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Library facts and figures: Home

Key information and statistics about the Library services and facilities

Library Facts and Figures

In line with the key principles of our Library Mission statement and in support of the University of Bath’s wider objectives, we are constantly working to develop and enhance our services, facilities, resources and engagement with all Library users. The following facts and figures from the 2023/24 academic year showcase recent highlights from our work.

Key Facts and Figures

Images of books, journals and computer equipment and text 'Key Facts and Figures'

  • The Library is open 24/7, all year round
  • There were 728,864 entrances to the library in 2023/24.
  • The Library provides a huge range of digital and print resources:
    • More than 471,000 e-books and 29,000 e-journals.
    • More than 100 subscribed electronic databases for research.
    • More than 100 additional free databases and resources curated by Subject Librarians.
    • More than 300,000 print books.
    • Over 140 print journal titles.
  • There are 9 colour printing, copying and scanning devices in the Library
  • Staff and students can borrow up to 30 books at any one time. We automatically renew unreserved standard loan items once every week.
  • Over 7000 e-theses are available via the University of Bath's research portal PURE
  • The Library provides a range of flexible learning spaces. 
    • The Library has over 1,400 study spaces.
    • Over 500 PCs.
    • All study spaces have access to power and there is wireless access throughout the building.

Impact and Engagement 2023/4

  • Thank you to our students for their feedback! All of the following scores were above benchmarks, sector averages and averages for mission groups and comparators:
    • Our 2024 National Student Survey results showed 92.5% student satisfaction with the Library (up from 92.3% in 2023).  
    • Our 2024 Postgraduate Taught Experience Survey score showed 94% student satisfaction with online Library resources, 91% satisfaction with physical Library resources and services and 85% satisfaction with support for using IT and accessing resources.
    • Our 2023 Postgraduate Research Experience Survey score showed 93% satisfaction with access to physical Library resources and services, 94% satisfaction with access to online resources and services and 85% satisfaction with support for using IT and accessing resources.
  • Engagement with the Library’s Instagram account continued to rise, reaching over 1,900 followers by the end of the 2023/23 academic year.
  • Our Library guide 'Reading for pleasure and wellbeing' continues to grow with collaboration across the University. The guide includes over 20 reading lists, alongside additional resources to support wellbeing and inclusivity.
  • Lists include LGBT+ (in collaboration our student LGBT+ group), Black History and Culture (with the SU and Equality, Diversity and Inclusion), Disability Awareness, and Wellbeing (with Student Services), as well as international and popular fiction. 

Online Resources 2023/4

Image of a person infront of a giant tablet accessing electronic resources. Text reads Online Resources.

  • The Library homepage was viewed 479,519 times in 2023/24.
  • In line with our Digital First approach we continue to negotiate deals to increase the number and range of electronic resources available. In 2022/23 our users downloaded over 3.5 million e-book sections and over 3.6 million journal articles. Our expenditure on ebooks tipped over £1 million.
  • The Library's subscription to PressReader gives all University members access to more than 7000 of the world's top newspapers and magazines in 60 different languages.
  • 8677 interlibrary loan requests were processed for our users and to supply other libraries via our Rapid ILL service.
  • The Library Scanning Service for Teaching Staff increases the accessibility of our print collection. At the start of the 2023/2024 academic year the Library was making over 3000 scanned book chapters and journal articles available to students via Library Lists/Moodle courses.

Library Support 2023/4

  • In 2023/24 we resolved over 15,273 'Ask a Librarian' queries made via the online TOPdesk service.
  • The Library's LibChat service allows users to ask Library staff questions live online during standard working hours and fielded nearly 291 enquiries last year. 
  • We reviewed our LibAnswers FAQ page and made it more prominent on our webpages resulting in a 107% increase in views of the page over the Sep-Jun period in 2023/24 compared to 2022/23. 
  • The number of taught units with an active Library List number of increased from 58% in 2022/23 to 70% in 2023/24.

Training 2023/4

  • Library staff from our Research, Academic and Operational Services teams delivered 474 hours of training in library and research skills, digital and information literacy to students and staff in 2023/4, in person and online.
  • We continued to develop a wide range of online training sessions for students and staff via Teams, e-learning courses in Moodle, and online guidance on our webpages.
  • We now offer over 78 device agnostic online Library guides.

Archives and Research Services 2023/4

 

  • The Library's Open Access team answered over 4,583 enquiries in 2023/24.
  • 302 e-theses were validated by the OA team this year with 7.223 now available to view.
  • In 2023/4 there were 550,000+ research output and e-theses download requests from Pure and 97% of all eligible research articles meet REF OA policy requirements.
  • There were over 8,200 dataset downloads from our Research Data Archive during 2023/24 from 122 different countries.
  • The Library's SafePod, which provides secure access to sensitive datasets, was booked 77 times in 2023/24.
  • Research Analytics project to improve the uptake of ORCiD and SCOPUS publication profiles resulted in 95% of research active staff now having ORCiD profiles (up from 83%) and 84% of research active staff having a SCOPUS profile linked to ORCiD (up from 32%)
  • Library staff delivered 28 themed training sessions, repeated when needed, through the University’s Doctoral Skills Programme
  • Research Services online guidance was viewed  46,000+ times and there were 409 uses of our online training modules, demonstrating the reach and value of our support. 
  • Archives and Research Collections: read our Annual Review here!