ACRL News Issue (B) of College & Research Libraries March 1983 / 71 R e s u l t s O n ce the team had divided the costs for m ultiple affiliation entrances, it then produced a schedule of assessments for each affiliated institution. T h e as­ sessment for each institution was divided into por­ tions for organized research, clin ical c a re, teach ­ in g . c o u rs e w o r k , a n d o th e r p u rp o se s. T h is distribution enabled the institutions to pass on the charges to third parties. T h e team also produced a schedule o f unit charges for the services paid for di­ rectly by users. A d v a n t a g e s o f t h i s A p p r o a c h T his approach, w hile necessitating a careful cost accounting and user survey effo rt, has several sig­ n ifican t advantages over others used to recover ser­ vice costs from library users. This approach perm its detailed ju stification of cost recovery because cost calculations and survey responses directly produce usage charges and insti­ tutional assessments. An audit trail becomes avail­ a b le for auditors from the institutions and the fed­ era l g o v ern m en t w ho w ill wish to tr a c e th e ir assessments back to sup porting d e ta il. T h e a p ­ proach is readily understandable to financial exec­ utives who are responsible for m aking decisions about library financial support. M oreover, this approach builds a strong founda­ tion for fin ancial planning. L ib ra ry adm inistrators can use the databases to com p are alternative stra t­ egies of service pricing, user charges, institutional assessments, and individual m em bership fees. ■ ■ E d ito r s N ote: F o r m ore in form ation on the co n ­ sulting firm that advised the C ountw ay L ibrary , c o n ta c t R o u s m a n iere M a n a g e m en t A ssociates, In c., H earthstone Plaza, Suite 206, 111 W ashing­ ton St., B rooklin e, MA 02146. New A ccred itation C riteria Proposed E d w a rd G. H olley, Dean S chool o f L ibrary Science T h e University o f N orth C arolina at C h a p el Hill At its' annual m eeting on D ecem ber 13, 1982, T hom as G . C arp en ter (M emphis State) and E m ­ m ett B . Field s (V an d erb ilt) presented a form al draft of new C riteria f o r A ccreditation (Proposed) to the C ollege D elegate Assembly o f the C om m is­ sion on C olleges of the Southern Association o f C o l­ leges and Schools. T h e culm ination of th ree years’ work by four task forces, the Criteria f o r A ccred ita­ tion was hailed by Fields as the boldest m ove o f the Commission on Colleges since 1962. M oreover, a l­ though individual sections o f the 1962 standards have all been revised during the later sixties and seventies (a library section was added to the G rad ­ uate Standard in 1969 and the L ib ra ry Standard was revised in 1975), this is the first com p lete revi­ sion o f SACS standards for colleges and universities in tw enty years. I f approved by the C ollege D ele­ gate Assembly at its D ecem ber 1983 m eeting in New Orleans, the Criteria f o r A ccreditation will replace the current standards during the next three years. Em phasis in the new c riteria is placed upon edu­ ational outcom es assessment and an ongoing plan­ ning process. T o quote C arp en ter, “T h e new C rite­ ria for A ccreditation presented here represent a retention o f the most im portant elements o f the old tandards which have served the Commission on olleges well throughout the past several decades, c s C and it includes the addition o f new elem ents, p ar­ ticularly a stronger emphasis on planning and edu­ cational outcom es assessment, which w ill help the Commission serve its constituents m ore effectively in the fu ture.” Stated simply the new criteria ask colleges and universities to d eterm ine w hat e ffect a college and university has on students, i .e ., “w hat difference does a college education m ake?” T h e c o ro lla ry to th a t ap p ro a ch m igh t be sta ted as “W h a t effect does a college or university library have on students?” i.e ., “W h a t difference does a college library m ake?” In the process of overhaul o f the current stan­ dards, the author and G erald Sandy, director of the library at Armstrong S ta te College, Savannah, G eorgia, served as m em bers o f the Study C o m m it­ tee on Services and Support. Included under E d u ­ cational Support Services are the L ib ra ry , Student Developm ent Services, Com puter Services, and In ­ structional Support. Although the L ib ra ry Section is sim ilar to Standard 6 in the current docum ent, the emphasis in the proposed docum ent is upon the library user, in line with the general thrust o f the criteria. T h e L ib ra ry Section should therefore be studied in conjunction with Section I I I , Institu­ tional Effectiveness, which discusses “Outcom es Assessment” and “P lan n in g.” As readers will note, S A C S has u n d e r p r e p a r a t io n a m a n u a l w ith “guidelines and suggestions for the development and use o f outcom es assessment programs and m ea­ surem ent instrum ents.” Both Sections I I I and Section 5 .2 are given be­ low. 72 / C&RL News S e c t i o n I I I I n s t i t u t i o n a l E f f e c t i v e n e s s 3 .1 O utcom es Assessment P rofessional ju d g m en t and exp erience w ithin higher education have led to the conviction that