ACRL College & Research Libraries News

Association of College & Research Libraries

Letter to the editor—Need to enforce standards

I work with groups that accredit occupational therapists, physical therapists, nurses, lawyers, etc. In these cases, each accrediting group has standards. If you don't meet the standards, you are evaluated, warned, and if the situation isn’t corrected, you have your accreditation removed—or you don't get it in the first place.

Is academic librarianship professional enough to establish standards, evaluate institutions according to those standards, and then censure institutions that don't meet the standards? Do we have guts enough? I think not—but we should.

We really must establish standards, maybe sliding standards based on faculty and student populations, the total budget of the institution, etc. Then we must establish procedures to examine our member institutions, judge their adherence to the standards, and take appropriate action if the standards are not met.

Are we professionals—or aren't we? As a former English professor I am amazed at how cautious and seemingly scared professional librarians seem to be.—David M. Harralson, associate dean and director of the librar, Utica College of Syracuse University