UCM’s Master of Library Science Granted Candidacy Status for Accreditation by the American Library Association

By Alex Greenwood, July 26, 2024

 

The University of Central Missouri’s (UCM) goal to attain candidacy status from the American Library Association (ALA) for accreditation for the Master of Library Science (MLS) has succeeded.

 

At the ALA committee meeting in June, the decision was made to grant candidacy based on precandidacy granted in 2021 and the 2024 candidacy application. A comprehensive review visit is scheduled for fall 2026. The candidacy application will include information on the development and assessment of program learning outcomes, faculty recruitment and retention activities, student recruitment, diversity and career advising.

 

UCM’s MLS program is housed in the Educational Technology and Library Science Department in the College of Education. The program has a long history of accreditation by the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation/American Association of School Librarians (CAEP/AASL). However, faculty members believe that seeking ALA accreditation will help ensure the continuous improvement and quality of the MLS program. ALA accreditation allows graduates to seek employment in public and academic libraries, in addition to school libraries.

 

“Achieving candidacy status is a significant milestone for our program. We have been working on ALA-accreditation since 2016 in one way or another, through hiring Dr. Kammer in 2017, who has expertise in public libraries to expanding our advisory council, and most recently significant curriculum changes for the entire program, switching from a Master of Science in Library Science and Information Services to a Master of Library Science, changing the required number of credit hours to graduate from 33 to 36, and adding a number of electives,” said Rene Burress, Ph.D., associate professor of LIS and department chair. “It reflects the dedication and hard work of our faculty, staff and advisory council, and it will greatly benefit our students by enhancing the quality and recognition of their degree.”

“Moving forward in the process for ALA-accreditation brings so many more opportunities to our students as they enter the library profession.  We are thrilled to be at this point,” said Jenna Kammer, Ph.D., associate professor of LIS and program coordinator. Kammer co-wrote the application with Burress and Amanda Harrison, Ph.D., assistant professor of LIS. They also received extensive contributions from other campus administrators and members of the program advisory council.

 

“This candidacy status from the ALA demonstrates our commitment to providing a high-quality education that meets the rigorous standards of the profession,” said Tim Crowley, UCM interim provost and vice president for academic affairs. “We are proud of the collaborative effort that has brought us to this point and look forward to the comprehensive review process.”

Required legal notice: Candidacy status is an indication that the MLS program at UCM has voluntarily committed to participate in the ALA accreditation process and is actively seeking accreditation. Candidacy does not indicate that the program is accredited nor does it guarantee eventual accreditation of the program by ALA. Initial accreditation, if granted, applies retroactively for students who complete degree requirements in the 24 months prior to the date that initial accreditation is granted.