Ohio State’s libraries have been named the fifth best in the nation among public universities, jumping seven places from last year’s ranking.
“We are, of course, thrilled to have the efforts of the library faculty and staff, and the support from the university administration, recognized in this manner,” said Carol Diedrichs, the director of libraries, in an email.
The Association of Research Libraries, the nonprofit organization that released the library rankings, is made up of 126 research libraries from research institutions in the United States and Canada.
Diedrichs said OSU made improvements to its libraries since last year’s ranking, when ARL ranked Ohio State’s libraries 12th.
“During the difficult economic times that libraries and universities across the country have experienced, the OSU Libraries has been fortunate that the university has sustained our financial support and increased it in appropriate areas,” she said in the email.
Diedrichs said the university administration distributed new funding to assist with the costs associated with libraries. Those costs include library services, personnel and operations and the purchasing of print and electronic content, she said.
“We scrutinize every expenditure to be sure that it supports our fundamental services and our strategic goals,” she said in the email.
The university libraries are also part of OhioLINK, the Ohio Library and Information Network, which Diedrichs said enables them to negotiate for the best deals of print and electronic materials. OhioLINK is an association of 88 college and university libraries in Ohio.
Diedrichs said however, the most important feature of the university’s libraries are the librarians.
“They are extremely talented in helping students learn to do research, find materials they need … and in teaching students how to find and evaluate resources in print or online,” she said.
But some students don’t use the library’s resources.
Joe Chambers, a third-year in biology, said he hasn’t needed to check out library materials but thinks the university’s libraries are a good place to study.
“It’s a good study environment, and they’re maintained well,” he said.
However students like Emily Sisco, a second-year in comparative literature, said they need library materials for classes.
“I’ve checked out several books last year and never had a problem with it,” she said.
The ARL ranked the University of Michigan first followed by the University of California, Los Angeles. The University of California, Berkeley ranked third with Pennsylvania State University ranking fourth.
Among all 126 ARL member libraries, OSU ranked 14th. Last year, its libraries ranked 23rd.