Survey of law library plans for the print materials collection,

LAW LIBRARY PLANS FOR THE
PRINT MATERIALS COLLECTION,
2018 EDITION

ISBN 978-1-57440-498-2

©2018 Primary Research Group Inc.


Law Library Plans for the Print Materials Collection, 2018 Edition

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Law Library Plans for the Print Materials Collection, 2018 Edition

Table of Contents
THE QUESTIONNAIRE.......................................................................................................................................... 11
SUMMARY OF MAIN FINDINGS .................................................................................................................... 17
Role of Inter-Library Loan & Consortia in Shift to Digital Resources ....................................... 17
Trends in Overall Spending on Print Materials, 2016 to 2018 .................................................... 17
Plans for the Print Collection Over the Next Five Years................................................................. 18
Percentage of Book Titles Culled Each Year ....................................................................................... 18
Trends in the Number of Journal Titles in Print Formats Maintained by the Library, 20162018 ................................................................................................................................................................... 19
What is the Future of Print Journal Subscriptions? ......................................................................... 20
Number of Volumes of Legal Encyclopedias Maintained in Print Formats in 2016 to
2018? ................................................................................................................................................................. 20
Number of Subscriptions to Loose-Leaf Services in Print Formats Maintained in 2016 to
2018 ................................................................................................................................................................... 21
Use of eLoose-Leaf Services ...................................................................................................................... 21
Future of Print Loose-Leaf Services ....................................................................................................... 22

Division of the Print Collection Among Primary and Secondary Legal Materials and NonLegal Materials ............................................................................................................................................... 22
Library Use of Print Forms of Directories from 2016 to 2018 .................................................... 23
Law Library Spending on Print Books .................................................................................................. 24
Replacement of Print Books with eBooks ........................................................................................... 24
Library’s Greatest Mistakes in Recent Years in Print Materials Collection DecisionMaking ............................................................................................................................................................... 25
What role has your inter-library loan capabilities and relations with consortia and other
partners played in your print materials culling practices? Does the library maintain
particularly vigorous print materials sharing arrangements with any other institutions?
Broken out by type of law library ................................................................................................................ 26
Table 1 What has been the library's total spending on print materials in each of the
following years: 2016, 2017, 2018? (in $US) ......................................................................................... 28
Table 1.1.1 What has been the library's total spending on print materials in 2016? ........ 28
Table 1.1.2 What has been the library's total spending on print materials in 2016?
Broken out by country ................................................................................................................................ 28
Table 1.1.3 What has been the library's total spending on print materials in 2016?
Broken out by type of law library ........................................................................................................... 28
Table 1.1.4 What has been the library's total spending on print materials in 2016?
Broken out by number of full time equivalent librarians employed ........................................ 29
Table 1.2.1 What has been the library's total spending on print materials in 2017? ($ US)
.............................................................................................................................................................................. 29
Table 1.2.2 What has been the library's total spending on print materials in 2017?
Broken out by country ................................................................................................................................ 29
Table 1.2.3 What has been the library's total spending on print materials in 2017?
Broken out by type of law library ........................................................................................................... 29
Table 1.2.4 What has been the library's total spending on print materials in 2017?
Broken out by number of full time equivalent librarians employed ........................................ 30
Table 1.3.1 What has been the library's total spending on print materials in 2018
(anticipated)? ($ US) ................................................................................................................................... 30
Table 1.3.2 What has been the library's total spending on print materials in 2018
(anticipated)? Broken out by country ................................................................................................... 30

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Law Library Plans for the Print Materials Collection, 2018 Edition
Table 1.3.3 What has been the library's total spending on print materials in 2018
(anticipated)? Broken out by type of law library ............................................................................. 30
Table 1.3.4 What has been the library's total spending on print materials in 2018
(anticipated)? Broken out by number of full time equivalent librarians employed ........... 31
In your view what will happen to your library's print materials collection over the next five
years? Will it become larger or smaller? If so, what areas will be most affected and why?
Will spending remain the same? Increase or decrease? Broken out by type of law library . 32
Table 2.1 Approximately what percentage of titles in your print book collection do you cull
each year? ............................................................................................................................................................. 35
Table 2.2 Approximately what percentage of titles in your print book collection do you cull
each year? Broken out by country............................................................................................................... 35
Table 2.3 Approximately what percentage of titles in your print book collection do you cull
each year? Broken out by type of law library ......................................................................................... 35
Table 2.4 Approximately what percentage of titles in your print book collection do you cull
each year? Broken out by number of full time equivalent librarians employed ....................... 36
Table 3 How many subscriptions to legal journals in print formats did the library maintain
in each of the following years: 2016, 2017, 2018? (include journals available in both print
and online formats)........................................................................................................................................... 37
Table 3.1.1 How many subscriptions to legal journals in print formats did the library
maintain in 2016 (include journals available in both print and online formats)? .............. 37
Table 3.1.2 How many subscriptions to legal journals in print formats did the library
maintain in 2016 (include journals available in both print and online formats)? Broken
out by country ................................................................................................................................................ 37
Table 3.1.3 How many subscriptions to legal journals in print formats did the library
maintain in 2016 (include journals available in both print and online formats)? Broken
out by type of law library ........................................................................................................................... 37

