What content do academic libraries rely on most?

In today’s rapidly evolving academic landscape, libraries face the dual challenge of meeting diverse research needs while managing constrained budgets. The recent report from Clarivate, “Current trends in academic library holdings: The evolution towards aggregated content,” offers a timely and data-driven perspective on how libraries are responding to these pressures. Drawing on holdings data from 171 U.S. academic libraries, the report provides valuable insights into collection development strategies and the enduring role of aggregated content – resources that curate content from multiple sources and present it in a single interface.

Aggregated Content: Foundational For Libraries of All Sizes

One of the most striking findings from the report is the high percentage of aggregated content in collections across institutions of all sizes and budget tiers. Whether at a small college or a major research university, libraries consistently allocate the largest share of their content investments to aggregation – from about a quarter of the collections in the largest institutions to one third of the collections in smaller institutions.

This consistency underscores aggregation’s scalable value, predictable spend and broad coverage – qualities that make it a foundational investment for libraries regardless of their financial resources.

While aggregated content remains the cornerstone, the report highlights how larger institutions diversify their collections as budgets grow, with greater presence of reference materials and historical content, including news and periodicals. Multimedia and video content provide important resources, especially in institutions with smaller budgets.

Efficiency, Gap Filling and Better User Experiences

The report explores reasons behind the dominance of aggregated content, emphasizing both strategic and practical benefits for librarians and users such as efficiency, gap filling and predictable spend. Importantly, aggregated databases provide the single search experience that users prefer.

Exploring the Past, Present and Future

“Current trends in academic library holdings: The evolution towards aggregated content” explores the history of aggregation, from the early Dialog days through CD-ROM technology and the transition to web-based platforms to today’s more strategic, user-centered platforms for supporting teaching, learning and research across disciplines and formats.

The report also looks ahead at how the integration of responsible AI is set to transform user engagement with aggregated content. Features such as document-based chat and visualizations are making research journeys more intuitive and efficient.

Download the Report

For a deeper dive into these trends and actionable insights for your library, download the full Clarivate report: “Current trends in academic library holdings: The evolution towards aggregated content.”