Volpe Library - Statistics - Circulation
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Circulation

Circulation by Item Location

  2024-2025 2023-2024 2022-2023 2021-2022 2020-2021
Regular Collections 5,318 4,279 4,516 4,321 3,944
Permanent Reserves 57 51 56 60 71
Textbooks / Course Reserves 290 258 339 415 367
Maps n/a 8 0 0 1
Popular Collection 212 138 173 223 377
Craft Center - Smithville 9 47 81 30 73
Women's Center 10 13 21 22 n/a
Technology Equipment n/a 2,149 3,105 3,413 824
Umbrellas 146 123 202 586 245
TOTALS 6,042 7,264 8,578 9,084 5,908

Circulation by Patron Type

PATRON TYPE 2024-2025 2023-2024 2022-2023 2021-2022 2020-2021
Undergraduate Student 4,442 5,766 6,539 4,915 2,451
Graduate Student 282 370 562 814 485
Employee 895 838 985 1,203 1,124
Community Patron 441 290 365 329 499
TOTALS 6,042 7,264 8,451 7,259 4,559

These totals do not equal the circulation by item location totals because this table does not include items that circulate through InterLibrary Loan for other libraries.

Volpe Library Circulation by Call Number

(Books and media*, all locations, not renewals)

Call Number 2024-2025 2023-2024 2022-2023 2021-2022 2020-2021
A (General Works) 5 7 7 10 3
B (Philosophy, Psychology, Religion) 373 265 398 235 334
C (Auxiliary Sciences of History) 28 11 22 20 8
D (World History) 326 253 267 307 295
E-F (History of the Americas) 315 315 280 356 330
G (Geography, Anthropology, Recreation) 130 176 200 151 164
H (Social Sciences) 446 486 523 418 526
J (Political Science) 66 57 64 49 77
K (Law) 60 36 23 31 33
L (Education) 302 143 226 287 193
M (Music) 596 718 360 372 209
N (Fine Arts) 138 121 227 156 244
P (Language and Literature) 1,098 763 874 848 872
Q (Science) 545 386 537 489 361
R (Medicine) 206 181 242 138 154
S (Agriculture) 83 54 80 84 124
T (Technology) 425 323 416 403 393
U (Military Science) 18 27 18 17 20
V (Naval Science) 4 5 12 14 6
Z (Bibliography, Library Science) 33 20 91 37 30
TOTALS 5,375 4,347 4,868 4,422 4,376

*only includes faculty display shelf, permanent reserves, music media, oversized, and the main circulating collection.

 

Notes

2024-2025:  Help Desk Technology Checkouts are no longer tracked in the library system. Checkouts increased in every location of the Volpe Library. Help Desk Technology Checkouts are no longer tracked in the library system. One possible explanation is employees can no longer renew items indefinitely; they must physically return items every three years. These stats do not include renewals, and this is the first year employees had to start their items. Many employees check out items again immediately.

2023-2024: This year overall circulation decreased again. The government document circulation increased by quite a bit, which could be due to cataloging the government document collection so users can find the materials. The circulation of music materials doubled compared to last year. The library has purchased a lot of music scores at the request of faculty, which could account for the large increase.

2022-2023: This year overall circulation decreased slightly, but circulation increased for undergraduate students.

2021-2022: This year the Women's Center began using our library system for their library checkouts. Overall, circulation increased as pandemic restrictions and behaviors were more relaxed except for the main library collection.

2020-2021:  There was much less library traffic due to COVID-19.  Library circulation of the collections was fairly steady except for decreases in textbook/course reserves, popular collection, and umbrellas.  TechCheck was closed until spring semester and then only circulated laptops, which resulted in drastic decreases in technology circulation.

2019-2020: Circulation was suspended after the university went to online classes only in March 2020 through June 30, 2020.

2018-2019: Circulation was decreased by approximately 43% this year, mainly due to the drastic reduction in four-hour technology checkouts.  The TechCheck desk moved back under ITS' management and was relocated by the IT Help Desk.  Additionally, circulation was down in almost all call number ranges and every item location except umbrellas, which increased by approximately 600 checkouts.

2017-2018: Total circulation decreased for the first time since laptop checkouts began. Circulation in most areas was the same as last year or decreased with the exception of course reserves, which increased due to additional available textbooks.

2016-2017: Overall circulation increased again, mostly due to laptop checkouts. This was the first full year all student technology checkouts were at the front desk. The four-day equipment increased due to calculators and the newly-added umbrellas. Circulation of the regular collection increased in almost every call number range.

 

Tennessee Tech Library - more than you expect

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