c erta in environm ents, resources, processes, and structures norm ally prom ote learning. These ele­ ments are addressed in the other sections of the C ri­ teria for A ccreditation. T h e ultim ate m easure of th e effectiveness o f an ed u catio n al institu tio n, however, is its educational outcom es— the success of its students in acquiring knowledge, com peten­ cies, and skills and in learning th eir m eaningful ap­ p lication; in form ing attitudes and in gaining val­ ues a n d p e r s p e c tiv e s ; a n d in d e v e lo p in g th e cap acity for further learning. In its statem ent of p u rp ose, goals, o b je ctiv e s , an d co m p le tio n re ­ quirem ents for its educational program s, each in­ stitution must state its view o f w hat constitutes de­ sirable outcomes w hich m ay include service and research functions, as well as student educational achievem ent. These desired outcom es must be ap­ prop riate to the purpose o f the institution and the characteristics o f the learners it serves. T h e Commission on Colleges requires that each institution dem onstrate its continuing concern for s tu d e n t e d u c a tio n a l a c h ie v e m e n t th ro u g h a planned program o f outcom es assessment c h a ra c­ terized by the follow ing elements: 1. T h e institution has defined its m ajor ed uca­ tional goals and o bjectives in term s th a t lend them ­ selves to assessment. 2. T h e institution has defined the “effectiveness indicators” (i.e ., the types o f evidence and levels of achievem ent) to be used in assessing its effective­ ness in achieving its goals and objectives. 3. T h e institution has established the organiza­ tion and m echanisms for assessment and has im ple­ m ented an assessment program in a system atic m anner. 4. T h e institution uses the results o f its assess­ m en t in in s titu tio n a l p la n n in g and d e cis io n ­ m aking to improve the quality o f its programs. It is essential th a t the institution assign adm inis­ trative responsibility for the outcomes assessment function and th a t it periodically evaluate the effec­ tiveness o f that function. T h ere must be overall co ­ ordination of all institutional elem ents involved in outcom es assessment. T h e outcomes assessment program o f an institu­ tion should be designed to incorporate the follow­ ing elements: •Institutional purpose • Characteristics of students and oth er constitu­ encies served •Educational program •Student educational achievem ent •Physical resources •Human resources • Financial resources •Support services •Administrative services •Governance In addition to the above, institutions m ay need to identify oth er m atters o f concern to be included in their outcom es assessment activity. W ith in certain adm inistrative units o f an institu­ tion, it is necessary to identify goals and objectives th at are not stated in term s o f student achievem ent (e .g ., m anagem ent function goals) but which ulti­ m ately translate into the support and facilitatio n o f student learn in g. E v a lu a tio n o f effectiveness of m anagem ent and support properly constitutes an­ other dimension of outcomes assessment. T h e Commission does not prescribe any single process or form at for an institution’s program of outcom es assessment, and it recognizes, indeed, urges th a t some assessment procedures and instru­ ments will be locally developed. W h ere available and appropriate, however, assessment instruments th a t p erm it comparisons against external norms should also be considered. * 3 .2 Planning I f outcomes assessment is to have m eaning and value it must ultim ately result in institutional im ­ provem ent and thus must becom e a significant fa c ­ tor in institution decision-m aking and planning. A well-defined planning program which is properly staffed and im plem ented is essential to the orderly growth and development o f an institution. Institutional “organization for the planning func­ tion will vary, depending upon the size, com plex­ ity, and purpose o f the institution, but in every case the product o f this function should be a planning docum ent. T h e plan must: •Reflect the purpose o f the institution. •Show th a t a tte n tio n has been given to th e results of outcom es assessment. •Identify and discrim inate am ong alternative courses o f action. •Anticipate budget and other resource availabil­ ity and provide for contingencies. •Contain provisions for periodic review. •Have the endorsem ent, approval, and accep t­ ance of the governing board. It is essential th at the institution assign adminis­ trative responsibility for th e planning function and th at it periodically evaluate the effectiveness of th at function. T h ere must be overall coordination o f all institutional elem ents involved in planning. 