Library sector finances 2025
11 February 2025 
Noura Mokhtar, administrator
SCONUL conducted a survey of member finances in December and January which provides a sobering snapshot of the financial position facing the sector. The headline findings are that around three quarters of libraries across UK HE (73%) are making cuts to their budgets this academic year in response to the financial challenges facing UK universities, with a mean cut is 8.2%. Cuts range from less than 1% (0.6%) to 30% of total budget. We estimate UK HE libraries will be spending an estimated £51 million less this year than last year. These cuts are, in most cases, far too extensive to meet through further efficiencies and are already having a significant impact on services and staffing across the sector.
The detailed analysis is available to members here