Table 3.1.4 How many subscriptions to legal journals in print formats did the library
maintain in 2016 (include journals available in both print and online formats)? Broken
out by number of full time equivalent librarians employed ........................................................ 38
Table 3.2.1 How many subscriptions to legal journals in print formats did the library
maintain in 2017 (include journals available in both print and online formats)? .............. 38
Table 3.2.2 How many subscriptions to legal journals in print formats did the library
maintain in 2017 (include journals available in both print and online formats)? Broken
out by country ................................................................................................................................................ 38
Table 3.2.3 How many subscriptions to legal journals in print formats did the library
maintain in 2017 (include journals available in both print and online formats)? Broken
out by type of law library ........................................................................................................................... 39
Table 3.2.4 How many subscriptions to legal journals in print formats did the library
maintain in 2017 (include journals available in both print and online formats)? Broken
out by number of full time equivalent librarians employed ........................................................ 39
Table 3.3.1 How many subscriptions to legal journals in print formats did the library
maintain in 2018 (include journals available in both print and online formats)? .............. 39
Table 3.3.2 How many subscriptions to legal journals in print formats did the library
maintain in 2018 (include journals available in both print and online formats)? Broken
out by country ................................................................................................................................................ 40
Table 3.3.3 How many subscriptions to legal journals in print formats did the library
maintain in 2018 (include journals available in both print and online formats)? Broken
out by type of law library ........................................................................................................................... 40

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Law Library Plans for the Print Materials Collection, 2018 Edition
Table 3.3.4 How many subscriptions to legal journals in print formats did the library
maintain in 2018 (include journals available in both print and online formats)? Broken
out by number of full time equivalent librarians employed ........................................................ 40

Table 4 How many subscriptions to legal journals in print formats did the library maintain
in each of the following years: 2016, 2017, 2018? (NOT including those to which the library
maintains a subscription that include journals available in both print and online formats)
................................................................................................................................................................................... 41
Table 4.1.1 How many subscriptions to legal journals in print formats did the library
maintain in 2016 (NOT including those to which the library maintains a subscription that
include journals available in both print and online formats)? .................................................... 41
Table 4.1.2 How many subscriptions to legal journals in print formats did the library
maintain in 2016 (NOT including those to which the library maintains a subscription that
include journals available in both print and online formats)? Broken out by country ..... 41
Table 4.1.3 How many subscriptions to legal journals in print formats did the library
maintain in 2016 (NOT including those to which the library maintains a subscription that
include journals available in both print and online formats)? Broken out by type of law
library ................................................................................................................................................................ 41
Table 4.1.4 How many subscriptions to legal journals in print formats did the library
maintain in 2016 (NOT including those to which the library maintains a subscription that
include journals available in both print and online formats)? Broken out by number of
full time equivalent librarians employed ............................................................................................ 42
Table 4.2.1 How many subscriptions to legal journals in print formats did the library
maintain in 2017 (NOT including those to which the library maintains a subscription that
include journals available in both print and online formats)? .................................................... 42
Table 4.2.2 How many subscriptions to legal journals in print formats did the library
maintain in 2017 (NOT including those to which the library maintains a subscription that
include journals available in both print and online formats)? Broken out by country ..... 42
Table 4.2.3 How many subscriptions to legal journals in print formats did the library
maintain in 2017 (NOT including those to which the library maintains a subscription that
include journals available in both print and online formats)? Broken out by type of law
library ................................................................................................................................................................ 43
Table 4.2.4 How many subscriptions to legal journals in print formats did the library
maintain in 2017 (NOT including those to which the library maintains a subscription that

include journals available in both print and online formats)? Broken out by number of
full time equivalent librarians employed ............................................................................................ 43
Table 4.3.1 How many subscriptions to legal journals in print formats did the library
maintain in 2018 (NOT including those to which the library maintains a subscription that
include journals available in both print and online formats)? .................................................... 43
Table 4.3.2 How many subscriptions to legal journals in print formats did the library
maintain in 2018 (NOT including those to which the library maintains a subscription that
include journals available in both print and online formats)? Broken out by country ..... 44
Table 4.3.3 How many subscriptions to legal journals in print formats did the library
maintain in 2018 (NOT including those to which the library maintains a subscription that
include journals available in both print and online formats)? Broken out by type of law
library ................................................................................................................................................................ 44
Table 4.3.4 How many subscriptions to legal journals in print formats did the library
maintain in 2018 (NOT including those to which the library maintains a subscription that
include journals available in both print and online formats)? Broken out by number of
full time equivalent librarians employed ............................................................................................ 44
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Law Library Plans for the Print Materials Collection, 2018 Edition
What is the near future of print journal subscriptions at your library? Broken out by type
of law library........................................................................................................................................................ 45
Table 5 How many volumes of legal encyclopedias in print format did the library maintain
in each of the following years: 2016, 2017, 2018? Note that the question is about volumes
and not subscriptions. ...................................................................................................................................... 47
Table 5.1.1 How many volumes of legal encyclopedias in print format did the library
maintain in 2016? ......................................................................................................................................... 47
Table 5.1.2 How many volumes of legal encyclopaedias in print format did the library
maintain in 2016? Broken out by country ......................................................................................... 47
Table 5.1.3 How many volumes of legal encyclopaedias in print format did the library

