Libraries Annual Report 2024/25
This years annual report celebrates advances in student education, open scholarship and community building in 2024/25.
The Libraries Annual Report 2024/25 highlights how our teams have advanced the University’s strategic mission through innovation, collaboration and dedication.
With over 2 million visits and 14.8 million website interactions, the Libraries serve all members of our community. From transforming student learning to enabling global research collaboration, staff and students are shaping a future where knowledge is open, inclusive and makes a difference in the world.
By working in partnership with colleagues across the University, our students and the wider public, we unlock new possibilities for learning and discovery that can transform lives. This annual report showcases the extent of that impact. It’s a privilege to celebrate another successful year advancing ourLibraries’ Vision for 2030: Knowledge for All, in alignment with the University’s strategic priorities, and we look forward to building on this success in the years ahead.
This year, the report showcases case studies about our innovative partnerships to embed academic and digital skills within the curriculum, empowering students to develop and succeed.
Some of the other highlights of the last academic year include:
Empowering student education
We delivered exceptional student experiences that help students thrive:
- 91.5% NSS score for library services—above the sector average
- Over 31,500 students benefited from academic and digital skills teaching
- Writing Space visits increased by 216%, building confidence and ability
- Enabled access to 2,819 reading lists and 4,800 digitised items, enriching student education, whilst encouraging colleagues to enrich those reading lists with diverse and decolonised perspectives.
Spaces to inspire
Major refurbishments created modern, sustainable environments for collaboration and wellbeing:
- New Health Sciences collaborative learning space with biophilic design
- Launch of the new Skills Space in Laidlaw Library
- Revitalised postgraduate study rooms in Brotherton Library
Global knowledge leadership
Through initiatives like the Knowledge Equity Network and the inaugural Knowledge Futures Symposium, we shaped international conversations on equity, innovation and the future of knowledge.
Leading open scholarship
We strengthened Leeds’ position as a leader in open scholarship with:
- over 1,100 active users of the Open Research Hub
- 6,121 research outputs made openly available
- launch of the Open Books Programme and partnerships like Sylla, transforming access to educational resources.
Driving digital transformation
Highlights this year in digital innovation included:
- IIIF adoption for cultural collections
- successful delivery of Phase 1 of the Digital Library Infrastructure Project
- introduced tools like Lean Library and the Sentry app to enhance user experience.
Explore the full report to discover how the Libraries partner with colleagues across education, research and professional services to deliver Knowledge for All.
