Library, Shiffman Medical Library, and the David Adamany Undergraduate Library. The figures marked with a red dagger () cover the Walter P. Reuther Library.

The University Libraries offer varied space for study and learning suitable for both individual and group use. These spaces include more than 4,239 seats and 49 group study rooms. Wireless network access and some 581 computer workstations are available to WSU students and faculty in these areas. To facilitate formal instruction, the University Libraries also maintain six instruction labs containing 147 computer workstations.

The Undergraduate Library alone provides 2,337 seats, 27 group study rooms, 386 computer workstations, and 3 instruction labs. The Undergraduate Library also contains the DeRoy Extended Study Center providing 24-hour access to 140 standard workstations as well as 30 high-end work stations with specialized software. The Extended Study Center’s hours are generally from 11a.m. Sunday through 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Library Staff & Services 2005-06 2006-07 2007-08 2008-09
Total Library Staff (Full Time Equivalent) 267 261 247 246
Professional Staff (FTE) 96 97 97 101
Support Staff (FTE) 90 86 86 81
Student Assistants (FTE) 81 78 64 64
Gate Counts 1,947,748 1,951,173 1,929,975 2,201,904
Total Number of Reference Transactions (in person, virtual, and telephone), excluding directional transactions 52,583 53,464 45,799 38,684
Number of Virtual Reference Transactions 2,787 1,927 1,720 2,855
Number of Directional Transactions 56,719 47,958 43,180 36,912
Number of Library Instruction Sessions and Other Presentations to Groups 596 520 467 428
Number of Participants in Library Instruction Sessions and Other Presentations to Groups 10,808 9,526 9,736 8,940
Total Circulation (initial and renewals), excluding reserves 202,349 190,191 153,016 140,732
Number of Initial Circulations, excluding reserves 131,860 124,512 99,688 91,130
Number of Circulation Renewals 70,489 65,679 53,328 49,602
Total Reserves Circulation (initial and renewals) 67,957 76,492 78,011 72,456
Number of Initial Reserves Circulations 59,392 65,228 65,106 61,634
Number of Reserves Circulation Renewals 8,565 11,264 12,905 10,822
Number of Interlibrary Loan Items Provided to WSU Students and Faculty 30,880 33,983 48,058 42,671
Number of Interlibrary Loan Items Provided to Other Libraries 38,802 30,955 42,491 48,424
Library Collections 2005-06 2006-07 2007-08 2008-09
Volumes in the Collection at the End of the Fiscal Year 3,443,247 3,458,773 3,660,642 3,665,628
Titles held at the end of the year N/A N/A N/A 2,251,350
Number of Monograph Volumes Purchased 17,719 16,271 23,615 16,889
Gross Number of Volumes Added 36,636 35,959 39,045 23,678
Number of Volumes Withdrawn 12,799 20,433 37,042 18,692
Net Number of Volumes Added 23,837 15,526 2,003 4,986
Number of Electronic Books 55,429 82,607 206,736 310,384
Number of Unique Serial Titles Currently Received N/A 43,559 45,400 56,616
Number of Unique Electronic Serial Titles Currently Received N/A 38,418 41,688 53,014
Number of Unique Serial Titles in Print and Other Formats Currently Received N/A 5,141 3,712 3,602
Number of Microforms 3,866,924 3,895,009 3,896,048 3,898,391
Number of Maps and Other Cartographic Materials 54,923 55,752 56,235 56,345
Number of Graphic Pieces 2,159,039 2,159,189 2,159,539 2,161,039
Number of Audio Recordings 46,142 46,386 46,731 48,440
Number of Films and Video Recordings 29,151 29,696 30,565 31,523
Number of Digital Collections Created and Maintained by the University Libraries 13 14 15 15
Items in the Digital Collections 20,500 47,058 48,173 48,173
Total Expenditures on Library Materials $7,811,606 $8,344,118 $9,007,142 $8,701,072
Monographs $1,225,350 $1,138,986 $1,181,664 $620,886
Serials including Periodicals $6,079,545 $6,516,900 $7,495,718 $7,990,111
All Other Library Materials $506,711 $688,232 $329,760 $90,075
Use of Online Resources 2005-06 2006-07 2007-08 2008-09
Public Computer Logons 1,788,453 1,440,191 945,093 811,559
Number of Public Computers Providing Counts 600 585 485 485
Number of Visits to the Library's Website 1,464,449 1,491,616 1,498,115 1,477,383
Number of Visits to the Library's Catalog 2,186,700 2,484,390 1,952,741 2,182,473
Number of Sessions on Library Databases 3,079,081 3,207,572 3,595,298 3,299,809
Number of Searches Performed in Library Databases 2,723,712 3,245,546 3,621,677 4,470,395
Number of Databases Providing Counts 222 336 505 411
Number of Full-Text Articles Viewed 1,848,132 2,191,265 2,356,979 2,425,653
Number of Sources of Full-Text Articles Providing Counts 17,409 22,963 43,469 52,895
Library Expenditures 2005-06 2006-07 2007-08 2008-09
Total Library Expenditures $19,099,776 $19,599,699 $20,801,616 $21,090,767
Total Library materials $7,811,606 $8,344,118 $9,007,142 $8,701,072
Total Salaries and wages $8,812,470 $9,232,838 $9,349,366 $9,398,088
Other operating expenditures $2,475,700 $2,022,743 $2,445,108 $2,991,607

Much of the information on this page is drawn from the statistics WSU Libraries submit annually to the Association of Research Libraries. Our full response to the ARL Statistical Survey from 1986 to present may be found here: wsu_libraries_arl_data_1986_2009.xls

The Association of Research Libraries Statistics provide data on the collections, expenditures, staffing, and services at the 113 largest research libraries in North America stretching back to 1962. This data is available at http://fisher.lib.virginia.edu/arl/index.html.

Arthur Neef Law Library
474 Ferry Mall
Detroit, MI USA 48202
(313) 577-3925 / 5498 - fax