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Office for Accreditation

American Library Association
50 E. Huron St.
Chicago, Illinois 60611
312-280-2432
Fax: 312-280-2433
accred@ala.org

Staff

Olive Bansa, Administrative Assistant
312-280-2432; 800-545-2433, x2432
obansa@ala.org

Laura Dare, Assistant Director
312-280-2435; 800-545-2433, x2435
ldare@ala.org

Karen O'Brien, Director
312-280-2434; 800-545-2433, x2434
kobrien@ala.org

Kerri Price, Program Officer
312-280-2436; 800-545-2433, x2436
kprice@ala.org

 

Oversight Group and Meeting Schedule

Committee on Accreditation (COA) roster
COA meeting schedule

Mission

The ALA Office for Accreditation (OA) serves the general public, students, employers, and library and information studies Master's programs through the promotion and advancement of education in library and information studies.

The ALA Office for Accreditation:

  • Ensures fair and equitable accreditation reviews of library and information studies programs,
  • Provides external review and validation of master's level library and information studies programs,
  • Promotes diversity and inclusiveness in library and information studies education,
  • Consults and assists in the development and advancement of library and information studies education,
  • Communicates with constituencies regarding activities,
  • Anticipates and prepares for the changing environment and the future needs of constituencies,
  • Manages our operations and resources to be effective, responsive and relevant.

Responsibilities

The American Library Association (ALA) Office for Accreditation (OA) provides planning, leadership and a secretarial function in implementing the ALA accreditation process. In fulfilling these roles, OA serves multiple constituencies including: the Committee on Accreditation (COA), ALA members, the library and information studies (LIS) profession, graduate programs, students, employers and the general public.
 
Among the responsibilities of the Office for Accreditation are:

  • Coordinating and supporting activities that are directly related to the accreditation of master’s programs of education for LIS,
  • Maintaining relationships with other accrediting agencies, including the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) and the Association of Specialized and Professional Accreditors (ASPA),
  • Maintaining contact with LIS programs,
  • Providing information about the ALA accreditation process, policies, and procedures, as well as the accreditation status (both historical and current) of specific graduate LIS programs,
  • Providing programs, publications, and other activities to promote the awareness and enhance knowledge about the ALA accreditation process, trends in library and information studies education and trends in higher education accreditation,
  • Maintaining a schedule of evaluation reviews and making it available upon request,
  • Maintaining the Directory of Institutions Offering Accredited Master’s Programs,
  • OA shares responsibility with the American Association of School Librarians (AASL) for administering the review of school library media specialist programs under the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE),
  • OA shares responsibility with HRDR for providing information on LIS careers, foreign credentials and ALA scholarships.