This post is my explanation and should not replace you reading information on the ALA web site or talking to your LIS program about its accreditation. This post does not reflect the thoughts, knowledge or views of my employer.
In a conversation today, I was reminded that most librarians do not know what it means for a library program to be accredited by the American Libraries Association (ALA). I must admit that I didn't understand it, until I had to get intimate with the details because of my work. Yes, I went to an ALA accredited program, because I was told that doing so was important. Yes, even when I didn't understand the details of accreditation, I have counseled people to go to a program tjat is accredited. Most libraries seek to hire librarans that have an accredited degree. Without an accredited degree, people often are unable to obtain the jobs that they desire.
What is accreditation?
According to ALA: (bolding added)
Accreditation is a voluntary system of evaluation of higher education
institutions and programs. It is a collegial process based on
self-evaluation and peer-assessment for improvement of academic quality
and public accountability. Accreditation assures that higher education
institutions and their units, schools, or programs meet appropriate
standards of quality and integrity.
Accreditation is both a process and a condition. The process entails
the assessment of educational quality and the continued enhancement of
educational operations through the development and validation of
standards. The condition provides a credential to the public-at-large
indicating that an institution and/or its programs have accepted and are
fulfilling their commitment to educational quality.
Notice that accreditation does not mean that every program is alike. Programs, in fact, can be very different in terms of mandatory classes, exit requirements, and more.
The
Office of Accreditation, within ALA, is the group that oversees all accreditation activities. Besides the staff of that office,
external review panels (ERP) are involved in reviewing each program. On a specific schedule an ERP is assembled and tasked with reading the self-evaluation documents created by a specific LIS program and then visiting that program in order to gather more information. It is the ERP that recommends to the Office of Accreditation if a program should be re-accredited, or if it should be given a conditional accreditation and asked to address specific concerns.
Yes, a program can be given a conditional accreditation (see
glossary) and asked to plan how it will improve. Over the years, many programs have had conditional accreditation, including those that people at the time may have felt were top-notch institutions. Remember that the accreditation review begins with the program assessing itself. If the program isn't living up to what it desires, the conditional accreditation provides a time for the program to step up and get itself back on track.
If you have an ALA accredited library degree (e.g., MLS, MSLIS, MLIS), it means that you received your degree from a library program that has gone through an intensive review and that it meets appropriate standards for quality and integrity. It doesn't mean that you attended the same classes as a person in another program. It doesn't mean that you learned the same things as someone from another program. It does mean that ALA found that you program met its standards.
ALA does not act alone. It is
part of an "accrediting community through recognition by the
Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) and volunteer service with the
Association of Specialized and Professional Accreditors (ASPA)," Therefore, some of what it asks of LIS programs are requirements, for example, from CHEA (e.g., the need to make program assessment data public).
Now that I have become better versed in what ALA accreditation means, I wonder why library professionals rely on accreditation, but don't fully understand it. Yes...I'm asking that of my former self and I think the answer is that no one stands up and tells us that it is important to understand. In addition, none of our non-LIS employers or community members ask what it means. (If they asked, would they sit still for a full answer?)
If you are now intrigued, spend some time on the
web site for the Office of Accreditation. If you are connected to an LIS program (alumni or current student), be aware of the program's accreditation and be willing to help as it prepares for its next review. I am not sure what help you can provide (or what the program might need), but I'm sure they will be happy to hear that you want to ensure that the program remains accredited.
I attended the New England Library Association (NELA) Annual Conference in Portland, ME this year (Oct. 20-22). The conference was attended by approx. 600 people, including people from across New England and from a few other U.S. states. I went in order to participate in a panel session on Tuesday morning and enjoyed the entire conference.
I enjoyed the keynote speaker, Rich Harwood from the Harwood Institute. His presentation about community, and turning outward, built upon what I had heard at the R-Squared Conference last year. At that conference, John McKnight taught us about doing community asset interviews, in order to understand how the library can support the community. The survey sheet that we used in KcKnight's exercise can be found here, along with the interviewer's prompt card. (A video of McKnight is below from R-Squared.) McKnight ties his interviews to the library, while Harwood's focus is solely on the community itself. He wants us to learn as much as possible about the community, without interjecting how the library might help. His goal is that we learn, then find the natural connection. That connection might be something that we do outside of the library or in support of some other group's efforts.
