The Association of Research Libraries (ARL) is a membership organization of the largest research libraries in North America. The ARL has conducted a major survey on the collections, expenditures, staffing, and service activities of its members annually since 1961. The data thus collected combine with earlier data collected by James Gerould to form a consistent dataset covering 1907 to the present. Tennessee has contributed data to the survey since 1963.
Since 2003, ARL has calculated the Library Investment Index, which is “a measure of relative size” and investment among peer institutions that does not serve to measure the quality or success of a library’s services.
Library Investment Index for TENNESSEE (2012-2022)
Fiscal Year
Total Staff
Materials Spending ($)
Prof. Salaries & Wages ($)
Total Library Spending ($)
Index Rank
Rank among U.S. Public Universities
2012
207
12,876,113
5,323,661
24,000,677
56
27
2013
211
14,708,996
5,794,693
26,006,293
50
24
2014
214
14,781,177
5,956,510
26,292,971
49
25
2015
215
14,553,749
6,459,488
27,175,659
45
25
2016
212
14,710,552
6,689,987
27,489,120
47
25
2017
190
15,008,233
7,228,855
29,330,309
42/44
23
2018
196
16,410,751
7,589,470
29,611,059
42
23
2019
204
16,086,455
7,752,499
30,074,049
44
23
2020
209
16,251,653
8,223,896
30,467,831
42
22
2021
214
16,264,516
8,835,095
30,137,673
40
22
2022
209
17,607,542
9,288,288
32,860,675
40
22
Table of Library Investment Index Components for University of Tennessee Libraries, 2012-2022.