maintain in 2016? Broken out by type of law library .................................................................... 47
Table 5.1.4 How many volumes of legal encyclopaedias in print format did the library
maintain in 2016? Broken out by number of full time equivalent librarians employed.. 48
Table 5.2.1 How many volumes of legal encyclopaedias in print format did the library
maintain in 2017? ......................................................................................................................................... 48
Table 5.2.2 How many volumes of legal encyclopaedias in print format did the library
maintain in 2017? Broken out by country ......................................................................................... 48
Table 5.2.3 How many volumes of legal encyclopaedias in print format did the library
maintain in 2017? Broken out by type of law library .................................................................... 48
Table 5.2.4 How many volumes of legal encyclopaedias in print format did the library
maintain in 2017? Broken out by number of full time equivalent librarians employed.. 49
Table 5.3.1 How many volumes of legal encyclopaedias in print format did the library
maintain in 2018 (anticipated)?.............................................................................................................. 49
Table 5.3.2 How many volumes of legal encyclopaedias in print format did the library
maintain in 2018 (anticipated)? Broken out by country .............................................................. 49
Table 5.3.3 How many volumes of legal encyclopaedias in print format did the library
maintain in 2018 (anticipated)? Broken out by type of law library ........................................ 49
Table 5.3.4 How many volumes of legal encyclopaedias in print format did the library
maintain in 2018 (anticipated)? Broken out by number of full time equivalent librarians
employed .......................................................................................................................................................... 50
What are your plans over the next few years for print encyclopedias? Broken out by type of
law library............................................................................................................................................................. 51
Table 6 How many subscriptions to loose-leaf services that include print formats did the
library maintain in each of the following years: 2016, 2017, 2018? ............................................. 53
Table 6.1.1 How many subscriptions to loose-leaf services that include print formats did
the library maintain in 2016? ................................................................................................................... 53
Table 6.1.2 How many subscriptions to loose-leaf services that include print formats did
the library maintain in 2016? Broken out by country .................................................................... 53
Table 6.1.3 How many subscriptions to loose-leaf services that include print formats did
the library maintain in 2016? Broken out by type of law library .............................................. 53

Table 6.1.4 How many subscriptions to loose-leaf services that include print formats did
the library maintain in 2016? Broken out by number of full time equivalent librarians
employed .......................................................................................................................................................... 54
Table 6.2.1 How many subscriptions to loose-leaf services that include print formats did
the library maintain in 2017? ................................................................................................................... 54
Table 6.2.2 How many subscriptions to loose-leaf services that include print formats did
the library maintain in 2017? Broken out by country .................................................................... 54
Table 6.2.3 How many subscriptions to loose-leaf services that include print formats did
the library maintain in 2017? Broken out by type of law library .............................................. 54
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Law Library Plans for the Print Materials Collection, 2018 Edition
Table 6.2.4 How many subscriptions to loose-leaf services that include print formats did
the library maintain in 2017? Broken out by number of full time equivalent librarians
employed .......................................................................................................................................................... 55
Table 6.3.1 How many subscriptions to loose-leaf services that include print formats did
the library maintain in 2018 (anticipated)? ....................................................................................... 55
Table 6.3.2 How many subscriptions to loose-leaf services that include print formats did
the library maintain in 2018 (anticipated)? Broken out by country ........................................ 55
Table 6.3.3 How many subscriptions to loose-leaf services that include print formats did
the library maintain in 2018 (anticipated)? Broken out by type of law library ................... 55
Table 6.3.4 How many subscriptions to loose-leaf services that include print formats did
the library maintain in 2018 (anticipated)? Broken out by number of full time equivalent
librarians employed ..................................................................................................................................... 56
Table 7 How many subscriptions to loose-leaf services that do not include print formats did
the library maintain in each of the following years: 2016, 2017, 2018? ...................................... 57
Table 7.1.1 How many subscriptions to loose-leaf services that do not include print
formats did the library maintain in 2016? .......................................................................................... 57
Table 7.1.2 How many subscriptions to loose-leaf services that do not include print

