(via ACRL)
The ALA Task Force on the Context of Future Accreditation is charged to develop a white paper that describes the fields and context for which we will be accrediting in the future, and to make such recommendations as may arise in the process of that development to the ALA Executive Board. One area under the Task Force’s purview is accreditation of information programs, particularly in determining whether there is a disconnect between skills increasingly needed (e.g., information architecture) and the current curricula of LIS programs. Another topic is values, particularly public access, privacy, and intellectual freedom as common threads connecting LIS and related fields, and as a core element in curricula. Finally, the Task Force will study the changing institutional context for accreditation, including such factors as pedagogical innovation, assessment, and resources. The discussion / white paper should result in a conceptual statement as a framework for the development (by the ALA Committee on Accreditation) of future standards.
The Task Force on the Context of Future Accreditation seeks broad input from the LIS community. To this end, the Task Force will be staging a series of online forums, targeting certain populations and capped with a general forum for those who have not otherwise had an opportunity to contribute. The sessions and times are below.
- Thursday, August 18, 12:00 PM CST-LIS faculty, other than deans and directors (register here)
- Thursday, August 25, 12:00 PM CST-librarians and LIS graduates in Canada (register here)
- Wednesday, August 31, 12:00 PM CST-current LIS students and recent LIS graduates (register here)
- Friday, September 2, 12:00 PM CST-general forum (register here)
Each forum will be hosted by a facilitator from the Task Force. Attendance at each forum will be capped at 100. The facilitator will have a set of guiding questions, but discussion is otherwise open. The conversation will be recorded.
Please contact Task Force chair Peter Hepburn, at peter.hepburn@canyons.edu, should you have questions.