A Library Compliance Strategy for Regional Accreditation Standards: Using ACRL Higher Education Standards with the North Central Association, Higher Learning Commission

The 2005 standards published by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association are intentionally general, placing less emphasis on quantifiable and arbitrary inputs and more emphasis on institutional effectiveness and assessment of student learning. The non-prescriptive nature of the new standards makes it difficult for librarians to determine an appropriate compliance strategy. The authors advocate use of the 2004 ACRL Standards for Libraries in Higher Education for assessment of an academic library to provide the comprehensive evaluation required to demonstrate compliance with the North Central Association standards. A comprehensive listing of the North Central provisions affecting libraries and other material are provided to assist in such an evaluation. (C) 2007 by The Haworth Press, Inc. All rights reserved.