University Libraries on the Rise Nationally

University Libraries is closing in on its goal to reach the Top 50 of the Association of Research Libraries (ARL) rankings. University Libraries climbed to 52 in this year's annual ARL statistics, over Vanderbilt (53) and even MIT (75).

The ranking is based on five factors:

Total volumes held

Gross volumes added

Current serials

Total operating expenditures

Number of professional and support staff

"It's true that the UC librarians have made creative and innovative use of technology, but the real reason we're doing so well in collections is a long-term plan supported by faculty, administration and library. Each group has a commitment, and each group makes a contribution to this goal which is not just important, but crucial, to all of us," says David Kohl, Dean and University Librarian. "In the Olympics, that approach worked for the men's hockey team against the Russians, for the U.S. women's soccer team, and it's working for us, big time."

University Libraries is up from 56th in the rankings last year. The Association of Research Libraries is composed of the 120 top research libraries in North America.