Benchmarking Database Access in U.S. Academic Libraries

How Institution Type and Funding Shape Resource Diversity and Research Support

Academic libraries strive to provide equitable access to the digital resources their users rely on for successful research, teaching and learning. This whitepaper presents a comprehensive analysis of library database holdings across 171 U.S. higher education institutions, segmented by Carnegie Classification and IPEDS funding ranges. The findings reveal significant patterns in resource diversity, discipline coverage and the impact of institutional type and funding on database access.

Not surprisingly, key insights show that R1 institutions — those with the highest research activity — consistently lead in both the breadth and depth of database holdings across all disciplines, particularly in Historical Research, SciTech, Social Science and the Arts. Masters and R2 institutions also demonstrate strong diversity, especially in interdisciplinary fields and health sciences. In contrast, Associate’s and Special Focus institutions have markedly fewer databases, reflecting narrower curricular focus and resource constraints.

In this paper, we explore:

• • R1 Institutions Lead in Database Diversity
  • Funding Drives Resource Access
  • Masters and R2 institutions show strong coverage
  • Associate’s and Special Focus institutions face gaps
  • Discipline-level trends
  • Equity and coverage

Request a complimentary holdings review to see how your collections align to your institution’s needs.