Will print books survive? Print book circulation and in-house use at a mid-sized academic library

Abstract

The Covid-19 pandemic of 2020–2021 accelerated a long-term trend of declining print book use in academic libraries. At Seton Hall University, recovery has been slow, with both checkouts and in-house use still well below pre-Covid levels. Use of the physical library has also decreased. The decrease in print book use is especially notable among students. However, it is less apparent in subject areas that have undergone systematic inventory, removing outdated books and those in the catalog but not on the shelf, and updating of the collections. This makes for more attractive and accurately represented collections with a greater proportion of newer books, which circulate more often than older books. Use of a prominently displayed New Books collection is especially strong and has returned close to pre-Covid levels, while a recently established Leisure collection is also well used. This illustrates the value of small, carefully curated collections. Given the well-documented value of reading and the notion that eBooks should complement rather than replace print collections, we consider ways to promote use of the physical library and its print books. We incorporate ideas and data from public libraries, which are rarely considered in the academic library field.