1972-2012: Facts and figures at a glance
Student numbers, catalogues, collection, loan and copying statistics  

Student numbers at WAIT/Curtin University

Student enrolments at WAIT/Curtin have increased tenfold between 1969 and 2010.

  1969 1979 1989 2002 2010
Number of students at WAIT/Curtin 4 520 11 995 14 966 33 240 45 884

Library catalogues

  1969 1980 1992 1995 2002 2010
Type of catalogue Card catalogue for books, print catalogue for journals Microfiche catalogue for books, print catalogue for journals In-house online catalogue CLUE (Curtin Library User Enquiries) for books and journals Online catalogue CLUE+ based on DRA (Data Research Associated) software for books and journals Online catalogue based on ExLibris software for books and journals Online catalogue providing a single search interface for all collections based on Ex Libris Primo Central

Collection statistics

Acquisition budgets have increased markedly (by a factor of 150) since the establishment of WAIT Library and the book and journal collections have grown accordingly.

Further, the shift to electronic journal databases and e-books has enabled the Library, in common with other academic libraries, to provide access to significant collections of scholarly resources outside what was possible in the print-only environment.

  1969 1979 1989 2001 2011/2012
Number of books 24 935 273 555 364 133 584 276 669 813
including c 80 000 ebooks
(2011 figure)
Number of journal titles 2 035 6 137 5 079 15 137 118 424
(2011 figure)
Acquisitions budget $60 000 $502 600 $1 259 000 $5 060 000 $9 040 000
(2012 figure)

Loan and copying service statistics

The number of loans peaked at 4 040 500 in 2001 before beginning a steady decline, reflecting the growing impact of e-books and e-Reserve and the increasing availability of electronic information resources in general.

All forms of copying undertaken at the Library (Xeroxing, photocopying and printing) increased steadily to a peak of around 5.3 million copies in 2002, then began to decline, reflecting the growing preference of clients for storing or emailing information in electronic format rather than making hard copies.

  1969 1979 1989 2001/2002 2011
Number of loans issued 22 075 141 349 367 041 404 500
(2001 figure)
302 000
Xerox/photocopied/printed pages made 30 679 887 977 5 292 497

5 334 440
(2002 figure)

2 990 000
Clients using the microfiche catalogue in the 1980s.Clients using the microfiche catalogue in the 1980s.

Client computer providing access to the Library's online catalogue CLUE, c 1992One of the computer terminals running CLUE in the Library, c 1992.

The information desk in the 1990s.The information desk on level three in the early 1990s.

Clients studying in the Library, 1990s.Clients studying in the Library, 1990s.

The Library's photocopying office in the 1990s.The Library's photocopying office in the 1990s.

 

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