Overview of Library Use

This section focuses on the big picture of who is — or isn’t — using U-M Library and its services. 

All participants were shown examples of the breadth and depth of the library’s current offerings (books, journals, spaces, experts, online resources, and services). They were then asked if they used the library in any way, and those who said no were given one additional check on this. The numbers below are the results of this query.  

Roughly 84% of our sample had used the library in some way, and 16% had not. Relatedly, 36% of respondents in faculty and similar roles have asked a student or staff to access the library on their behalf; 27% of respondents have served in supporting roles, using the library to support a professor’s or lecturer’s work.

>>> Go to Library Spaces for use of libraries by building.

Use Patterns by Gender, Race, and Other Characteristics

Staff members at U-M are significantly less likely to use the library than are the other groups. For this reason, the statistics for library use have been computed with and without staff members. 

Library use is over 90% for all gender and race groups when staff members are not in the analysis. There are rather similar percentages across most of these comparisons when staff members are not included in the analyses. 

Those who have used the library, by gender identity:

• Female: 82.4% (staff omitted: 94.5%)

• Gender Fluid / Nonbinary/ Gender Queer: 93.2% (staff omitted: 96.9%)

• Male: 86.3% (staff omitted: 93.3%)

• Transgender: 92.9% (staff omitted: 100%)

Those who have used the library, by race group:

• API: 91.9% (staff omitted: 94.4%)

• Black / African-American 78.0% (staff omitted: 92.5%)

• Latinx: 87.7% (staff omitted: 92.9%)

• MENA: 89.7% (staff omitted: 94.8%)

• Multiracial: 87.3% (staff omitted: 94.4%)

• Native American: 80.4% (staff omitted: 90.6%)

• White: 81.3% (staff omitted: 94.3%)

Additionally, when staff members are not included in the analyses, there are similar percentages of use for:

• First-generation students (94.9%) and non-first-gen students (95.5%)

• People from other countries (93.3%) and those from the U.S. (94.4%)

Use by Those with Patient Care Responsibilities

13.3% of people in the sample indicated they have patient care duties. When comparing use of the library by those whose job duties include patient care, we continue to note that staff are less likely to use the library. 

Those who have used the library, as a function of patient care responsibility:

• Job includes patient care: 65.9% (staff omitted: 87.7%)

• Job does not include patient care: 82.6% (staff omitted: 93.8%)

Why People Don’t Use the Library

Those who reported they don’t use the library received an alternate set of questions, including this question that received nearly 2,000 comments, which were manually coded for themes. 

Some representative comments for why respondents don't use the library are:

• “I didn't realize the resources were available or how to easily access materials (e.g., locating online or requesting a copy of an item be set aside for pick up).”

• “I don't know how. Unlike at my undergrad, nobody has walked us through the process of how to access library resources.”

• “I don’t know what is available to me through the university library system. Being a new hire, it was never presented as a benefit.”