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

The Committee on Accreditation (CoA) of the American Library Association (ALA) announces release of a proposed revision of the Standards for Accreditation of Master’s Programs in Library and Information Studies for ALA Council adoption at the ALA Annual Conference being held in Chicago, IL June 22-27, 2023.

About the Proposed Revision

The Standards are limited in their application to the assessment of graduate programs of library and information studies that lead to a master's degree, the professional degree as designed by ALA Council. Identified in the Standards are the indispensable components of library and information studies programs, while recognizing the rights and obligations programs have regarding initiative, experimentation, innovation, and individual programmatic differences.

The Standards 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 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.

The ALA COA is a leading force in accreditation, having evaluated educational programs to prepare librarians since 1924. The Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) recognizes ALA COA as the authority for assessing the quality of education offered by graduate programs in the field of library and information studies.