To prepare for our comprehensive program review, members of the Catholic University library and information science community will engage in self-reflection and analysis of our program’s achievements, attainment of educational objectives and learning outcomes, and compliance with the ALA accreditation standards. During this process, we will develop two key documents:
- The Plan for the Self-Study, which outlines the process we will follow as we prepare our accreditation review, and
- The Self-Study, which details our ongoing systematic planning process of program planning and development, assessment, and continuous improvement from the perspective of the five ALA accreditation standards. This document describes our MSLIS program and it's compliance with the ALA's 2015 Standards for Accreditation; analyses our strengths, weaknesses and challenges; and identifies our plans for future development and continued compliance with the Standards. Our Self-Study includes information derived from ongoing analysis, evaluation, and assessment of student, faculty, and program achievements and attainment of educational outcomes that demonstrates our efforts to attain our objectives and maintain continued compliance with the five ALA accreditation standards.
The self-evaluation process culminates in a site visit by an External Review Panel (ERP) in February 2024 and an accreditation decision document sent to LIS by the ALA’s Committee on Accreditation (COA) in July 2024.
ALA Accreditation Review & Engagement Schedule
| February 26, 2023 | Plan for the Self-Study submitted |
| September 2023 | Public comment period on Version 1 of Self-Study |
| Early October 2023 | Accreditation Update Webinar, 7-8 PM |
| October 26, 2023 | Submit Draft Self-Study to COA |
| November 2023 | Public comment period on the submitted Draft Self-Study |
| January 15, 2024 | Submit final Self-Study to COA |
| February 26-27, 2024 |
External Review Panel (ERP) Site Visit - with Sunday reception for constituents to meet with the ERP RSVP by February 15! |
| March 2024 | Full Faculty Meeting |
| June 2024 | COA, ERP Chair, and LIS Chair meet at the ALA Annual Conference |
| July 2024 | ALA Office for Accreditation sends COA decision document to LIS |