This document reports the results of the 31st annual utilization study and inventory of space in North Carolina institutions of higher education as of the fall 1997 semester. Text and 26 tables present data on all branches of the University of North Carolina, all branches of the North Carolina community college system, three private research universities, 34 private general baccalaureate colleges, and one private junior college. The study is organized in four sections: (1) utilization of instructional space, which includes ratios, percentages, and indices that relate the amount of instructional activity to various categories of campus space; (2) interior space characteristics, which describes campus space by the uses and programs to which it is assigned; (3) building characteristics, which cover elements such as building age, condition, and replacement cost; and (4) accessibility of facilities to mobility impaired individuals, both for program accessibility and facility use. An institutional index is appended. (Contains 10 references.) (DB)