5 .2 L ib rary Because the library is essential to the achieve­ ment o f the educational goals of students and fa c ulty, *T h e Commission will have available a supple­ m entary docum ent which provides guidelines and suggestions for the development and use of o ut­ comes assessment programs and measurem ent in­ trum ents. T his docum ent also describes com m er­ ia lly a v a ila b le m aterials and discusses in stitu ­ ional planning. This docum ent may be ordered rom the Sou thern A ssociation of C olleges and chools Publications O ffice. s c t f S March 1983 / 73 each institution must have a library which provides th e p rim ary and secon dary m a teria ls needed to support its purposes and programs; these resources should be available in a well-equipped, readily accessible facility which encourages m axi­ mum utilziation by the campus com m unity. T o fa ­ cilitate use of such resources, both on and off ca m ­ p us, a c o m p e te n t p ro fe s s io n a l s t a f f m ust b e available to assist the users. T h e collections of print and non-print m aterials must be well organized, and adequate hours must be m aintained to insure accessibility to users. Priorities for acquiring m aterials and establish­ ing services must be determined with the needs of the users in mind. Thus, with the active coopera­ tion of the adm inistration, faculty, students, and library staff, each institution must develop for its library a statem ent of mission and objectives con­ sistent with the institutional purpose. T h e library­ must be evaluated regularly and systematically to insure th at it is m eeting the needs o f its users and supporting the programs and objectives o f the insti­ tution. 5 .2 .1 Services Basic library services include form al instruction, individual user assistance, bibliographic access to inform ation, and m aterials access. T h e lib ra ry must provide program s for users which m ay include instruction in library use, lec­ tures, library guides and user aids, self-paced in­ struction, and computer-assisted instruction. T h e library must offer point-of-use instruction, personal assistance in conducting library research (including term paper consultations), and tradi­ tional reference service by telephone and by mail as well as in person. Professional assistance should be available at convenient locations when the library is open. T h e library must provide adequate records of on-cam p us m aterials through lo cally produced catalogs, indexes, and bibliographies, access to in­ form ation sources regardless of location through standard indexes and bibliographies, and, where appropriate, access to external bibliographic data­ bases. T h e library must have adequate physical facili­ ties to house, service, and make the library collec­ tions easily av ailab le; u p -to-d ate equipm ent in good condition for using print and non-print m ate­ rials; provision for rapid access to any remotely stored m aterials; provision for interlibrary loan agreements; and an efficient and appropriate cir­ culation system. T h e library must provide students with opportunities to learn how to access inform a­ tion in a variety o f formats so that they can con­ tinue life-long learning. In order to insure th at stu­ dents learn the application o f library skills to the solution o f p articular problems, librarians must work in close cooperation with the teaching faculty in assisting students to use resource m aterials effec­ tively. An institution must provide appropriate library services a t o ff-c a m p u s lo c a tio n s w h ere c re d it courses are offered to insure that these courses re­ ceive the sam e level o f library support as that given to equivalent on-campus courses. This obligation can be met by developing a branch library or by making contractual arrangem ents with libraries in the geographic area. Com petent library personnel should be assigned the planning duties entailed in providing these services and in ascertaining their continued adequacy. W h en con tra ctu a l agree­ ments are reached, they must specify the level of service and type of access to be provided for stu­ dents and faculty. 5 .2 .2 Collections T h e library collections must be sufficient to sup­ port the educational, research, and public service programs of the institution. Institutions offering graduate work need library resources substantially in excess of those required for the bachelor’s degree. Since diverse methods and needs of instruction and research exist on any campus, no one group is able to understand the breadth and depth of collection requirements. I t is essential, therefore, th at lib rari­ ans, teaching faculty, and researchers share in­ volvement in the development o f collections and th at the institution establish policies defining such involvement. E a ch library must have a written policy which defines the qualifications, roles, and responsibili­ ties of those involved in the selection and weeding process. 5 .2 .3 Staff Most members o f the professional library staff must hold professional degrees at the graduate level in library science or learning resources; how­ ever, professional or technical training in special­ ized service areas are increasingly im p ortan t in m eeting user needs. An ad equ ate support sta ff must be provided to carry out responsibilities o f a nonprofessional nature; qualifications for these po­ sitions should be defined by the institution in terms of skills needed. T h e chief librarian must be a w ell-qualified p ro­ fessional who administers the services in a m anner which contributes to the educational effectiveness of the institu tion. O rgan izational relationships, both external and internal to the library, should be clearly specified. Institutional policies concerning prom otion, salary, tenure or contractual security, and faculty status for library personnel must be clearly defined and made known to all personnel at the tim e o f employment. 