Facts and Figures
collections
The library collections have grown steadily over time, but recent years have witnessed dramatic changes in the types and costs of resources being collected. The greatest changes in how the collection budget has been spent have been the rise in periodical subscription costs and the rapid growth in numbers of electronic resources.
Boston College Libraries Holdings and Expenditures (including Law Library)
| Fiscal Year | Total Volumes | Total Serials | Expenditures for all materials |
| 2001 | 1,904,938 | 21,397* | $6,704,874 |
| 2005 | 2,124,242 | 52,338* | $7,802,550 |
| 2010 | 2,594,750 | 37,580* | $10,111,877 |
*Paper and electronic serials.
Boston College Libraries Holdings in Electronic Resources (including Law Library)
| Fiscal Year | Total Electronic Serial Subscriptions | Total E-books |
| 2007 | 30,833 | 300,053 |
| 2010 | 25,276 | 307,763 |
More BC holdings and expenditures data is available in the annual Boston College Fact Books.
U.S. Academic Books: Average Prices 2008-2010*
| Year | Average Price | % Increase |
| 2008 | $71.92 | 5.2 |
| 2009 | $74.83 | 4.0 |
| 2010 | $76.58 | 2.3 |
*YBP Annual Book Price Update.
U.S. Periodicals: Average Prices: 2008-2010*
| Year | Average Price | % Increase |
| 2008 | $828 | 8.5 |
| 2009 | $961 | 16.1 |
| 2010 | $992 | 3.2 |
*Library Journal Periodicals Price Survey 2008-2010
The library collections have grown steadily over time, but recent years have witnessed dramatic changes in the types and costs of resources being collected. The greatest changes in how the collection budget has been spent have been the rise in periodical subscription costs and the rapid growth in numbers of electronic resources.