formats did the library maintain in 2016? Broken out by country ........................................... 57
Table 7.1.3 How many subscriptions to loose-leaf services that do not include print
formats did the library maintain in 2016? Broken out by type of law library ...................... 57
Table 7.1.4 How many subscriptions to loose-leaf services that do not include print
formats did the library maintain in 2016? Broken out by number of full time equivalent
librarians employed ..................................................................................................................................... 58
Table 7.2.1 How many subscriptions to loose-leaf services that do not include print
formats did the library maintain in 2017? .......................................................................................... 58
Table 7.2.2 How many subscriptions to loose-leaf services that do not include print
formats did the library maintain in 2017? Broken out by country ........................................... 58
Table 7.2.3 How many subscriptions to loose-leaf services that do not include print
formats did the library maintain in 2017? Broken out by type of law library ...................... 58
Table 7.2.4 How many subscriptions to loose-leaf services that do not include print
formats did the library maintain in 2017? Broken out by number of full time equivalent
librarians employed ..................................................................................................................................... 59
Table 7.3.1 How many subscriptions to loose-leaf services that do not include print
formats did the library maintain in 2018 (anticipated)? .............................................................. 59
Table 7.3.2 How many subscriptions to loose-leaf services that do not include print
formats did the library maintain in 2018 (anticipated)? Broken out by country ................ 59
Table 7.3.3 How many subscriptions to loose-leaf services that do not include print
formats did the library maintain in 2018 (anticipated)? Broken out by type of law library
.............................................................................................................................................................................. 59
Table 7.3.4 How many subscriptions to loose-leaf services that do not include print
formats did the library maintain in 2018 (anticipated)? Broken out by number of full
time equivalent librarians employed .................................................................................................... 60
What is the future of print versions of print loose-leaf services at your library? Broken out
by type of law library ....................................................................................................................................... 60
Table 8 How is the library's print materials budget approximately divided between
primary (cases, laws, regulations, statutes), secondary (journals, treatises, books, reference
works, etc), and on-legal materials? The answers should add up to 100%. ............................... 62

Table 8.1.1 What percentage of the library’s print materials budget is accounted for by
primary works?.............................................................................................................................................. 62
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Law Library Plans for the Print Materials Collection, 2018 Edition
Table 8.1.2 What percentage of the library’s print materials budget is accounted for by
primary works? Broken out by country ............................................................................................... 62
Table 8.1.3 What percentage of the library’s print materials budget is accounted for by
primary works? Broken out by type of law library ......................................................................... 62
Table 8.1.4 What percentage of the library’s print materials budget is accounted for by
primary works? Broken out by number of full time equivalent librarians employed ....... 63
Table 8.2.1 What percentage of the library’s print materials budget is accounted for by
secondary works? ......................................................................................................................................... 63
Table 8.2.2 What percentage of the library’s print materials budget is accounted for by
secondary works? Broken out by country .......................................................................................... 63
Table 8.2.3 What percentage of the library’s print materials budget is accounted for by
secondary works? Broken out by type of law library ..................................................................... 63
Table 8.2.4 What percentage of the library’s print materials budget is accounted for by
secondary works? Broken out by number of full time equivalent librarians employed ... 64
Table 8.3.1 How is the library's print materials budget approximately divided into nonLegal Subjects? ............................................................................................................................................... 64
Table 8.3.2 What percentage of the library’s print materials budget is accounted for by
non-legal subjects? Broken out by country......................................................................................... 64
Table 8.3.3 What percentage of the library’s print materials budget is accounted for by
non-legal subjects? Broken out by type of law library ................................................................... 64
Table 8.3.4 What percentage of the library’s print materials budget is accounted for by
non-legal subjects? Broken out by number of full time equivalent librarians employed . 65
What kind of print presence do you maintain in primary legal materials and why does your
library maintain this presence and what is its future? Broken out by type of law library ... 66
Table 9 How much has the library spent on print forms of legal and other directories in the

following years: 2016, 2017, 2018?............................................................................................................ 69
Table 9.1.1 How much has the library spent on print forms of legal and other directories
in 2016? ............................................................................................................................................................ 69
Table 9.1.2 How much has the library spent on print forms of legal and other directories
in 2016? Broken out by country .............................................................................................................. 69
Table 9.1.3 How much has the library spent on print forms of legal and other directories
in 2016? Broken out by type of law library ........................................................................................ 69
Table 9.1.4 How much has the library spent on print forms of legal and other directories
in 2016? Broken out by number of full time equivalent librarians employed ...................... 70
Table 9.2.1 How much has the library spent on print forms of legal and other directories
in 2017? ............................................................................................................................................................ 70
Table 9.2.2 How much has the library spent on print forms of legal and other directories
in 2017? Broken out by country .............................................................................................................. 70
Table 9.2.3 How much has the library spent on print forms of legal and other directories
in 2017? Broken out by type of law library ........................................................................................ 70
Table 9.2.4 How much has the library spent on print forms of legal and other directories
in 2017? Broken out by number of full time equivalent librarians employed ...................... 71
Table 9.3.1 How much has the library spent on print forms of legal and other directories
in 2018 (anticipated)? ................................................................................................................................. 71
Table 9.3.2 How much has the library spent on print forms of legal and other directories
in 2018 (anticipated)? Broken out by country .................................................................................. 71
Table 9.3.3 How much has the library spent on print forms of legal and other directories
in 2018 (anticipated)? Broken out by type of law library ............................................................. 71

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Law Library Plans for the Print Materials Collection, 2018 Edition
Table 9.3.4 How much has the library spent on print forms of legal and other directories
in 2018 (anticipated)? Broken out by number of full time equivalent librarians employed

