Accreditation and Libraries

If you’re new to library land, you might be unaware of the impact that accreditation can have on your library.  Accreditation is the process whereby a college or university demonstrates that it meets the necessary standards of quality to be accredited.  Colleges that don’t meet these standards cannot offer students federal financial aid, which would prevent most students from being able to attend those colleges.

So, preparing your library for its part in the accreditation of your college is incredibly important.  My college is preparing for our Middle States visit this spring, so I thought I’d share some advice I have gleaned during this process.

1. Review the expected evidence needed for libraries as part of the accreditation process.  Middle States lists this under Standard III Criterion IV.  If there is something listed that your library isn’t documenting, you should start doing so.
2. Conduct some kind of yearly review of your Middle States data to ensure it is in order.  Middle States currently only visits colleges every 7 years, so it can be easy to lose track of things in between visits.
3. If possible, make sure someone on the library staff goes to the yearly Middle States Conference.  It’s a great chance to learn about the process.
4. Make sure that one or more library staff serve on any accreditation committees at your college.  It can help you keep track of the process at your college.
5. Make sure your documentation includes an analysis of the data present and the changes made based on that analysis.  

The accreditation process is time-consuming, but with a little planning beforehand, you can make the process much easier.