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> NASC Accreditation > NASC Standards
Standard Five
Library and Information Resources
Standard 5.A - Purpose and Scope
The primary purpose for library and information resources
is to support teaching, learning, and, if applicable, research in ways
consistent with, and supportive of, the institution's mission and goals.
Adequate library and information resources and services, at the appropriate
level for degrees offered, are available to support the intellectual, cultural,
and technical development of students enrolled in courses and programs
wherever located and however delivered.
5.A.1 The institution's information resources and services
include sufficient holdings, equipment, and personnel in all of its libraries,
instructional media and production centers, computer centers, networks,
telecommunication facilities, and other repositories of information to
accomplish the institution's mission and goals.
5.A.2 The institution's core collection and related information
resources are sufficient to support the curriculum.
5.A.3 Information resources and services are determined
by the nature of the institution's educational programs and the locations
where programs are offered.
Standard 5.B - Information Resources and Services
Information resources and services are sufficient in
quality, depth, diversity, and currency to support the institution's curricular
offerings.
5.B.1 Equipment and materials are selected, acquired,
organized, and maintained to support the educational program.
5.B.2 Library and information resources and services contribute
to developing the ability of students, faculty, and staff to use the resources
independently and effectively.
5.B.3 Policies, regulations, and procedures for systematic
development and management of information resources, in all formats, are
documented, updated, and made available to the institution's constituents.
5.B.4 Opportunities are provided for faculty, staff, and
students to participate in the planning and development of the library
and information resources and services.
5.B.5 Computing and communications services are used to
extend the boundaries in obtaining information and data from other sources,
including regional, national, and international networks.
Standard 5.C - Facilities and Access
The institution provides adequate facilities for library
and information resources, equipment, and personnel. These resources, including
collections, are readily available for use by the institution's students,
faculty, and staff on the primary campus and where required off-campus.
5.C.1 Library and information resources are readily accessible
to all students and faculty. These resources and services are sufficient
in quality, level, breadth, quantity, and currency to meet the requirements
of the educational program.
5.C.2 In cases of cooperative arrangements with other
library and information resources, formal documented agreements are established.
These cooperative relationships and externally provided information sources
complement rather than substitute for the institution's own adequate and
accessible core collection and services.
Standard 5.D - Personnel and Management
Personnel are adequate in number and in areas of expertise
to provide services in the development and use of library and information
resources.
5.D.1 The institution employs a sufficient number of library
and information resources staff to provide assistance to users of the library
and to students at other learning resources sites.
5.D.2 Library and information resources staff include
qualified professional and technical support staff, with required specific
competencies, whose responsibilities are clearly defined.
5.D.3 The institution provides opportunities for professional
growth for library and information resources professional staff.
5.D.4 Library and information resources and services are
organized to support the accomplishment of institutional mission and goals.
Organizational arrangements recognize the need for service linkage among
complementary resource bases (e.g., libraries, computing facilities, instructional
media and telecommunication centers).
5.D.5 The institution consults library and information
resources staff in curriculum development.
5.D.6 The institution provides sufficient financial support
for library and information resources and services, and for their maintenance
and security.
Standard 5.E - Planning and Evaluation
Library and information resources planning activities
support teaching and learning functions by facilitating the research and
scholarship of students and faculty. Related evaluation processes regularly
assess the quality, accessibility, and use of libraries and other information
resource repositories and their services to determine the level of effectiveness
in support of the educational program.
5.E.1 The institution has a planning process that involves
users, library and information resource staff, faculty, and administrators.
5.E.2 The institution, in its planning, recognizes the
need for management and technical linkages among information resource bases
(e.g., libraries, instructional computing, media production and distribution
centers, and telecommunications networks).
5.E.3 The institution regularly and systematically evaluates
the quality, adequacy, and utilization of its library and information resources
and services, including those provided through cooperative arrangements,
and at all locations where courses, programs, or degrees are offered. The
institution uses the results of the evaluations to improve the effectiveness
of these resources.
Supporting Documentation for Standard Five
Required Exhibits:
1. Printed materials that describe for students the hours
and services of learning resources facilities such as libraries, computer
labs, and audio-visual facilities.
2. Policies, regulations, and procedures for the development
and management of library and information resources, including collection
development and weeding.
3. Statistics on use of library and other learning resources.
4. Statistics on library collection and inventory of other
learning resources.
5. Assessment measures utilized to determine the adequacy
of facilities for the goals of the library and information resources and
services.
6. Assessment measures to determine the adequacy of holdings,
information resources and services to support the educational programs
both on and off campus.
7. Data regarding number and assignments of library staff.
8. Chart showing the organizational arrangements for managing
libraries and other information resources (e.g. computing facilities, instructional
media, and telecommunication centers).
9. Comprehensive budget(s) for library and information
resources.
10. Vitae of professional library staff.
11. Formal, written agreements with other libraries.
12. Computer usage statistics related to the retrieval
of library resources.
13. Printed information describing user services provided
by the computing facility.
14. Studies or documents describing the evaluation of
library and information resources.
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