Introduction
Georgia Tech, one of the nation’s leading R1 public research universities and the largest institution in the University System of Georgia, has long been recognized for its commitment to innovation and collaboration. With more than 53,000 enrolled students—including over 20,000 online master’s students – the university’s library system plays a pivotal role in ensuring equitable access to resources.
In 2024, the Georgia Tech Library took a bold, proactive step to enhance student affordability and academic success. By implementing Clarivate’s Leganto course resource list solution, the library transformed traditional course reserves into a dynamic, faculty-integrated system that saved students hundreds of thousands of dollars—while directly improving academic outcomes.
Challenge: Moving Beyond Passive Support
Historically, the library’s course reserves service had been reactive—waiting for faculty to request materials or share course syllabi. However, Georgia Tech librarians recognized a deeper challenge: students were facing growing textbook costs, and faculty awareness of open or low-cost educational materials was limited.
Karen Glover, Associate Dean for Research and Scholarly Access, explained,
Solution: A Proactive Affordability Initiative Powered by Leganto
Georgia Tech’s transformation began with a simple philosophy:
The library partnered with the campus Canvas team to implement Leganto, integrating it directly into the learning management system. This enabled seamless visibility into course reading lists and automated linking to available library resources.
With Leganto, the team launched a Proactive Course Reserves Project, identifying textbooks and readings listed in courses and acquiring copies for library access. Once purchased, items were automatically placed on reserve and made visible to students through Leganto’s interface. Faculty were notified that their students now had free access—no extra steps required.
Georgia Tech also introduced a new Affordable Learning Librarian position, dedicated to managing these initiatives and tracking impact. The result was a structured, data-driven approach to student affordability that scaled across departments.
This proactive model fostered new collaboration beyond traditional course materials, giving the library an even bigger impact.
Direct partnerships with departments such as Psychology, Biomedical Engineering, Music and Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) to assess course materials and a device lending program with ECE, allowing students to borrow required hardware (like myDAQ embeds) instead of purchasing them—saving each student over $100 per device.
Through Leganto’s integration and automation, these partnerships became sustainable, efficient, and measurable.
Results: Affordability Meets Academic Success
The outcomes from the first full year of the initiative—2024—demonstrate remarkable impact.
Student Savings
- $195,000 total savings for students through the course reserves program.
- An average of $171 saved per student in textbook costs across participating courses.
They underscore how much of an impact the library can have, and Leganto helps them.
Operational Growth
- Six additional departments joined the proactive course reserves service, including the Scheller College of Business.
- Reading List adoption increased by 24% among departments and 22% among students, reflecting rising engagement with Leganto.
Georgia Tech streamlined how faculty and students access and interact with course materials through Canvas, leveraging Leganto’s integration to create a smooth, cost-free experience.
Academic Impact
Beyond affordability, Georgia Tech measured direct academic outcomes tied to resource accessibility.
A causal analysis conducted by the library’s research team revealed that students who borrowed devices (myDAQ embeds) from the library saw improved GPA outcomes:
- Non–high-risk students experienced a 0.3 GPA increase.
- High-risk students (on academic probation or recently reinstated) saw an even more dramatic 0.9 GPA increase—nearly a full grade point.
As Danielle Evans, Affordable Learning Librarian, explained,
Sustainability and Next Steps
Georgia Tech’s affordability initiative has become a cornerstone of its long-term strategy. The library is now embedded in the university’s capital campaign, with a dedicated Affordable Education Fund to sustain and expand these efforts.
Future goals include:
- Exploring new e-resource packages and vendor negotiations for greater classroom support.
- Continuing causal analyses to further quantify Leganto’s academic impact.
- Expanding campus partnerships to increase faculty participation and visibility.
As Evans noted, the focus is now on elevating the message:
Conclusion
Georgia Tech’s experience exemplifies how a forward-thinking library, can transform affordability into measurable academic success.
By shifting from reactive reserves to proactive engagement, integrating technology seamlessly with faculty workflows, and aligning affordability with institutional priorities, Georgia Tech has redefined what it means for a library to lead student success.
In just one year after implementing Leganto, the university achieve six-figure student savings, expand academic reach, and raise student achievement—turning Georgia Tech’s library into a model of innovation, inclusion, and impact.
About Ex Libris
Ex Libris, from Clarivate, is a leading global provider of cloud-based SaaS solutions that enable institutions and their individual users to create, manage, and share knowledge. In close collaboration with its customers and the broader community, Ex Libris develops creative solutions that increase library productivity, maximize the impact of research activities, enhance teaching and learning, and drive student mobile engagement. Ex Libris serves over 7,500 customers in 90 countries. For more information, see our website and join us on LinkedIn, YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter.