.............................................................................................................................................................................. 72
What are the library's plans for its print directory subscriptions? Broken out by type of law
library ..................................................................................................................................................................... 73
Table 10 How much has the library spent on print subscriptions to newspapers and
magazines that are not research or professional journals in each of the following years:
2016, 2017, 2018? ............................................................................................................................................. 75
Table 10.1.1 How much has the library spent on print subscriptions to newspapers and
magazines that are not research or professional journals in 2016? ......................................... 75
Table 10.1.2 How much has the library spent on print subscriptions to newspapers and
magazines that are not research or professional journals in 2016? Broken out by country
.............................................................................................................................................................................. 75
Table 10.1.3 How much has the library spent on print subscriptions to newspapers and
magazines that are not research or professional journals in 2016? Broken out by type of
law library ........................................................................................................................................................ 75
Table 10.1.4 How much has the library spent on print subscriptions to newspapers and
magazines that are not research or professional journals in 2016? Broken out by number
of full time equivalent librarians employed ....................................................................................... 76
Table 10.2.1 How much has the library spent on print subscriptions to newspapers and
magazines that are not research or professional journals in 2017? ......................................... 76
Table 10.2.2 How much has the library spent on print subscriptions to newspapers and
magazines that are not research or professional journals in 2017? Broken out by country
.............................................................................................................................................................................. 76
Table 10.2.3 How much has the library spent on print subscriptions to newspapers and
magazines that are not research or professional journals in 2017? Broken out by type of
law library ........................................................................................................................................................ 77
Table 10.2.4 How much has the library spent on print subscriptions to newspapers and
magazines that are not research or professional journals in 2017? Broken out by number
of full time equivalent librarians employed ....................................................................................... 77
Table 10.3.1 How much has the library spent on print subscriptions to newspapers and
magazines that are not research or professional journals in 2018 (anticipated)? ............. 77

Table 10.3.2 How much has the library spent on print subscriptions to newspapers and
magazines that are not research or professional journals in 2018 (anticipated)? Broken
out by country ................................................................................................................................................ 78
Table 10.3.3 How much has the library spent on print subscriptions to newspapers and
magazines that are not research or professional journals in 2018 (anticipated)? Broken
out by type of law library ........................................................................................................................... 78
Table 10.3.4 How much has the library spent on print subscriptions to newspapers and
magazines that are not research or professional journals in 2018 (anticipated)? Broken
out by number of full time equivalent librarians employed ........................................................ 78
Table 11.1 In the past year, how much has the library spent on print versions of books that
are not legal materials? ................................................................................................................................... 79
Table 11.2 In the past year, how much has the library spent on print versions of books that
are not legal materials? Broken out by country ..................................................................................... 79
Table 11.3 In the past year, how much has the library spent on print versions of books that
are not legal materials? Broken out by type of law library ............................................................... 79
Table 11.4 In the past year, how much has the library spent on print versions of books that
are not legal materials? Broken out by number of full time equivalent librarians employed
................................................................................................................................................................................... 80
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Law Library Plans for the Print Materials Collection, 2018 Edition
Table 12.1 What percentage of the print book purchases that the library currently makes
do you feel will be replaced with purchases of eBooks over the next year? .............................. 81
Table 12.2 What percentage of the print book purchases that the library currently makes
do you feel will be replaced with purchases of eBooks over the next year? Broken out by
country ................................................................................................................................................................... 81
Table 12.3 What percentage of the print book purchases that the library currently makes
do you feel will be replaced with purchases of eBooks over the next year? Broken out by
type of law library ............................................................................................................................................. 81

Table 12.4 What percentage of the print book purchases that the library currently makes
do you feel will be replaced with purchases of eBooks over the next year? Broken out by
number of full time equivalent librarians employed ........................................................................... 82
What is the greatest mistake that the library has made in its print materials collection
development decision making in recent years? Broken out by type of law library................. 83

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Law Library Plans for the Print Materials Collection, 2018 Edition

THE QUESTIONNAIRE
1. Please give us the following contact information
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.

Name:
Organization:
Title:
Country:
Email Address:

2. Which phrase best describes your law library?
A.
B.
C.
D.

E.
F.

Law School Library
Law Firm Library in Firm with Less than 150 lawyers
Law Firm Library in Firm with more than 150 lawyers
Government Law Library
Courthouse Law Library
Other (please specify)

3. How many full time equivalent librarians are employed by your library?

Alternatives to Print
4. What role has your inter-library loan capabilities and relations with consortia and
other partners played in your print materials culling practices? Does the library
maintain particularly vigorous print materials sharing arrangements with any
other institutions?

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Law Library Plans for the Print Materials Collection, 2018 Edition

Collection Volume
5. What has been the library's total spending on print materials in each of the following
years:
A. 2016
B. 2017
C. 2018 (anticipated)
6. In your view what will happen to your library's print materials collection over the

next five years? Will it become larger or smaller? If so, what areas will be most
affected and why? Will spending remain the same? Increase or decrease?

Print Book Culling Strategy
7. Approximately what percentage of titles in your print book collection do you cull
each year?

