As I was reviewing recent government statistics, I couldn't help feel
some alarm to find that library expenditures in higher education
are no longer included in the summary tables of the DIGEST OF
EDUCATION STATISTICS after 1999:

http://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d03/tables/dt348.asp

http://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d03/tables/dt347.asp

http://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d03/tables/dt422.asp

The libraries' percentage of expenditures 1980-81 to 1998-99
dropped from 2.81% to 2.2%, then dropped 'off the map.'

Not so long ago, the standard for academic libraries called for
devoting 6% to libraries.*

I have to wonder what the lobbyists at ALA, ARL, ACRL, etc. have to say.

Best wishes,

Albert Henderson
Former Editor, PUBLISHING RESEARCH QUARTERLY 1994-2000
Contributor HIGHER EDUCATION IN THE UNITED STATES. AN ENCYCLOPEDIA
(ABC-CLIO 2002)

*Association of College and Research Libraries [ACRL]. (1995) Standards for

college libraries. College & Research Libraries News. 56 (April) 245-57.
Calls
for library's annual authorized expenditures to be at least 6% of the total

institutional expenditure for educational and general purposes.