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Library facts and figures: Home

Key information and statistics about the Library service 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 showcase recent highlights from our work.

All figures correct as of publication date, March 2023.

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 558,582 entrances to the library in 21/22.
  • The Library provides a huge range of digital and print resources:
    • More than 442,023 e-books and 24,077 e-journals.
    • More than 100 subscribed electronic databases for research.
    • More than 100 additional free databases and resources curated by Subject Librarians.
    • More than 325,000 print books.
    • Over 200 print journal titles.
  • There are 11 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.
  • There is over 1 km of unique and distinctive material held in our Archives and Research Collections.
  • We have over 11km of shelving. 
  • 6,399 e-theses are available via the University of Bath's research portal PURE
  • The Library provides a range of flexible learning spaces. Their number and variety are increasing post-lockdown:
    • 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 2021/22

Images of library promotions and displays. Including image of the library.

  • We were given the one of the highest scores in the UK for the National Student Survey with 89% for Q.19 in 2022.  This places us amongst the top in the country for Q19 for institutions included in the Guardian Good University guide! Thank you to our students for their feedback.
  • Our 2021 Postgraduate Taught Experience Survey score showed 92% satisfaction with online Library resources and services and 90% satisfaction with physical Library resources and services and, placing us in the top quartile of participating institutions. 
  • Engagement with the Library’s Instagram account continued to rise, reaching 1,478+ followers at the beginning of 2023.
  • Our Library guide 'Reading for pleasure' continues to grow with collaboration across the University. The guide includes 13 reading lists, 3 book clubs, 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. 
  • We subscribe to PressReader which gives all University members access to more than 7,000 of the world's top newspapers and magazines in 60 different languages.

Photos of displays including the text 'Reading for Pleasure: fiction, non-fiction, films, book groups and more

Online Resources 2021/22

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

  • The Library homepage was viewed 668,363 times in 2021/22.
  • In line with our Digital First approach we continue to negotiate deals to increase the number and range of electronic resources available. In 2020/21 our users downloaded 2.1 million e-book sections and over 3.4 million journal articles.
  • We obtained 3560 interlibrary loan requests for our users.
  • The Library Scanning Service for Academics aims to increase the accessibility of our print collection and The Library supplied 3648 scanned book chapters and journal articles at the start of the 2022/2023 academic year.

Library Support 2021/22

  • In 2021/22 we resolved over 15,657 TOPdesk Library enquiries.
  • The Library's LibChat service allows users to interact with library staff live online during standard working hours and has fielded nearly 190 enquiries last year.
  • The Reader Services team resolved 7,820 queries and printed 7000 Library cards.
  • We responded to 1,052 e-resource enquiries from library users.

Training 2021/22

  • We developed a wide range of online training sessions for students and staff via Teams and Zoom, e-learning courses in Moodle, and online guidance on our webpages. We now offer over 68 device agnostic online Library guides
  • Our Academic Services team delivered over 29 hours of Library training per fte librarian in 2020/21.

Archives and Research Services 2021/22

 

  • The Open Access team answered over 3,477 enquiries.
  • 5,589 E-theses were validated 
  • In 2021/22 guidance produced by our Research Data Service on finding, working with and publishing research data was viewed over 42,000 times, and the self-paced online training modules were used 1,200 times. 
  • In 2021/22 Our Research Analytics Service provided interactive, live online training workshops to 28 students and researchers and fielded over 200 enquiries.
  • We provided secure access to confidential datasets in our Safepod. It was booked 31 times.
  • Archives and Research Collections: Find out what's been happening over the last 12 months.