Print Journals
8. How many subscriptions to legal journals in print formats did the library maintain in
each of the following years (include journals available in both print and online
formats)
A. 2016
B. 2017
C. 2018 (anticipated)

9. How many subscriptions to legal journals in print formats did the library maintain in
each of the following years NOT including those to which the library maintains a
subscription that include journals available in both print and online formats)
A. 2016
B. 2017
C. 2018 (anticipated)
10. What is the near future of print journal subscriptions at your library?

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Law Library Plans for the Print Materials Collection, 2018 Edition

Legal Encyclopedias
11. How many volumes of legal encyclopedias in print format did the library maintain

in each of the following years? Note that the question is about volumes and not
subscriptions.
A. 2016
B. 2017
C. 2018 (anticipated)
12. What are your plans over the next few years for print encyclopedias?

Loose-Leaf Services
13. How many subscriptions to loose-leaf services that include print formats did the
library maintain in each of the following years?
A. 2016
B. 2017
C. 2018 (anticipated)
14. How many subscriptions to loose-leaf services that do not include print formats did
the library maintain in each of the following years?
A. 2016
B. 2017
C. 2018 (anticipated)
15. What is the future of print versions of print loose-leaf services at your library?

Primary Vs. Secondary
16. How is the library's print materials budget approximately divided between primary
(cases, laws, regulations, statutes), secondary (journals, treatises, books, reference
works, etc.), and on-legal materials? The answers should add up to 100%.
A. Primary Works
B. Secondary Works
C. Non-Legal Subjects

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Law Library Plans for the Print Materials Collection, 2018 Edition
17. What kind of print presence do you maintain in primary legal materials and why
does your library maintain this presence and what is its future?

Non-Legal Subject Materials
18. How much has the library spent on print forms of legal and other directories in the
following years?
A. 2016
B. 2017
C. 2018 (anticipated)
19. What are the library's future plans for its print directory subscriptions?
20. How much has the library spent on print subscriptions to newspapers and
magazines that are not research or professional journals in each of the following
years?
A. 2016
B. 2017
C. 2018 (anticipated)
21. In the past year, how much has the library spent on print versions of books that are
not legal materials?
22. What percentage of the print book purchases that the library currently makes do
you feel will be replaced with purchases of eBooks over the next year?
23. What is the greatest mistake that the library has made in its print materials
collection development decision making in recent years?

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Law Library Plans for the Print Materials Collection, 2018 Edition

PARTICIPANTS LIST
Alberta Law Libraries
Barclay Damon LLP
Bibliotheque de droit Michel-Bastarache - Universite de Moncton
Bloomberg BNA
Buchalter
City of Toronto
Conyers Dill & Pearman
Court of Appeal Law Library
Courts Administration Service, Library Services
Denton County Law Library
Department of Justice Canada
Drake Law Library
Fairfax Public Law Library
Federal Reserve Board Law Library
Fowler School of Law at Chapman University
Frost Brown Todd LLC
Gardiner Roberts LLP
Groom Law Group
Jeffer Mangels Butler and Mitchell LLP
Kegler Brown Hilll + Ritter
Law Library Association of St. Louis
Lawson Lundell LLP
Manitoba Law Library Inc.
Maryland State Law Library
Mayer Brown LLP
Montgomery County Circuit Law Library
National Judicial Institute
Nossaman LLP
Parsons Behle & Latimer

Saint John Law Society
Superior Court Law Library Resource Center, Maricopa County
Widener Univ. Delaware Law School
Wyrick Robbins

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Law Library Plans for the Print Materials Collection, 2018 Edition

Characteristics of the Sample
Country:
#
United States
Canada

Total

24
10
34

Which phrase best describes your law library?
#
Law School Library
Law Firm Library in
Firm with Less than 150
lawyers
Law Firm Library in
Firm with more than

150 lawyers
Corporate/Government
Law Library
Courthouse Law Library

Total

4

7

6
10
7
34

How many full time equivalent librarians are employed by your library?
#
Less than 2
2 ----3
More than 3

12
12
10

Total

34

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Law Library Plans for the Print Materials Collection, 2018 Edition

SUMMARY OF MAIN FINDINGS
Role of Inter-Library Loan & Consortia in Shift to Digital Resources
We asked: What role has your inter-library loan capabilities and relations with consortia
and other partners played in your print materials culling practices? Does the library
maintain particularly vigorous print materials sharing arrangements with any other
institutions?

In general, inter-library loan is less important for law libraries than for many other types of
libraries. However, many law firm libraries emphasized their relationships with local
public and university law libraries, as well as those of other firms. Corporate and
government law libraries seem more involved in inter-library loan than we had expected.

Trends in Overall Spending on Print Materials, 2016 to 2018
We asked what had been total library spending on print materials in three years, 2016,
2017 and estimated for 2018. Print spending for the libraries in the sample was a mean of
$451,309 in 2016. It dropped to $404, 083 in 2017, a decline in nominal terms of 10.46. In
2018 mean spending on print resources for the libraries sampled is expected to drop
precipitously once again, to a mean of $367,342, or by 9.092%. Over the three-year period
drops by major law firms with more than 150 lawyers are a shade more than average for
all law libraries sampled, as spending on print materials drops from $558,901 to a mean of
$447,100, a drop of 20%. For law school libraries sampled, the drop was from $263,945 to
$215,000, a cumulative decrease of $37,945, or 14.38%. For smaller law firms the drop
was to $185,292 from $210, 541, a cumulative drop of $25,249 or 12%. For the corporate
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Law Library Plans for the Print Materials Collection, 2018 Edition
and government libraries in the sample the decline in spending on print materials was
more substantial, falling from a mean of $772,162 to $616, 263, a decrease of 20.19%. For
courthouse libraries, the drop was less extreme, from a mean of $174,286 to $171,857 or
only 1.4%.

