1. Accreditation
Karen L. O’Brien
Director, ALA Office for Accreditation
312-280-2434
kobrien@ala.org

2. Big Picture Questions

What is accreditation and why is it important?

The Committee on Accreditation - what is it?

The Accreditation Process – how does it work?

How are standards developed and applied in the review
process?

What is the profession’s role in the process?

3. Accreditation Goals in Higher
Education

To ensure that post-secondary educational
institutions and their units, schools, or programs
meet appropriate standards of quality and
integrity;

To improve the quality of education these
institutions offer.
Source: Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA)

4. ACCREDITATION
Quality assurance process
Voluntary
Non-governmental
Collegial

5. Quality Assurance

Assures the public and employers that graduates
have received a quality education

Assures students that accredited programs meet
the standards of the profession they seek to enter

Assures ALA members and constituents that the
association is doing what’s important to them:
ALAhead 2010 Strategic Planning process member survey
ranked quality of the professional degree as 2nd in
importance (advocacy for libraries was 1st)

6. Guiding Principles

Accreditation enhances the quality of library
and information services through the
improvement of the professional education
available for librarians and related
information professionals

The spirit of accreditation is expressed
through its constructive approach to
evaluation and assessment

7. The Office for Accreditation
Provides
 administrative leadership for
implementation of the ALA accreditation
program

continuity for the ALA program of
accreditation

8. Office for Accreditation
Responsibilities

Providing programs, publications, and other activities
to promote the awareness and enhance knowledge
about LIS programs

Maintaining schedule of evaluation reviews

Maintaining Directory of Institutions Offering Accredited
Master’s Programs

9. Office for Accreditation
Responsibilities also include…

Coordinating & supporting activities directly
related to LIS accreditation

Maintain relationships with accreditor
community (CHEA, ASPA)

Main contact with programs in process of
review or interested in seeking accreditation

10. Accreditation

Self-review

Program Presentation
Provides evidence for each element of the Standards

11. Accreditation

Collegial peer review process

External Review Panel (ERP)

Six visiting members
Screened for qualifications (team work experience,
education), expertise, and conflicts of interest
 Trained


12. External Review Panel

Chair works with Program and Office for
Accreditation to develop program presentation
and review process and logistics

Chair and program director meet with COA to
make statements and answer questions

13. ERP & COA
To Accredit or Not to Accredit





Panel submits draft of report to program and
Office final report to COA
Program responds to factual errors in report
COA reviews report and prepares questions and
comments
COA meets with Program chair/dean and ERP
Chair
COA makes decision and notifies Program
chair/dean and chief academic officer

14. Categories of Accreditation
Precandidate for accreditation
 Candidate for accreditation
 Initial accreditation
 Continued accreditation
 Conditional accreditation
 Withdrawn accreditation


15. The Committee on Accreditation

1924 – ALA created the Board of Education for
Librarianship;

1956 – the Board became the Committee on
Accreditation (COA).

16. What is COA?


COA is a standing committee of the ALA.
Its charge
To be responsible for the execution of the
accreditation program of the ALA
 To develop and formulate standards of education
for library and information studies for the approval
of Council (ALA Handbook of Organization)


17. COA Objectives



To respond to the content and emphasis of the
Standards for Accreditation adopted by ALA Council.
To incorporate suggestions of the LIS profession.
To conform to good practices in the accreditation
process in accord with provisions set forth by the
Council of Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA)
and the Association of Specialized and Professional
Accreditors (ASPA).

18. Current scope of COA


Master’s programs in library and information
studies that are offered under the degreegranting authority of regionally accredited
institutions located in the United States and its
territories, possessions, and protectorates
By agreement with the Canadian Library
Association (CLA), the COA also accredits LIS
master’s programs in Canada.

19. COA Authority
COA charge:
To be responsible for the execution of the
accreditation program of ALA, and to develop and
formulate standards of education for library and
information studies for the approval of Council.
LIS master’s programs.
Source: ALA Handbook of Organization

20. Development of Standards
Broad-based inclusive process that

Involves members of the profession and public

Culminates in the approval of the standards by
the ALA Council.

21. Current Standards

Adopted by ALA Council in January 2008.

Became effective for programs with visits in fall
2010. Early adopters in spring 2009.

Regularly reviewed by COA with a COA
Standards Review Subcommittee leading

22. External Recognition of ALA COA
CHEA officially recognizes the American
Library Association as the accrediting
agency for master’s programs in library and
information studies.
The ALA is also a member of ASPA and
follows its Code of Good Practice.

23. COA Structure & Organization


12 Members appointed by the ALA Presidentelect
10 are ALA members
Equal mix of academics and practitioners including
one Canadian to represent those programs

Two members appointed from the public at
large to represent public interest

24. COA Terms of Appointment
ALA Personal Members

Four-year staggered terms without possibility of reappointment
Public Members


Two-year appointments and may be re-appointed once;
Cannot be librarians or information professionals or have
studied LIS;
Chair

Appointed by the president-elect for a one-year term; may be
reappointed once.

25. Conflicts of Interest Policy
Typical situations requiring disclosure & review
Current of recent employment by or consulting
arrangements involving LIS programs;
 Close personal relationships with individuals at LIS
programs;
 Current of recent student status at an institution with
an LIS program;
 Any other interest a member believes might prevent
objectivity or cause a reasonable person to believe
member is biased.


26. For More Information
Homepage URL shortcut:
www.ala.org/accreditation

Directory of Institutions Offering Accredited Master’s
Programs in Library & Information Studies published

Historical list of all programs that have been
reviewed and accredited by ALA since 1924

Prism newsletter published twice yearly

27. Key resources online

Accreditation Glossary

Frequently asked questions

Program Presentations Online; some ERP
Reports too

Standards, Policies, and Procedures