Accreditation
The master of library and information science program at The University of Southern Mississippi is accredited by the American Library Association (ALA). It is the only program in the state to hold this distinction. Licensure of the school library media specialist is recognized by the state of Mississippi. The curriculum for the School Library Media Specialist master's program has been approved by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) and the American Library Association (ALA).
Through institutional or faculty memberships, the School of Library and Information Science is affiliated with the American Library Association, American Association of School Librarians, American Society of Indexers, American Society for Information Science and Technology, Association for Library and Information Science Education, International Reading Association, Public Library Association, Special Libraries Association, Southeastern Library Association, Mississippi Library Association, and the Society of Mississippi Archivists.
The University of Southern Mississippi is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.
The Accreditation of Schools of Library and Information Science
Schools of library and information science, under a variety of labels, have been accredited by the American Library Association (ALA) for many decades. The process of accrediting professional education occurs for other fields as well (law, medicine, and many others) and is a nongovernmental system of evaluation that is voluntary.
ALA Office for Accreditation. The ALA also maintains a list of accredited master's programs.
Like other accrediting programs, ALA exists to establish and maintain standards of quality so that graduates from accredited programs will be prepared in a consistent and predictable way as they enter the profession. The ALA is the largest library organization in the world and has members in every kind of information-related institution; however, it is not the only association in the profession and there is some concern that other professional associations, such as the Special Libraries Association, Society of American Archivists, among several others, should have an important role in evaluating educational programs. While this may be an attractive option and has been the object of much debate, this discussion focuses on the accrediting activities of ALA.
There exist two major kinds of accreditation for higher education, one at the institutional level and the other at lower-unit or program levels. Colleges and universities in Mississippi are accredited by regional and national associations, such as the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. Programmatic or unit accreditation focuses on discipline-specific education or training and is frequently carried out by specialized associations like the American Bar Association. In our field, the ALA-accredited master's is considered the standard entry-level degree. For school library media specialists, the same degree with a specialty in school library media from an educational unit accredited by the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education is the appropriate first professional degree.Accreditation in general, and in the case of our profession, is a condition of a program, but it is also a continuing process of assessing and improving the quality of a profession's educational programs. Until 1992, the standards of compliance in our field had been quantified measurements that were assumed to accurately represent the state of educational quality in library and information science programs. In 1992, the Council of ALA adopted new "Standards for Accreditation of Master's Programs in Library and Information Studies," which place more of an emphasis on qualitative assessment. The process of continuous evaluation ensures that the condition of accreditation remains and provides a credential that signifies that the program fulfills a commitment to educational quality.
Working through the ALA Office of Accreditation, the COA proposes a chair of the External Review Panel based on information about the program provided by the school. The chair of the External Review Panel plans the evaluation, advises regarding the appointment of the panel, and assigns responsibilities to panel members. The chair is also responsible for the production of the External Review Panel Report, and appears at the COA meeting when the accreditation decision is made. A school submits a program presentation several months before a site visit by the panel, after which the panel submits its evaluation to COA, which itself makes the final decision.
The process is an excellent opportunity for the school to look at its program and related programs and for the other constituencies to take note of the school's progress. It is an appropriate time for university administrators, alumni, employers, students, and the profession in general to assess a school and its program. As intense as the process can be, it is widely appreciated for its positive effect on the growth of individual programs and for its effect on standards of quality.
Following is a much-abbreviated form of the 1992 Standards (see the complete document):
- I. Mission, Goals, and Objectives
A school's mission and program goals are pursued, and its program objectives achieved, through implementation of a broad-based planning process that involves the constituency that a program seeks to serve. Consistent with the values of the parent institution and the culture and mission of the school, program goals, and objectives foster quality education.
Program objectives are stated in terms of educational results to be achieved and reflect the essential character of the field of library and information studies; that is, recordable information and knowledge, and the services and technologies to facilitate their management and use, encompassing information and knowledge creation, communication, identification, selection, acquisition, organization and description, storage and retrieval, preservation, analysis, interpretation, evaluation, synthesis, dissemination, and management
- the philosophy, principles, and ethics of the field
- appropriate principles of specialization identified in applicable policy statements and documents of relevant professional organizations
- the value of teaching and service to the advancement of the field
- the importance of research to the advancement of the field's knowledge base
- the importance of contributions of library and information studies to other fields of knowledge
- the importance of contributions of other fields of knowledge to library and information studies
- the role of library and information services in a rapidly changing multicultural, multiethnic, multilingual society, including the role of serving the needs of underserved groups
- the role of library and information services in a rapidly changing technological and global society
- the needs of the constituencies that a program seeks to serve
II. Curriculum
The curriculum is based on goals and objectives and evolves in response to a systematic planning process. Within this general framework, the curriculum provides, through a variety of educational experiences, for the study of theory, principles, practice, and values necessary for the provision of service in libraries and information agencies and in other contexts.
The curriculum is concerned with recordable information and knowledge, and the services and technologies to facilitate their management and use. The curriculum of library and information studies encompasses information and knowledge creation, communication, identification, selection, acquisition, organization and description, storage and retrieval, preservation, analysis, interpretation, evaluation, synthesis, dissemination, and management.III. Faculty
The school has a faculty capable of accomplishing program objectives. Full-time faculty members are qualified for appointment to the graduate faculty within the parent institution and are sufficient in number and in diversity of specialties to carry out the major share of the teaching, research, and service activities required for a program, wherever and however delivered. Part-time faculty, when appointed, balance and complement the teaching competencies of the full-time faculty. Particularly in the teaching of specialties that are not represented in the expertise of the full-time faculty, part-time faculty enrich the quality and diversity of a program.IV. Students
The school formulates recruitment, admission, financial aid, placement, and other academic and administrative policies for students that are consistent with the school's mission and program goals and objectives; the policies reflect the needs and values of the constituencies served by a program. The school has policies to recruit and retain a multicultural, multiethnic, and multilingual student body from a variety of backgrounds. The composition of the student body is such that it fosters a learning environment consistent with the school's mission and program goals and objectives.V. Administration and Financial Support
The school is an integral yet distinctive academic unit within the institution. Its autonomy is sufficient to assure that the intellectual content of its program, the selection and promotion of its faculty, and the selection of its students are determined by the school within the general guidelines of the institution. The parent institution provides the resources and administrative support needed for the attainment of program objectives.
The parent institution provides continuing financial support sufficient to develop and maintain library and information studies education in accordance with the general principles set forth in these standards. The level of support provides a reasonable expectation of financial viability and is related to the number of faculty, administrative and support staff, instructional resources, and facilities needed to carry out the school's program of teaching, research, and service.VI. Physical Resources and Facilities
A program has access to physical resources and facilities that are sufficient to the accomplishment of its objectives.If readers have questions about the process or other aspects of accreditation, please contact SLIS. General information about the accreditation process may be found at the ALA Web site under the Office of Accreditation.
