Quick Facts and Data
The UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON LIBRARIES is ranked in the TOP TEN of U.S. public research university libraries according to the Association of Research Libraries (ARL). UW Libraries Assessment Team facilitates annual data collection and other assessment projects to gain insight into user needs and the impact of UW Libraries services for UW teaching, learning and research.
By the Numbers
Our People
- 296 Student Employees
- 334 Full Time Employees
- 137 Librarians
- 198 Professional and support staff
Teaching & Learning
- 681 library instruction sessions reach over 17,000 students
- 500 students attend Graduate Student Research Institute (GSRI)
- 30,000 views of the Undergraduate Research Tutorial
- 24,000+ research questions answered
- 14,000 answered online via 24/7 chat services
- 1,500 research consultations
Collections & Use
- 7.73 million unique titles (includes nearly 200,000 physical and streaming films)
- 2.13 million electronic books; 590,000 e-book uses
- 326,000 electronic journals and periodicals
- 5.7 million licensed journal article downloads
- 693 databases: 6.9 million database searches
- 42,000 items in the digital institutional repository; over 340,000 downloads
- 50,000 items provided through inter-library loan
- 12,000+ items received preservation services including 15TB of digital material.
Annual Visits
- 2.69 million annual library visits
- 1.27 million: Suzzallo and Allen Libraries – largest library in the system
- 979,000: Odegaard Undergraduate Library
- 209,000: UW Bothell Library
- 62,000: UW Tacoma Library
50+ Public Exhibit and Community Events- Performances, Screenings, Book Talks and More.
Faculty POV
Libraries annual surveys assess student and faculty needs and engagement. In the most recent 2023 survey, the majority of faculty named the following benefits as the most important library contributions to their work (not ranked in order):
- Use of collections and journals as a core resource
- Keeping current in their field
- Being a more productive researcher
Community Support
The majority of UW Libraries budget is dependent on state operating and general funds that are subject to fluctuating economic factors and priorities. Annual donor support provides essential resources to fund some of the libraries’ most critical and emerging needs.
Locations
15 Libraries, 3 Campuses:
- UW Bothell
- UW Tacoma
- Friday Harbor Labs (San Juan Island)
- Odegaard Undergraduate Library
- Suzzallo and Allen Libraries
- Tateuchi East Asia
- Engineering
- Foster Business
- Health Sciences
- Mathematics
- Built Environments
- Art
- Drama
- Music
* All data from FY2025 unless otherwise cited. (1) Student employees reported as number of students, not their Full Time Equivalent (FTE); (2) instruction data FY2024; (3) Endowment as of August 2025.