Circulation numbers continued to rebound from the drastic reduction seen during the pandemic closures, with an overall 17% increase from FY22, and a 39% increase in demand for books from our collection to fulfill requests at USMAI libraries. Loans of library iPads saw modest declines (-5%), and remain low compared to 2019 levels as many USG students purchased personal devices for remote learning. However, demand for library laptops saw a significant rise, with loans increasing 19% year on year.
As always, our Course Reserves section contained physical copies of all available required texts for classes at USG, with over 520 volumes held for student use and scanning in the library. We also continued to make the case with other libraries for ebook purchases of items unavailable in physical format; a notable success saw the Albin O. Kuhn Library purchase several titles required for UMBC classes at USG.
Priddy Library staff again lead the way on USMAI-wide changes in lending policies, as the Access Services Manager helped push for universal due dates for students. USMAI adopted the practice in January 2023, extending the time students had with most library books and simplifying the experience of borrowing from multiple member libraries.
Research Consultations
USG Priddy Library received over 700 consultation and reference questions. Consultations are primarily one-to-one in-depth research assistance provided by subject specialist liaison librarians. Librarians and staff spent 215 hours working with students (undergraduate/graduate) and faculty to meet their research needs.
The University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) and the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) offer programs which have some of the highest enrollment numbers at USG. These programs (nursing, psychology, and social work) also tend to have assignments that require library research. This is certainly demonstrated in the number of student requests received by Institution.
The following chart comparing the types of questions is quite typical of requests received at Priddy Library. All request types are higher at the start of the semesters; more so for the fall semester when most students begin their programs.
With more classes being conducted in-person, Priddy Library also saw an increase in the number of in-person requests. Zoom numbers were lower than the previous fiscal year, however librarians continued to offer consultation appointments virtually in order to accommodate student availability.
Instruction and Workshops
One hundred instruction and workshop sessions were conducted, reaching 994 people. In addition, Priddy Library participated in 17 outreach/orientation sessions with an estimated 956 attendees. The addition of some new workshops this fiscal year accounts for the large increase in the number of workshops from previous years, and with many being offered in hybrid format the number of attendees have also increased.
The fiscal year also saw the return of in-person orientation sessions, where Priddy Library staff actively participated promoting resources and services.
Subject Guides
Research/course guides continue to be a valuable resource for students and faculty. Not surprisingly, usage numbers are highest at the start of the fall semester when the majority of new students start their programs. This is fairly consistent from year to year.
Usage (Gatecount)
Total, 2021 (July-Dec): 14,499
Total, 2022 (Jan-June): 14,692
Total, 2022 (fiscal year): 28,191
Total, 2022 (July-Dec): 23,043
Total, 2023 (Jan-June): 28,667
Total, 2023 (fiscal year): 51,710
Headcount by Area
Headcount by Month
Usage by Hour
Usage by Day of the Week
Total days open (2023 fiscal year): 272
Gate counts indicate that visitors to the library more than doubled during the FY23 period, driven by an increase in materials loans, in-library events, general work, and the opening of the Virtual Reality Lab. Hourly usage remains below the standards set during the pre-COVID-19 years, but patron use of the library as a place to study, socialize, or relax has rebounded significantly since reopening. Averaged hourly statistics during the Fall and Spring semesters indicate monthly increases in library users anywhere from 29%-231% year-over-year, leading to an academic year average increase of over 90%. Possibly not to the same degree, but we anticipate this upward trend to continue, and potentially accelerate if more classes return to an on-campus model, as a large number of USG students have continued to attend classes in primarily or solely online formats this year.