Primary Research Group has released a new report, *Survey of Academic
Library Facilities Management: Control of Decision‑Making*, offering a
detailed look at how academic libraries and campus facilities units
share—or contest—authority over buildings, budgets, and operations.

Based on responses from academic libraries across institution types and
enrollment sizes, the study examines governance structures, satisfaction
with responsibility splits, service workflows, response times, and the
extent of library control over key facilities resources. The report
combines quantitative tables with extensive open‑ended commentary that
reveals how formal policies often diverge from day‑to‑day realities.

*Five Key Findings from the Survey*

1.      *Shared authority dominates—but not without friction.*\ Nearly
three‑quarters of respondents (73.33%) report that facilities
decision‑making is shared between the library and campus facilities.
However, only 48.89% are satisfied with how clearly responsibilities are
defined, while 35.56% report dissatisfaction—suggesting that “shared” often
means ambiguous.

2.      *Campus facilities systems control most workflows.*\ An
overwhelming 84.44% of libraries rely on a campus‑wide CMMS or CAFM system
for work orders, with only 2.22% using a library‑managed ticketing system.
Despite this centralization, many respondents report limited transparency
into request status and prioritization.

3.      *Formal service expectations are uncommon.*\ Just 15.56% of
libraries report having formal, measured service‑level agreements (SLAs)
for routine facilities requests. More than 60% say SLAs either do not exist
(33.33%) or they are unsure whether any are in place (28.89%).

4.      *Routine repairs are usually fast—but often unpredictable.*\ The
most common response time for routine issues is 1–2 business days (42.22%),
followed by same‑day service (22.22%). Still, one in five respondents
(20.00%) report that response times vary widely, highlighting inconsistency
across institutions.

5.      *Libraries control space more than maintenance money.*\ While
64.44% of libraries control space planning and 84.44% control room‑booking
technology, far fewer control maintenance resources. Only 17.78% control
minor repairs budgets, and just 8.89% influence cleaning or custodial scope
decisions.

The report also analyzes differences by institution type, enrollment,
tuition level, building age, and library footprint, and includes detailed
qualitative insights into communication breakdowns, deferred maintenance,
staffing shortages, and contested space use.



*For an excerpt, table of contents and list of participants, use the
following link:*



https://www.primaryresearch.com/AddCart.aspx?ReportID=885