Annual Report highlights Library success
The report reflects on the Library's achievements for research, learning and public engagement throughout the last academic year.
The Library annual report for 2017–2018 was published this week, in the year that the National Student Survey placed us at the top of the Russell Group of university libraries.
Improvements across the Library mean more people are visiting than ever before. Entries have risen to over 2.6 million, averaging 9.5 entries per minute that the libraries were open.
The data shows that students are increasingly using the full range of Library services. Skills@Library sessions have reached 23,469 students, while the Research Hub use has risen by 50%. The Research Hub is becoming a thriving resource for staff and students with 11,384 attendees across 379 events.
Students have been enjoying the improved Library facilities offline and online too! The new Library website has seen 1.4 million library searches, while almost 15 million students logged on to Minerva, our virtual learning environment. We increased the number of digitised readings provided to students via Minerva, totalling 10,906, so more students could access their core reading.
Thanks to careful management of library resource budgets, we’ve invested in new archival resources. These include The Telegraph Historical Archive 1855–2000 and Secret Files from World Wars to Cold War. We've also opened up online access to the Financial Times and the Times Higher Education Supplement.
Work took place on cataloguing our Special Collections with 9,078 archive materials catalogued, thanks in part to a number of grants and awards to make more collections accessible. Our volunteer programme allowed vital conservation work to take place. Whether visiting one of the five major exhibitions across the galleries or attending one of the 157 events, gallery visitors rose to 29,335.
Whether you see us as a store of knowledge, a place to study and meet, or a learning and research facilitator, it’s clear that students and staff are making better use of the Library.
Read the full report online.
