Evaluation of streaming video usage in a university library before, during, and after the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown

Abstract

As the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown and remote course delivery recede in the rear-view mirror, academic librarians look to what the future holds for streaming video. During 2020 and 2021, library-funded streaming video requests soared while library budgets declined. Librarians are concerned that this trend will continue beyond budgetary limits. This paper describes an analysis of streaming video usage from 2019 through 2022 at California State University, Fresno. The results provide evidence that the elevated growth rate is tapering off at this institution, but the medium remains popular. The impact of streaming media on library budgets and collection development policies is also discussed. Our evaluation is distinguished by the inclusion of data from before, during, and after the pandemic lockdown.