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Library Statistics: Circulation: Circulation

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If you have questions about the data or visualizations, scroll down to About the Data.

Circulation Over Time

Circulation and Downloads Graph

Circulation and Downloads

Circulation Percent Change

About The Data

  • Initial circulations (excluding reserves), counting the number of items lent, not total borrowers
  • This includes the number of initial circulations during the fiscal year from the general collection for use usually (although not always) outside the library. Numbers include media circulation.
  • This does not include: renewals, e-books
  • This does include: circulations to and from remote storage facilities for library users (i.e., do not include transactions reflecting transfers or stages of technical processing).  
  • E-preferred purchasing policy, effective 2013. 
  • ARL Median calculated to exclude institutions without students, e.g. New York Public Library, Library of Congress.
  • ARL methods of counting students have changed over time. Currently, ARL instructs libraries to use Fall enrollment figures as reported to IPEDS.