Plans for the Print Collection Over the Next Five Years
We asked: In your view what will happen to your library's print materials collection over
the next five years? Will it become larger or smaller? If so, what areas will be most affected
and why? Will spending remain the same? Increase or decrease?

Three out of the four university library respondents planned to increase their print
collections. For the smaller law firm libraries, those in firms with less than 150 lawyers,
the majority were planning on decreasing spending. For the major law firm libraries, all
were planning on print cutbacks. For corporate and government law libraries, virtually all
planned to continue to shrink the print collection. The situation was more mixed among the
courthouse law libraries but, even among them, about believed that they would shrink the
print collection, but this sentiment was least strong among them compared to other types
of law libraries.

Percentage of Book Titles Culled Each Year
We asked: Approximately what percentage of titles in your print book collection do you
cull each year?

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Law Library Plans for the Print Materials Collection, 2018 Edition
The overall mean was 9.43% with a median of 10% and a range of 1% to 27.5%. Small law

firm libraries were most ardent cullers, and they eliminated 11.25% of their stock of print
titles each year; corporate/government libraries were the least enthusiastic, culling an
annual mean of 7.29% of their book collections.

Trends in the Number of Journal Titles in Print Formats Maintained by the Library,
2016-2018
We asked: How many subscriptions to legal journals in print formats did the library
maintain in 2016 (include journals available in both print and online formats)? We also
asked about 2017 and 2018. In 2016 the median number of print subscriptions was 20
through the mean was much higher, 132.88 reflecting the few government and courthouse
libraries with a great number of subscriptions. The median fell to 10 in 2017, and the mean
to 126.12. The median remained at 10 in 2018 though the mean fell again, to 121.621.

Next, we asked: How many subscriptions to legal journals in print formats did the library
maintain in 2016 (NOT including those to which the library maintains a subscription that
include journals available in both print and online formats)?

For these “pure print” subscriptions, the mean was 59.9 and the median 15. Most of the
print subscription volume was in larger law libraries with more than 3 full time equivalent
librarians, though it should be noted that many of these were not university law libraries.
Indeed, it was larger government and courthouse law libraries that seemed to be the
mainstay for print journal subscriptions. In 2017 the mean number of pure print journal
subscriptions dropped substantially, to a mean of 43.41 and a median of 10. The median
dropped by 33% and the mean by nearly 28% -- in a single year. The drop continues in
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2018 but will be much more modest, falling to a median of 8, a 20% drop, and a mean of
40.83, a decline of about 6%.

What is the Future of Print Journal Subscriptions?
As an open ended question we asked: What is the near future of print journal subscriptions
at your library?

In university libraries most survey participants have either eliminated or will eliminate
them, with occasional exceptions for a few faculty members. The outlook for print was a
little bit more favourable from librarians at small law firms (less than 150 lawyers); most
plan on going in an online direction but print still plays a role. Librarians at major law firm
(more than 150 lawyers) in the sample were even less supportive of print journals, but
they still play a modest role for some. Government and corporate libraries had similar
sentiments and most courthouse libraries had or will eliminate print journals completely.

Number of Volumes of Legal Encyclopedias Maintained in Print Formats in 2016 to
2018?
We asked: How many volumes of legal encyclopedias in print format did the library
maintain in each of the following years? Note that the question is about volumes and not
subscriptions. The mean was 123.22 but the median was only 2.0. Corporate/government
libraries had the most – a mean of 250.63 and small law firm libraries the least, a mean of
45. The mean dropped slightly to 122.89 in 2017 with much of the drop coming from law
school libraries in the sample, whose mean holdings dropped from 67.33 to 33.33 volumes,
a decline of more than 50% in one year.

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Law Library Plans for the Print Materials Collection, 2018 Edition
The overall decline is expected to accelerate in 2018, falling to a mean of 113,81, this time
fueled by cuts by major law firm libraries, whose mean in the sample drops to 16 volumes
from 81 the year before.

Number of Subscriptions to Loose-Leaf Services in Print Formats Maintained in 2016 to
2018
We asked: How many subscriptions to loose-leaf services that include print formats did the
library maintain in each of the following years? (2016, 2017 and 2018). For 2016 the
mean was 102.38 with a median of 30 and a range of 0 to 620. Canadian law libraries in the
sample maintained far more loose-leaf services than did their USA counterparts; a mean of
182.13 for the former and 62.5 for the latter.

