This benchmarking study reports on how academic libraries use special collections for exhibitions, instruction, community partnerships, tours, digital outreach, and public programming. The report also examines satisfaction with exhibition space, staffing for outreach, and which activities generate the strongest engagement.
The study finds that special collections outreach is now a regular function for many academic libraries. No respondent said their library never hosts exhibitions using special collections materials. 19.23% host exhibitions monthly, 38.46% quarterly, and 34.62% annually. Instruction and class visits are also frequent: 42.31% host them weekly, 23.08% monthly, and 19.23% each semester.
Community collaboration is widespread. 50.00% of respondents say they collaborate with community organizations on outreach initiatives, while another 34.62% do so sometimes, meaning 84.62% collaborate at least occasionally. Outreach efforts primarily focus on the local community, cited by 46.15%, and students, cited by 38.46%. Faculty, K–12 audiences, and researchers are much less commonly named as the primary audience.
The report also documents important constraints. Satisfaction with exhibition space is divided: 46.16% are very satisfied or satisfied, but 34.62% are dissatisfied or very dissatisfied. Digital outreach is a weaker area: only 26.93% are satisfied or very satisfied with online exhibits and social media, while 38.47% are dissatisfied or very dissatisfied. Staffing is a major limitation, as only 23.08% have a full-time staff member dedicated to outreach or programming, while 61.54% do not.
Among engagement strategies, tours stand out: 65.39% rank tours first or second. Collaborative exhibits also perform strongly, with 69.23% ranking them in the top three.