May 5, 2016, Medford, New Jersey – According to new research conducted by the Library Resource Guide (LRG) in conjunction with Unisphere Research, library budgets gained strength as the economy improved in recent years. Areas seeing increased investment include staffing and computer equipment. The decline in print acquisitions has leveled off, while ebook adoption has peaked and appears to be slipping.

The results of this new research have been segmented into an overarching Benchmark Study and three independent spinoff comparative reports by library type: the Academic Libraries Edition; the Community Public Libraries Edition; and the Special Libraries Edition.

The reports are designed to provide insight into library budget trends and to help libraries benchmark their spending against their peer group. All four reports are available for $159 each as a PDF download at: http://libraryresource.com/SectorReports/

The overarching Benchmark Study, entitled Libraries Achieve Equilibrium Between Digital and Print as Budgets Advance, is broken down into three main categories:

1. Library Finances: Gaining Ground, Especially in Staffing and Technology Purchasing
2. Digital Library Trends
3. Customer Service Remains the Key Strategy

The Benchmark Study, our fifth annual, features input from 827 library managers and librarians, and provides unprecedented comparative data for similar libraries and a market overview intended to assist library professionals in the budgeting and budget justification process for their libraries. “It’s a critical resource for librarians as they continue to emerge from several years of financial struggles,” says Thomas Hogan Jr, President of Unisphere Research.

Key findings include the following:

• Library budgets, with the exception of academic institutions, have been on the rebound in recent years as the economy continues to gain momentum.
• Although ebook demand has fallen, momentum toward digital continues to build.
• Service is the mantra repeated among libraries today. There’s a renewed push to deliver greater customer service, as well as education on using the digital tools and platforms that are now part of today’s libraries

To order the Benchmark Study? or any of the other three independent comparative reports visit us at: http://libraryresource.com/SectorReports/. All four reports are available for $159 each as a PDF download.

About Library Resource Guide (LRG), Unisphere Research, and Information Today, Inc.

The Library Resource Guide (LRG) and Unisphere Research are divisions of Information Today, Inc., a diversified media company that provides independent editorial content and peer-based market research to targeted communities through its own print and electronic media and custom research projects related to technology in various markets. Unisphere Research has pioneered user group-based research and has built its editorial products in conjunction with its user community-based market insight.