Primary Research Group has published Survey of Academic Library Practices in Staging Special Events, ISBN 978-1-57440-220-9.

This 140-page study looks closely at how academic libraries stage special events such as fundraisers, readings, concerts, theatrical and dance performances, lectures, workshops and other special events. The study gives detailed data on the number and type of special events, the departments involved in their staging, their cost and, when applicable, their revenues, levels of attendance, and overall effectiveness in advancing the interests of the library in the academic and broader community.

The study includes specific information on staffing special events, special events food service, parking and the efforts made to market special events. In addition, survey participants discuss their most effective events, and their plans for the future. The study provides a unique quantitative and qualitative record of the impact of library special events, and their results in terms of attendance, revenues, and other metrics. Data is broken out by size and type of college (i.e. research university, community college, etc.), the average annual tuition rate of the college, for public and private colleges, and by the number of special events staged by the library each year.

Just a few of the report's many findings are that:

• More than 46% of library fundraising events were held in the library itself
• Admission was charged at less than 1% of library special events
• The libraries in the sample presented a mean of 5.9 public lectures each year
• 25.81% of libraries in the sample have a budget specifically for events
• The libraries in the sample attract a mean of 40 people to each musical performance
• 4-year colleges are the least likely to use outside caterers for library special events and just 9.09% of them do so
• Nearly half (48.39%) of the libraries in the sample do not have an events coordinator or director who manages many of the executive functions of event preparation, marketing, and deployment

The study is available in print and PDF format for $80.00. Site licenses cost $169.00. To view a table of contents, list of questions and participants, and sample data, or to order a copy of the report, please visit our website at www.PrimaryResearch.com.