The mean fell somewhat in 2017 to 94.25 while the median fell precipitously, to 19,
suggesting very broad-based cuts but that those institutions with a lot of paper
subscriptions might be committed to maintaining them. The fall in the mean was 8% but in
the median it was 36.67%. For 2018, subscribing to loose leaf services continued to fall off,
but somewhat more modestly, drop in the mean was to 88.42, a decline of about 6.2%
while the fall in the median, to 18 was similar to the drop in the median, in this latter case,
about 5.3%.

Use of eLoose-Leaf Services
We asked How many subscriptions to loose-leaf services that do not include print formats
did the library maintain in each of the following years? Essentially these are digitizations
that replace loose-leaf services but perform the same function on an electronic platform.
The mean number of such subscriptions maintained was 11.44 in 20016 with a median of 0
and a range of 0 to 48. All such subscriptions at the time were in the United States, and
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most were taken out by law firms. The mean rose to 12.19 in 2017 with much of the
increase coming from Canadian sources. The mean dipped in 2018 to 11.88.

Future of Print Loose-Leaf Services
We asked the open ended question: What is the future of print versions of print loose-leaf
services at your library? Broken out by type of law library

Some of the university libraries are trying to arrange access to eLoose-leaf. Most law firms
are reducing but maintaining digital access when provided. Some will use print loose-leaf
when there is no subscriber relationship with a publisher’s digital resources.

Division of the Print Collection Among Primary and Secondary Legal Materials and
Non-Legal Materials
We asked: How is the library's print materials budget approximately divided between
primary (cases, laws, regulations, statutes), secondary (journals, treatises, books, reference
works, etc.), and on-legal materials? The answers should add up to 100%.

Overall primary works accounted for a mean of 25.78% of the sampled libraries print
materials budget with a median of 30% and a range of 0 to 70%. The mean was much
higher in the USA than in Canada; 29.58% for the former, 16.75% for the latter. It was
highest for courthouse law libraries, at 43%, and lowest for small law firm libraries, at
14.5%. In contrast, secondary works accounted for a mean of 65.74% of the print
materials budget for the libraries sampled, with a median of 70% and a range of 25% to

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Law Library Plans for the Print Materials Collection, 2018 Edition
95%. It was lowest for courthouse libraries, at 50%, and highest for small law firm
libraries, at 78.83%.

Non-legal content accounted for 8.48% of the print materials budgets of the libraries
sampled, with a median of 8% and a range of 0 to 50%. It was lowest for large law firm

libraries, at 4.17%, and highest for government/corporate law libraries, at 14.71%.

Library Use of Print Forms of Directories from 2016 to 2018
We asked: How much has the library spent on print forms of legal and other directories in
the following years? We asked about 2016, 2017 and 2018. For 2016, mean spending was
$1,549 with a median of $200 and a range of 0 to $17,000. Spending was much higher in
the USA than in Canada, $1820 vs $680. Most spending was by courthouse and other
government libraries. Law firms spent little and universities, nothing. Spending fell to a
mean of $1,454 in 2017 though the median rose to $300 with the range remaining the
same. Mean spending rose in the USA to $1796 but fell in Canada to $360. Spending
remained more or less the same in 2018 in real terms, at $1452 though the median was
only $125. Spending configuration by type of library has not changed much since 2016.

In 2016, the libraries in the sample spent a mean of $3141 on print subscriptions to
newspapers and magazines that were not research or professional journals. Courthouse
libraries spent the least, a mean of only $420, and small law firm libraries the most, a mean
of $5764. Spending dropped to a mean of $2951 in 2017, a decline of a shade more than
6%. The drop in university spending was significant, a fall to $1,800 from $2138, drop of
15.8%. Spending by Canadian libraries in the sample actually increased, from a mean of
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Law Library Plans for the Print Materials Collection, 2018 Edition
$3547 to $3687, an increase of 3.95%. For US-law libraries in the sample, annual spending
fell sharply, to $2,680, a drop of 10.4%.

Overall spending continued to fall, albeit more modestly, in 2018, to a mean of $2882, a
small drop of 2.37%. Canadian library spending fell to a mean of $3487, a decline of
5.42%, while US libraries sampled continued to drop, but just slightly, to a mean of $2659,
or a decline of 0.7% or less than 1%. Law schools continued their precipitous descent,

dropping to a mean of $1800 to $1450, or by 19.44%.

Law Library Spending on Print Books
We asked: In the past year, how much has the library spent on print versions of books that
are not legal materials? Mean spending was only $381 with a paltry median of $100 and a
range of 0 to $2000. Most spending was by larger corporate, government and law firm
libraries.

Replacement of Print Books with eBooks
We asked: What percentage of the print book purchases that the library currently makes do
you feel will be replaced with purchases of eBooks over the next year?
The mean was only 10.29% with most plans for substitutions accounted for by larger law
firm and government libraries.

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Law Library Plans for the Print Materials Collection, 2018 Edition

Library’s Greatest Mistakes in Recent Years in Print Materials Collection DecisionMaking
We asked: What is the greatest mistake that the library has made in its print materials
collection development decision making in recent years?

Responses varied but generally librarians sampled felt that they had not been sufficiently
aggressive in eliminating holdings in print formats. Several felt that they had listened too
much to a small contingent in their organizations that wanted to hold on to print resources.

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