Trends in medical school library statistics in the 1980s

Ten years of statistics from over 140 U.S. and Canadian medical school libraries are analyzed to determine trends in library collections, staffing, services, and expenditures. In addition, ratios of use patterns and personnel utilization are shown. Costs over the ten-year period are examined in both actual and constant dollar amounts. The trends in costs show continuous rises in absolute and constant dollars both for materials and personnel. The number of serials subscriptions remained fairly constant while the number of monographs added declined slowly. Collection use grew, although traditional external circulation declined. Interlibrary lending and borrowing increased throughout the decade. Reference service workload increased, while the use of external databases decreased. The longitudinal data indicate trends in medical school libraries that may assist administrators and staff to shape future services, staffing patterns, and budget requests.