5 .2 .4 Institutional Relationships In order to increase the ability of the library to provide the resources and services needed by its us­ ers, cooperative relationships with other libraries and agencies m ay be considered. These cooperative relationships must not be used by institutions to avoid responsibility for providing their own ade­ quate and accessible library resources and services. In all cases of cooperative arrangem ents, formal agreem en ts m ust be estab lish ed , th ereb y safe- 74 / C& RL News guarding the integrity and continuity o f library re­ sources and services. An institu tion w hich co n ­ tracts with other institutions to provide its students with library services must dem onstrate th at its stu­ dents are using these services. Copies of the proposed C riteria f o r A ccred ita­ tion w ere distributed to Presidents and/or other representatives o f m em ber institutions at the m eet­ ing of the Commission Colleges on D ecem ber 13. L ibrarians m ay review the criteria by asking their presidents for a copy. L ibrarians are also encour­ aged to send d ata on effectiveness measures to the Commission offices for incorporation into the re­ source m anual m entioned in the footnote on Sec­ tion I I I . I cannot stress too strongly the im portance o f sharing w ith the Commission staff recom m en­ dations on questions w hich should be asked in self- studies and by visiting teams. W h ile recognizing th at the state of the art o f effectiveness measure­ m ent is not well developed, librarians must make a v a ila b le to our SA C S colleagu es in fo rm a tio n about the strongest research tools we now have on educational outcomes. T h e M anual will be of c riti­ cal im portance in the interpretation o f the C riteria and this is our chance to have a hand in the prepa­ ration o f th at im portant document. Suggestions, com m ents, o r recom m endations should be sent as soon as possible to E lb ie C onard, Assistant Executive D irecto r, Commission on C ol­ le g e s , S o u th e rn A s s o c ia tio n o f C o lle g e s and Schools, 795 Peachtree Street, N .E ., A tlanta, GA 30 3 6 5 . ■ ■ Highlights of the Midwinter Meetings of the ACRL Board of Directors T h e Board of D irectors o f the Association of C o l­ lege and Research Libraries m et tw ice during the ALA M idw inter M eeting: on Saturday, Jan u ary 8, 1983, and W ednesday, Jan uary 12, 1983. Chapters T h e board approved the recom m endation o f the Chapters Council th a t $ 3 .5 0 per m em ber be allo­ cated for direct chap ter support. College & Research Libraries T h e board voted to reappoint C. Jam es Schm idt editor of C &R L for an additional year until Ju ne 2 0 , 1984, allow ing for a six-month period in which a new editor will act in an apprentice cap acity to the current editor. C om m ittees T h e board approved the dissolution of the Ad Hoc Copyright Com m ittee and the creation of a standing Copyright Com m ittee. A revised charge for the Legislation C om m ittee was also approved. T h e board amended the A C R L Bylaws to pro­ hibit mem bers o f standing com m ittees from serv­ ing m ore than four consecutive years. Discussion Groups T h e board referred a petition for the form ation of a College L ibrarians Discussion Group to the College Libraries Section’s Executive Com m ittee to see w hether the needs o f such a group could be m et w ithin the section. T h e board approved the form ation o f a W o m ­ en’s Studies Discussion Group, and approved the dissolution o f the Audio-Visual Discussion Group and the transfer of its activities into the Audio- Visual C om m ittee. Executive D irector T h e board approved adoption o f a procedure for an annual review o f the executive director to begin with an executive session at the F a ll 1983 Executive C om m ittee meeting. Jones/Howard Award T h e board approved A C R L co-sponsorship with other ALA divisions of a proposal subm itted for the J . Morris Jones and Bailey K. Howard ALA Goal Aw ard to en h ance divisional leadership w ithin ALA. T h e program would run from April 1983 to Ju ne 1986. Legislation T h e board approved the request of the Legisla­ tion C om m ittee to endorse the reauthorization of the L ib ra ry Services and Reconstruction Act with th e r e c o m m e n d a tio n th a t S e c tio n 3 0 4 ( c ) b e changed to state that nothing in Section 304 shall prohibit the reim bursem ent for resource sharing activities on the part o f participating libraries. Membership T h e board requested the A C R L M em bership C om m ittee to exam ine the feasibility of offering ACRL/ALA memberships renew able on th eir an­ niversary date rather than at the end of a fixed m embership year. T h e C om m ittee will explore the option with the ALA M embership C om m ittee and report back to the board. National Conferences T h e board requested access to d ata on papers subm itted for A C R L national conferences, includ­ ing the num ber o f intents to subm it, the actual num ber o f papers subm itted, the p ercentage o f pa­ pers accepted, and the percentage o f papers re­ jected at a later stage o f review. ■ ■