Law Library Benchmarks 2014

Primary Research Group has released Law Library Benchmarks 2014 Edition:

"The 155-page study gives extensive data and commentary on law library spending plans and management practices including current and future expected budgets, spending on salaries, and materials such as online databases, print reporters, online and print directories, books, e-books, journals and other information resources. The report also looks at use of particular types and brands of information resources, at cost recovery efforts and at law library effort to reduce costs and improve productivity through better negotiation and other tactics. The study also presents detailed data on library measures to enhance mobile device access and to use social media, blogs and other internet resources in the law library service effort."

"The report presents data from 60 law libraries from the United States and Canada including law firm libraries, university law libraries, courthouse libraries, private company libraries and others, with data presented separately for each library type."

Among some of the highlights:

• For 37.5 percent of survey participants, the overall library budget decreased in 2013
• The courthouse libraries in the sample had the largest budget decreases, a mean of 7.25 percent
• Libraries in the sample spent a mean of $320,931 (US) on online databases in 2013; spending is expected to increase slightly in 2014 to $330,688 (US), or by about 3.3%
• The materials/content budget is nearly evenly split between print resources and electronic resources; the former accounted for a mean of 50.52 percent of the budget; the latter, 49.48 percent

Print and PDF versions are available for $132.00. Site licenses are also available.