Revision of the 2015 ALA Standards for Accreditation of Master’s Programs in Library and Information Studies

Ongoing review of the ALA 2015 Standards for Accreditation of Master’s Programs in Library and Information Studies has culminated in a draft revision. In conjunction with its stakeholders as part of its ALA charge “…to develop and formulate standards of education for library and information studies,” the ALA Committee on Accreditation (CoA) is pleased to be collecting feedback from the library and information studies (LIS) and professional community, educators, students, and the public to provide feedback on the 2022 draft.

The proposed revision is available here [Word] Standards revision for Council

Provide Feedback on the Draft 2022 ALA Accreditation Standards Revision

About the Draft ALA Standards Revision 

The Standards are limited in application to assessment of graduate programs of library and information studies that lead to a master's degree. Identified are the indispensable components of library and information studies programs while recognizing programs’ rights and obligations regarding initiative, experimentation, innovation, and individual programmatic differences. They are  are indicative, not prescriptive, with the intent to foster excellence through a program’s development of criteria for evaluating effectiveness, developing and applying qualitative and quantitative measures of these criteria, analyzing data from measurements, and applying analysis to program improvement. The Standards stress innovation and encourage programs to take an active role in and concern for future developments and growth in the field. The requirements of the Standards apply regardless of forms or locations of delivery of a program.

Please note that the values of equity, diversity, and inclusion are referenced throughout the Standards because of their importance when framing goals and objectives, designing curricula, selecting and retaining faculty and students, and allocating resources. These elements in the proposed revision in particular address this: 

Standard I:  Systematic Planning
The program’s implementation of an ongoing, broad-based systematic planning process involves the constituencies that the program seeks to serve and results in improvements to and innovations in the program.  
I.1.  Mission and goals. The mission and goals of the unit and the educational program incorporate values of equity, diversity, and inclusion.  The program’s goals are consistent with the values of the parent institution and foster quality education. 

Standard II:  Student Learning Outcomes and Curriculum 
The student learning outcomes that students who complete the program achieve, including descriptions of different courses of study, specializations, or other variations and the evaluation of attainment of outcomes collectively across the program.   
II.1.  Ethics and values. Student learning outcomes and curriculum are designed to incorporate the philosophy, principles, and ethics of the field, including the values of equity, diversity, and inclusion, and relevant professional codes of ethics.  

 Standard III:  Faculty 
The faculty who support the program:  their qualifications, achievements relevant to the program, evaluation of performance, and professional development. 
III.1. Faculty diversity. The recruitment, development, and advancement of all faculty reflect the values of equity, diversity, and inclusion.   

 Standard IV:  Students 
The processes and systems which recruit, retain, and support students and prospective students, including the evaluation and continuous improvement of those processes and systems. 
IV.1.  Student diversity. Student recruitment, retention, and support systems address student needs in a global and diverse society, explicitly advancing equity, diversity, and inclusion.   

 Standard V:  Infrastructure 
The administrative, financial, physical, and technological resources and services which support student learning and enable program learning outcomes to be achieved, including the evaluation of such resources and services for continuous improvement.   
V.1. Values underlying infrastructure. Resources and services that affect the program incorporate values of equity, diversity, and inclusion.  Fiscal resources are distributed equitably in accordance with institutional and unit missions.