ALA Committee on Accreditation
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| ALA Committee on Accreditation | |
|---|---|
| Name | ALA Committee on Accreditation |
| Abbreviation | COA |
| Formation | 1925 |
| Headquarters | Chicago |
| Leader title | Chair |
| Leader name | Mary Jo Phinney |
| Parent organization | American Library Association |
ALA Committee on Accreditation is the principal body responsible for evaluating and recognizing professional library science and information science programs in the United States and internationally under the auspices of the American Library Association. It develops and enforces standards that guide curricular design at graduate schools such as Columbia University, Syracuse University, University of Illinois Urbana–Champaign and monitors program compliance through peer review teams drawn from institutions including University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and University of Washington. The committee's work intersects with organizations like the Council for Higher Education Accreditation, Association of American Universities, Association of Research Libraries, and accrediting processes used by Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology and Council on Education for Public Health.
History
The committee traces origins to early 20th-century professionalization efforts led by figures associated with Melvil Dewey, Carnegie Corporation of New York, and the establishment of training at Columbia University and McGill University. It formalized standards in response to initiatives by National Education Association delegates and worked alongside entities such as the American Association of Universities and the Association of American Colleges and Universities during the post-World War II expansion of higher education. Landmark moments include revisions after reports from The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and consultations with U.S. Department of Education policy frameworks, and program adjustments following technological shifts influenced by Internet Archive, Microsoft Research, and Google Research developments. The committee has periodically revised criteria in reaction to studies by Institute of Museum and Library Services, analyses in journals like American Libraries and Journal of Academic Librarianship, and recommendations from the Council on Library and Information Resources.
Purpose and Functions
The committee's mandate aligns with standards-setting organizations such as the Council for Higher Education Accreditation, American Council on Education, and Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business insofar as creating measurable benchmarks. It articulates competencies drawing from professional bodies including Public Library Association, Association of College and Research Libraries, Special Libraries Association, and Medical Library Association. Functions include site visit coordination with peers from institutions like Rutgers University, Indiana University Bloomington, and University of Michigan, policy issuance paralleling practices at American Bar Association and Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology, and maintenance of lists similar to those published by Times Higher Education and U.S. News & World Report.
Accreditation Standards and Criteria
Standards reference curricular elements found at programs in University of California, Los Angeles, University of Texas at Austin, and Simmons University, and require alignment with competencies endorsed by Association of Research Libraries, Special Libraries Association, and Digital Library Federation. Criteria address faculty qualifications drawn from institutions like Princeton University, Harvard University, and Yale University; student learning outcomes influenced by reports from American Association of University Professors and evidence-based practice models popularized by Cochrane Collaboration; and resources comparable to collections at Library of Congress, New York Public Library, and British Library. Standards have been revised to incorporate digital scholarship expectations similar to work by National Digital Information Infrastructure and Preservation Program and Open Archives Initiative.
Accreditation Process and Procedures
The process mirrors peer-review workflows used by Association of American Medical Colleges and includes self-study preparation, peer-review site visits, and committee determinations. Programs submit documentation following templates akin to those used by Higher Learning Commission and Middle States Commission on Higher Education, receive evaluation by visiting teams composed of faculty from schools such as University of North Carolina at Greensboro and San Jose State University, and may receive outcomes comparable to accreditation decisions of Southern Association of Colleges and Schools like full accreditation, conditional status, or probation. Procedures involve appeals and compliance reporting in ways parallel to practices at Joint Commission and Council on Education for Public Health.
Governance and Membership
The committee is appointed by the American Library Association Council and draws members from a cross-section of institutions including Emporia State University, University of Maryland, College Park, Rutgers University–New Brunswick, and corporate representatives from entities such as OCLC and ProQuest. Governance follows bylaws resembling those of American Library Association and interacts with units like the ALA Office for Accreditation and ALA Executive Board. Members include educators, practitioners, and sometimes international liaisons from University College London and University of Toronto. The committee coordinates with external stakeholders including state boards like the California State University system and national funders such as Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
Impact and Criticism
Accreditation by the committee affects program reputation in rankings by U.S. News & World Report, graduate placements at organizations such as National Library of Medicine, Smithsonian Institution, and Brookings Institution, and eligibility for federal funding administered by National Science Foundation and Institute of Museum and Library Services. Critics from programs at institutions like California State University, Long Beach and commentators in Chronicle of Higher Education have argued that standards can be prescriptive in ways that echo debates involving Association of American Universities and American Association of University Professors, potentially constraining innovation seen in curricula influenced by MIT Media Lab or Stanford University. Debates have engaged scholars associated with UNC Press and advocacy groups such as ALA Office for Diversity, Literacy and Outreach Services.
Notable Accredited Programs and Institutions
Prominent accredited programs include those at Syracuse University, University of Illinois Urbana–Champaign, University of Washington, Columbia University, Pratt Institute, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Indiana University Bloomington, University of Michigan, Rutgers University, University of Texas at Austin, University of California, Los Angeles, San Jose State University, Simmons University, Emporia State University, University of Maryland, College Park, University of Toronto Faculty of Information, University College London Department of Information Studies, McGill University School of Information Studies, Florida State University, University of Iowa, University of Pittsburgh, Kent State University, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Queens College, City University of New York, University of Alabama, University of Kentucky, LIS Program at Drexel University, Northumbria University, University of Sheffield, University of Strathclyde, University of Sydney.