DLS quarterly statistical overview: January - March 2022

The University welcomed a significantly increased number of students back to campus in 2022. All of our libraries have reopened, except for the Medical Library which is undergoing renovations. This means that the library's physical spaces will experience increased traffic. It is important to note as we navigate these statistics, that the first quarter of 2021 only began on 15 March 2021, whereas the first quarter of 2022 commenced on 21 February 2022, making these quarters incomparable. As a result, we anticipate that the 2022 figures will be slightly higher than those in 2021. The total number of library visits from all branch libraries increased from 15 503 in the first quarter of 2021 to 91 6060 in the first quarter of 2022, more than triple the figure from the previous year.

The Research Commons became busier as well, with the Merensky 2 Research Commons being the busiest. Print book circulation also began to rise again in 2022, although access to the study collection is still restricted due to regulations. But these books can be accessed through the Digitisation unit, which digitises book sections on demand. Digitisation, which typically rises annually, saw a 13% increase in the number of pages digitised in the first quarter of 2022.

The library continued to provide virtual and in-person training and consultations. Training sessions for all user groups increased, particularly for postgraduate students, resulting in a 48% increase in 2022 compared to the same quarter the previous year. As a result, postgraduate training attendance increased by 6%. Although undergraduate attendance increased, it remains very low in comparison to what it was prior to the pandemic. Postgraduates typically attend more training than other user groups. Overall, training attendance increased by 30% in the first quarter of 2022. Users also consult their information specialists for subject-specific inquiries; these consultations increased by 25% in 2022, with undergraduate students consulting the most. Training materials are also uploaded on the UP Library YouTube page, where users can watch them at their convenience.

On the other hand, the usage rate for eResources is increasing. In the first quarter of 2022, the number of articles downloaded from e-Journals increased by 30%, while sections downloaded from eBooks increased by 23%. Among the digital resources, the trends show increasing views on subject guides, which increased by 33% in 2022, and website page views, which increased by 28%, the first increase in over 5 years. The new UP journals platform, which currently hosts 14 journals, received 24 204 abstract views and 21 019 article downloads. Furthermore, the Figshare data repository which now hosts 3 484 items, had 84% more downloads and 47% fewer views in the first quarter of 2022 compared to the previous year. A total of 1 385 items were added to UPSpace, however, item views on UPSpace decreased by 21%. It is important to note that UPSpace is currently undergoing a system upgrade.